DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Department of Athletics and Recreation is pleased to announce the Class of 2026 that will be inducted into the Corsair Hall of Fame on October 23 at the Marketplace next to the Campus Center.
Jillian Van Ness '13 (women's indoor/outdoor track & field and women's soccer), Nick Thayer '14 (men's lacrosse),
Ralph Perry (head coach, women's tennis) and the 2012 UMass Dartmouth men's indoor and outdoor track and field teams will be enshrined.
Additionally, former men's indoor and outdoor track & field standout Kevin Cutler '16 was selected for induction into the 2026 Little East Conference Hall of Fame. While he will be unable to join us on Blue & Gold Weekend, Cutler will be honored in Spring 2027 at the Corsair Classic track & field meet.
"At each year's Athletics Hall of Fame, we celebrate the great achievements of our alumni and coaches," stated
Lori Hendricks, UMass Dartmouth Director of Athletics. "This year will be especially sweet as we also celebrate the expansion of Corsair Nation with women's flag football, men's swimming and diving, and men's lacrosse. I look forward to welcoming our alumni and their families back on campus for one of the University's most honored traditions of Blue and Gold Weekend.
Jillian Van Ness '13 - Women's Indoor/Outdoor Track, Women's Soccer
During her incredible tenure at UMass Dartmouth, Van Ness was a four-year member of both the indoor and outdoor track and field teams. When she finally turned in her equipment, she had posted a total of nine school records of which four were individual marks and the other five were school relay records.
Van Ness, a native of Agawam, Mass., held the school records in the 60 meters , 4x200 meters relay, 4x400 meter relay and the distance medley record until six years following graduation.
She was an eight-time Little East Conference champion, highlighted by three LEC outdoor titles in 2012 when she scored 20 individual points, helping the Corsairs to a second place finish in the LEC Outdoor championships.
On the pitch, Van Ness recorded 17 career goals with 15 assists for 49 career points with the Corsairs. Highlighting her tenure was a single-season best seven goals and five assists for 19 points as a junior for the UMass Dartmouth women's soccer team.
Nick Thayer '14 – Men's Lacrosse
A four-year member of men's lacrosse team at UMass Dartmouth, Thayer holds the distinction as one of the best goaltenders in program history. During his career, the Chelmsford, Mass., native boasted a record of 41-20 as his squad recorded a 46-20 overall mark in that time.
The Corsairs netminder owned a career 7.93 goals against average with a .547 career save percentage. In 3590:01 minutes played, Thayer recorded 574 saves. Additionally, he scooped up 97 ground balls and caused 12 turnovers in that time.
Thayer's efforts in the cage saw the Corsairs earn playoff berths all four years – including three semifinals appearances in the Little East Conference Tournament during his senior, sophomore and rookie seasons.
A two-time All-LEC First Team (senior and junior) and All-LEC Second Team (sophomore) selection, Thayer saw his top season come in 2014 as he went 12-5 overall with a 7.36 GAA and a .533 save percentage. That year, he recorded 137 saves, helping the Corsairs defeat UMass Boston in the quarterfinals (6-5) before falling to Eastern Connecticut (7-9) in the semifinals.
Ralph Perry – Head Coach, Women's Tennis
Ralph Perry served as the head coach of the Corsairs women's tennis team for 14 years. Colleague Thomas Mendell notes: I observed Ralph's ability to form a team that enjoyed the game, the competition and the ability to "give their all." He was stellar in his support and willingness to be flexible for individuals dealing with academic scheduling, family and work issues.
Achieved a program top-mark of 113 and an overall record of 113-79 (.588) over 14 years. The squad won the 2008 LEC Championship, advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Perry helped the squad to the LEC Tournament Semifinals in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 – with another championship match appearance in 2010.
Under his guidance, the Corsairs saw 27 total All-LEC selections, including eight to the First Team and 19 to the Second Team in both singles and doubles. Additionally,
Amy Lopes was named the 2008 Little East Conference Player of the Year, while Kelsey Grossman was the 2008 LEC Rookie of the Year. UMD also saw Nicole Pelletier ern the 2010 LEC Rookie of the Year. Perry was named the 2008 Little East Conference Coach of the Year.
Two of his players – Mary Bourque '01 and
Amy Lopes '11 are both in the Corsair Hall of Fame. In addition, Perry served as the UMD softball coach for the 2004 season.
The 2012 UMass Dartmouth Men's Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field Team
The 2012 teams hold the distinction as the first Corsair squads to win the Little East Indoor and Outdoor Championship titles. Their efforts helped set a standard that has led to five indoor titles and six outdoor titles (the most by any LEC team in that time frame) at the conference tournament.
The 2012 squad saw a combined 13 individual champions at the conference tournament, including eight indoor and five outdoor. The Corsairs garnered the 2012 Indoor Field Athlete of the Year (Chris Perry) and the Indoor Rookie Track Athlete of the Year (Phito Gondre), while Steve Gardiner was named both the Indoor and Outdoor Coach of the Year.
UMass Dartmouth earned indoor championship titles in the 55m, 200m, 600m, 800m, 4x400m Relay, Long Jump, Triple Jump and the Weight Throw. The Corsairs went on to claim outdoor titles in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m Relay, Long Jump, Triple Jump and Shot Put.
The indoor squad claimed the title with 177 points, while the outdoor squad amassed 162 points for the crown. UMD has gone on to repeat the sweep on the men's side three more times for four total LEC title sweeps (2012, 2014, 2022, 2023).
Kevin Cutler – Little East Hall of Fame Inductee – Men's Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Kevin Cutler was a standout in the high jump at UMass Dartmouth from 2013-16. To-date, he is the first and only Little East Conference men's track & field athlete to earn All-America in the high jump for both the indoor and outdoor seasons, and is the only one to earn multiple indoor All-America citations.
Cutler's all-time mark in the high jump came on April 30, 2016 at UMass Dartmouth when he soared 2.17 meters to claim the LEC title on his way to being named the LEC Field Athlete of the Year. That jump remains the highest in Little East outdoor championship history, and is tied for 16th all-time in NCAA Division III history. He was twice the LEC indoor high jump champion, posting winning marks of 2.05 meters in 2014 and 2.03 meters in 2016.
Cutler earned his indoor high jump All-America honors in 2014 (2.04m, seventh) and 2016 (2.08m, third), while claiming outdoor national honors in 2015 (2.08m, third). Cutler's three All-America honors place him seventh among All-America honorees in the history of UMass Dartmouth athletics and was the second Corsair to earn All-America honors in the high jump.
The Corsairs swept the LEC indoor and outdoor team titles in 2014. In addition to his LEC and national honors, Cutler was a two-time New England Division III Champion and an ECAC Division III Championship.
Cutler earned his bachelor's degree in finance from UMass Dartmouth in 2016, and was inducted into the Corsair Hall of Fame in 2021.
The registration link is now live and available at
https://www.givecampus.com/schools/UniversityofMassachusettsDartmouth/events/37th-annual-corsair-athletics-hall-of-fame
