Five New Members Inducted into Athletic Hall of Fame

This past Friday night, November 3rd, WPI inducted five new members into its Athletic Hall of Fame. The banquet was held in Alden Memorial Hall where each member was honored and remembered for their outstanding performance.

The first inductee was a 1956 graduate, Joseph J. Alekshun Jr. Alekshun was both a football and a baseball player here at WPI. "Joe Alekshun is one of the finest tackles I've ever had," said Coach Bob Pritchard in 1955 of his senior year abilities. He is also remembered for his steady hand as a catcher and a batter on the baseball team. Few will forget the day when Alekshun single-handedly led WPI to an 8-3 victory over AIC in Springfield; he had a two run, seventh inning triple that was followed by at eighth inning grand slam: a 6-RBI performance. Joe Alekshun had an amazing ability to block, tackle, catch and knock the cover off the ball.

Along with Joe were four other distinguished athletes.

Fred N. Snyder Jr., of the class of 1970 was the 1969 New England Intercollegiate Wrestling Association heavyweight champion, making him an unbeatable opponent when it came to the sport of wrestling. Fred's wrestling career was short but eventful here at WPI. In fact, every time he stepped into Alumni Gym's standing-room-only crowd, he proved his reputation for pinning an opponent with great speed and skill. His coach, John Vino remembers Fred well, "…I dare say that Fred was the athlete who paved the way for the outstanding wrestling tradition that is very much alive today at WPI." For all the excitement he created, and for what Fred has meant to WPI wrestling, WPI returned its appreciation by inducting him.

The next man to be inducted Friday night is still very involved here today, Frederick D. Rucker, of the class of 1981. In his day Fred ran the 400 meters, anchored the mile relay, threw the javelin, and helped propel WPI's track team to winning four straight seasons in a row; a 7-2 record in 1978, a 8-1 record in 1979, 8-1 in 1980, and 6-3 in 198. He continually set WPI records in his junior and senior years. His Coach, Merl Norcross comments, "Fred would perform in any event his coaches asked him to. He was a team guy and in the true sense of the word, a competitor". Fred Rucker was a superior athlete.

The final two inductees have a lot to be proud of. The only woman inductee she excelled during the golden era of WPI women's basketball history. Kimberly Fay Boucher of the class of 1986 is honored for her career as a member of the women's basketball team during the 1982-1986 seasons. She led WPI in scoring with 15.7 ppg as a sophomore, 16.9 as a junior, and 18.8 as a senior. At the time of her graduation, Kim was the all-time leading scorer, with 1,478 points; today she still ranks third. Her teammates and coaches still recall the night Kim scored 28 points in a victory over Clark during her sophomore season - and when she followed that game with another victory over Bridgewater State in the New England Regional. And finally, in Kim's senior season she had another 28-point game versus Southern Maine. Friday night was also a night to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the varsity women's basketball team, so it was most appropriate to give Kim such distinction and welcome her into the Hall of Fame.

The final induction goes to a member of the WPI football team in the early 1990's, in fact, this was his first year of eligibility. As he still holds WPI records to this day, Jason A. Wooley of the class of 1994 was an incredible athelete. In his four years on campus, the football team accumulated 29 wins with just nine losses and one tie. They played in the only two postseason tournaments in the school's history his junior and senior years, and WPI won the FFC title outright. He holds the titles of 'rushing with the most career yards' (3,766), 'most yards in one season' (1,283 in 1990), 'most yards in one game' (311 vs. MIT in 1990), 'career carries' (754), and 'most carries in one game' (45 in the MIT game). He also holds scoring records for most career points (338), most points in one season (116 in 1990), and most points in one game (26 in the 1990 MIT game). Jason A. Wooley, has shown unparalleled record-setting achievement in the sport of football, and therefore he was inducted into the WPI Athletic Hall of Fame.

Friday night's induction is an annual event, and every year each individual is acknowledged and praised in there own way. Sports at WPI is, and can be, a very rewarding experience, and this Hall of Fame ceremony is just one example of the hundreds that WPI has to offer.