Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Athletic Department inducted the Hall of Fame Class of 2020 Friday night during an in-person ceremony held at the Kaplan Center. The class of Lorraine Sanacroce, Derrick R. Brown, Scott Colello. Mike Fisher, Stephanie Karcher and Brandon Mincher formally took its place in the Hall as the ninth class enshrined.
Lorraine Santacroce – Athletic Director/Head Coach
Lorraine Santacroce started her tenure at Mount Saint Mary College as the Athletic Director in the dawn of the college. It was New York State standards regulation that each graduate had physical education credit to graduate. Sr. Mary Francis McDonald asked Coach Santacroce to help the students to fulfill their requirement to graduate. Santacroce with her baccalaureate and master degrees in Physical Education from Ithaca College was teaching grades 3-12 at Mount Saint Mary Academy and Bishop Dunn Memorial School, stepped up to the plate and gave these young women experiences that they still reminisce about today.
Santacroce taught volleyball, tennis, bowling, and basketball, and coached cheerleading. In the academic year of 1968/69, Coach Santacroce was approached and asked to join a basketball tournament with other Catholic colleges such as Mercy, Dominican, Elizabeth Seton and Good Counsel. Mount Saint Mary College was considered the underdog but Coach Santacroce gave them the pep talk they still remember, Sue Greenhagen '69 recalls, "Lorraine kept telling us, "You can win this." We began to believe her, and by golly, we did win". With Coach Santacroce's expertise and guidance Mount Saint Mary College won the College's first tournament in 1969.
Lorraine left the Mount in 1979 after many years of building strong relationships with the Dominican Sisters and her students. She still has fond memories of those days and remains in contact with many of the Sisters and her students.
Lorraine Santacroce's love for the Mount is reflected with her donation of the benches at the south end of the Dominican Center, the flagpole at the baseball field and the jackets the girls' basketball team wears today. She has also established a scholarship for current students. She is a committed friend of Mount Saint Mary College and the college cannot thank her enough for what she did for us.
Derrick R. Brown – Baseball, Men's Basketball '91
Derrick Brown starred in two sports at Mount Saint Mary for four years, going on to become the first former Knight to sign a professional contract when he signed with the then California Angels in 1992.
Derrick starred for the Knights both on the court and the diamond for four years, serving as a team captain three times in both sports. He scored over 1,000 career points on the basketball court for the Mount and as a senior in baseball he hit a robust .400.
Following his standout senior season on the diamond, Derrick signed a professional baseball contract with the California Angels, reporting for spring training in February 1992. Following his release from camp, Derrick played independent baseball for the Nashua Hawks in Nashua, New Hampshire and went on to tour the Caribbean, Central and South America with a semi-professional baseball team based out of New York City.
Derrick lists serving as team captain for three years in both sports and being a four-year starter on both the court and diamond as proud achievements as a Knight. He also fondly recalls winning the Knickerbocker baseball championship at Shea Stadium and being surprised at a home basketball game with being named Homecoming King in 1991.
Currently, Derrick has been an educator in the Bronx for better than 20 years and also operates a non-profit organization called Urban Sports Group. The group teaches fast pitch softball to inner city females from ages 8-18. He has also served as the Union Chapter Leader for the United Federation of Teachers for the last 12 years.
Derrick is married to Sonya (Johnson) Brown '92 and the couple are the proud parents of two children. Darrius and Sheala.
"As a student-athlete at the Mount, I learned the importance of Time Management, To always be Grateful for all opportunities big and small, To embrace Failure and learn from it, and lastly The Grind never stops, always look for the next challenge."
Scott Colello – Men's Track and Field '14
Marking the first track and field student-athlete to enter the Mount Saint Mary College Athletic Hall of Fame, Scott Colello left an indelible mark on the program. He graduated with an astonishing 31 school records with 10 marks still standing on the Mount's record board.
Colello was the first male athlete to qualify for the ECAC Track and Field Championships in 2013 and was tabbed the 2013 MSMC Male Athlete of the Year at the department's annual end of the year awards ceremony.
