The 2023-2024 Maroon Club Hall of Fame is set to honor five former student-athletes and one team for their collegiate successes. Cathy Novello ’83, Geddes Alexander ’97, Jackie D’Angelo Stowe ’94, Duncan Woodard ’01 and Phil Yarberough ’01, along with the 1983 men’s tennis team, will all be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Nov. 17 before the 159th Rivalry game the next day.
Novello, who was a pitcher/hitter on the softball team during her tenure, remains in the top 10 for several individual all-time records for both her performances at the plate and on the mound. She currently sits at second all-time for career earned run average (1.94) and most wins (35). She also sits in fourth for the highest on-base percentage (.433) and sixth for the highest batting average (.333).
“I came of age in the generation really right after Title IX was passed,” Novello said. “So opportunities were just opening up for women athletes, and the chance to play Division I softball was a dream come true.”
Novello’s 1983 softball campaign saw a blend of individual and team success. Earning East Coast Conference Player of the Year and MVP, Novello broke the single-season record for victories at 15 — a record she still holds.
“It was one of those years where everything clicked,” Novello said. “… It was just a wonderful experience. To leave with a winning team was also great.”
Novello has also remained connected with the campus. As part of her 38 years of teaching in the Lehigh Valley, Novello returned to Lafayette as a visiting professor of education in 2016.
“I feel like my life has come full circle,” Novello said. “I started at Lafayette and Lafayette gave me opportunities and athletics. The education program enabled me to get my certification. It just feels like coming home to the place that gave me all of my opportunities.”
Alexander also has a unique story. Before his success in leading the soccer team to first-ever back-to-back Patriot League tournament titles in 1994 and 1995 along with the team’s first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 1995, he had to adjust not just to life in college, but to life in a new country.
“I came from Jamaica straight to Lafayette. So that was pretty shocking,” Alexander said.
“If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change anything,” Alexander said. “Things can be challenging. You can go into other environments and survive and do well.”
Field hockey goalkeeper D’Angelo Stowe, who remains the record holder for both Lafayette and Patriot League career shutouts (33) and shutouts in a season (12), helped bring the team to four consecutive league championships between 1990-93.
Despite the success D’Angelo Stowe experienced, finishing with a combined record of 57-24-3, she insisted it was the process of improvement that made her time at Lafayette special.
“It was never about an end result,” D’Angelo Stowe said. “It was about trying your best … It was always about working hard, putting your head down and doing the work.”
Another goalkeeper, Woodard holds both the Lafayette and Patriot League career save record for men’s lacrosse with 769. A four-time All-Patriot League selection, Woodard sits in 17th place in the NCAA record book for career saves.
“I missed half a game to start the season and played the rest of the games for the next four years,” Woodard said. “Having the opportunity to compete and actually play that many minutes and that many games over that many years was really a tremendous experience for me.”
Yarberough will be honored for his success in football, winning All-Patriot League first and second team selections, as well as Offensive Player of the Year his senior year for his performance as a wide receiver.
Although he attributed much of his success to being “at the right place at the right time,” Yarberough also acknowledged, “I did put in a lot of hard work, and I was proud of the things I accomplished on the football field.”
Rounding out the 2023-24 induction class is the 1983 men’s tennis team, which completed an undefeated season on its way to an East Coast Conference championship and a No. 10 ranking in the NCAA Eastern Region.
“I think that sports is often a metaphor for life,” Novello said. “You have to be a team player. You have to work hard. There’s a lot of grit and determination involved.”