He placed his name on the record board a total of 31 times between indoor and outdoor track and field and still holds the 55-meter hurdle and Triple Jump Indoor marks as well as the Outdoor standards in the 200 and 400-meters, the 400-meter hurdles, the Long Jump, Triple Jump and Decathlon. Colello is also part of the 4x400 and 1,600-meter sprint medley Outdoor relay teams.
"My team was my family at the Mount, we ran/swam, traveled, studied, and ate together. Competing in meets every weekend, long runs and early morning practices during preseason are all fond memories I have as a student-athlete. I especially miss our hour plus runs around beautiful Chadwick lake or across the bridge to Beacon," Scott recalls.
Scott notes that being a captain over the course of his career gave him invaluable leadership experience that he carried through graduate school and into his professional practice. He also notes that training and competing year-around helped his learn the determination he needed complete graduate school.
Upon his graduation from the Mount, Scott started his graduate school career at the University of Bridgeport School of Chiropractic in 2014. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2018 with a Doctorate of Chiropractic and soon after was hired as a Chiropractic Physician at Beth Israel Deaconess' Spine Care and Neurosurgery clinic in Plymouth, Mass.
Scott is in his third year at the clinic and currently lives in Plymouth, Mass. During the global pandemic, however, Scott was redeployed as a frontline drive-through tester for COVID-19. He is recently engaged to former Mount Saint Mary College runner Christine Brown and the couple has a 2021 wedding planned.
"I feel very honored to be inducted into the MSMC Athletics Hall of Fame. Being a Mount athlete was a huge part of my life and I am glad it continues today."
Mike Fisher – Baseball '00
Mike Fisher enters the Mount Saint Mary College Athletic Hall of Fame as one of the finest baseball players to play for the Knights. Fisher was a part of two NCAA Tournament teams at the Mount and was on the team that finished the 1999 season ranked #23 nationally.
Mike was a three-time All-Conference selection for the Knights and over those three all-league seasons he hit .372. He massed 143 hits for the Knights over the three-year span, adding 64 RBI and 43 stolen bases. In 1998, Mike hit an impressive .454 in 119 at-bats, ranking 41st nationally in batting average.
"I had an amazing time playing at the Mount. I knew the night of my visit on campus that the Mount was the place for me. What an incredible group of guys that knew how to have a good time as well as putting in the work to be a competitive team. It was an absolute blast!," Mike recalls.
Among his proudest moments as a Knight he lists being part of a great college and baseball organization. "I was always proud to say I was a member of the MSMC Knights."
Mike also looks back fondly on what being a student-athlete meant to him and how it affected him in life after college. "Learning how to balance social life, school work and baseball forced me to become disciplined and regimented to ensure that I was able to fulfill all my obligations as a student athlete while still being able to have a great time with friends. Also being part of a team sport teaches you how to get along and work with others. I was able to carry those experiences with me into the workplace," he reflects.
Up on graduation for the Mount, Mike went on to work on the American Stock exchange for two years before joining the New York City Police Department in 1993 where he serves as a lieutenant while staying involved with coaching baseball.
Mike and his wife, Rana, have been married for 17 years and are parents to two smart, funny and talented 13-year olds twins, son Kaeden and daughter Kennedy.
"The most fun four years of my life were spent at the Mount! Great place, great people, great times. On the long drives home from the city to Orange County I still catch myself thinking about all the awesome people I got to hang with and the fun we had."
Stephanie Karcher – Softball '15
Stephanie Karcher helped lay the foundation for the softball program who has turned into a perennial power in the Skyline Conference. Karcher was a three-time All-Skyline Conference selection and helped the Mount to a Skyline Conference regular season crown as a senior.
Over a four-year career, Karcher etched her name in the program's history as one of the most prolific hitters it has ever seen. In 125 games played, Karcher hit an impressive .347 in 377 at-bats, amassing 131 hits. She finished her career with 27 doubles, four triples and a program record 20 home runs. Karcher hit a single season record 10 round trippers as a sophomore in 2013 and rounded out a stellar career with 94 runs scored and 85 RBI. She also holds the NCAA Division III single game mark for total bases (13) and RBI (9).
Stephanie was made a Second Team All-Skyline Conference pick in both 2013 and 2014 and after hitting .398 as a senior with 30 runs scored and 22 RBI was made a First Team All-League pick. Karcher helped the Knights to the Skyline Conference Championship Tournament in 2014 and 2015, earning the top-seed in the event of the final day of the 2015 regular season.
Two memories stick out of her illustrious four year career, with both including unusual circumstances. During the 2013 season, the Knights played Brooklyn on their brand new turf field and were unable to wear the conventional metal spikes for the doubleheader, "So Brooklyn's coach offered us sneakers from the lost and found to wear instead."
The other had to do with the weather in a doubleheader against league rival the College of Mount Saint Vincent. "It started white-out snowing in the second game. By the seventh inning, I could barely see the signs to relay to our pitcher or even the ball as it was coming in."
Stephanie's proudest moment as a Knight, though, came on the final day of the 2015 season when the team clinched the top-seed in the conference tournament. After dropping the first game of the set with Farmingdale State, the team rallied for a 10-0 win over the Rams.
"The fight and drive within the team, especially just coming off a loss, was inspiring, and the fact it was on Senior Day made it that much more special," she recalls.
Upon graduation from the Mount, Stephanie was hired within a month to be a Systems Engineer at CooperSurgical, Inc. in Trumbull, Conn. She also offered private hitting and catching lessons in her hometown of Oxford, Conn. and worked as an instructor at Bottom 9 Sports Academy in Naugatuck, Conn. Currently, Stephanie works as a Software Engineer at CooperSurgical.
"The most important thing being a student-athlete has taught me is that you should not take anything for granted. Time as a student-athlete is short and sacred, just like everything else good in life. You only get to be both a student and an athlete for so long before the ride ends. Sports have taught me to enjoy the heartbreakers right along with the sweet victories, work hard, and live in the moment, whether it is part of my personal life or career. It's a different type of appreciation that only being a student-athlete can make you feel."
Brandon Mincher – Men's Soccer '14
Brandon Mincher was a standout on the Men's Soccer team for four seasons, serving as a three-time captain and helped turned the Mount from a two-win team in 2010 to a Skyline Conference Championship team as a senior in 2013.
During his freshman season, Mincher recorded one assist on a team that posted a 2-13-2 overall record and by the time his senior year concluded he had amassed 23 in his career helpers which ranks second all-time at the Mount. In 2013 he helped on 12 goals which is a single season standard for the program that still stands, resulting in a Second Team All-Skyline Conference citation. The Knights improved their win total in each of his four seasons, going from two wins in 2010 to eight in 2011 to 11 in 2012 to finally 12 in 2013.
Over the course of his time as a Knight, Mincher and the team steadily improved their production resulting in the program's first conference championship and appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2013. He finished his stellar career with the Knights with 55 points, scoring 16 goals and 23 assists in 76 games played.
Among his favorite memories as a student-athlete at the Mount, Brandon lists winning the program's first Skyline Championship, competing in the MSMC math race every year for charity and meeting teammates that have become lifelong friends. Brandon also liked supporting other programs at the Mount, especially bring intensity to the Kaplan Center for home basketball games.
"Grades came first, but celebrating after soccer victories with all of my teammates was always enjoyable," he notes.
Proud moments while playing with the Knights, include never missing a game in his career and being a three-year captain. He enjoyed watching his teammates improve and excel and off the field enjoyed the team's community service work at the Newburgh Armory.
Upon graduation from the Mount, Brandon moved back to his native Long Island for two years before moving to White Plains in 2017 to work for Alliance Bernstein as a broker dealer accountant. Brandon currently lives on the Upper East Side where he's worked for a private equity firm since 2019.
Still active in competitive soccer and basketball leagues, Brandon attributes his work ethic, determination and perseverance to his mother and gives credit for his competitive nature to his brother Bryan who lives in California.
Brandon, an avid fan of fitness, poker and the New York Yankees says " Being a student athlete game me an extreme confidence to attain success at everything I do in life. I've always been competitive and hated to lose on the field and I still carry that attitude today with everything I do, whether it is work related or extracurricular activities. It allowed me to develop discipline as well as leadership skills, while also being able to excel in a group. Allowed me to instantly be a part of a brotherhood with teammates when entering college, those bonds will last forever."
Mount Saint Mary will induct its 10th all-time Hall of Fame Class when it formally enshrines the Class of 2021 on Saturday evening starting at 5:00 p.m.
