SNHU Athletic Hall of Fame to Induct Five New Members January 16

SNHU ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Southern New Hampshire University Director of Athletics Chip Polak has announced the addition of five new members to SNHU's Athletic Hall of Fame.  The Class of 2010 includes softball standout Melissa Keeler '04, men's basketball player Brian Larrabee '03, hockey standout Rich Miller '01 and Mounir Tajiou '03 of the men's soccer team.  In addition, former SNHU student-athlete, coach and administrator Ray Prouty '77 will round out this year's class.

This year's induction ceremony will be held Saturday, January 16, 2010 in the function room of the new SNHU dining facility slated to open later this month.  Tickets are $50 for individuals or $350 for a table of eight and can be purchased by calling the SNHU athletic department at (603) 645-9604.

The Southern New Hampshire University Athletic Hall of Fame now has a total of 90 members, 89 individuals and one team.

A three-year member of the softball team, Keeler, a native of Concord, N.H., has her name all over the SNHU softball record book.  In a career that spanned from 2002-04, Keeler established school records for career strikeouts (300) and earned run average (1.21) while she is tied for second in career wins with 32.  Keeler also ranks eighth in career hits with 105 as she batted .301 for her career.  A two-time Northeast-10 All-Conference selection, she also holds single-season school records for wins (15), strikeouts (135) and ERA (0.85).

Larrabee was a four-year starter for the men's basketball team from 1999-2003.  A two-time Northeast-10 All-Conference selection, Larrabee, a native of Colonie, N.Y., currently ranks 14^th in career scoring with 1,566 points while his 547 made free throws rank second in program history.  He shot over 48% from the floor and 80% from the free throw line over his career.  As a senior Larrabee averaged 15.8 ppg and helped lead the Penmen to their first NCAA berth since 1999.  A Business Administration major, Larrabee was also the first CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American in school history.

Miller, who came to SNHU from Morristown, N.J., skated for the Penmen from 1997-2001 and led SNHU to a 63-34-5 record over his four seasons in addition to four ECAC Tournament appearances.  SNHU also took part in the final NCAA Division II championship during his sophomore season.  A two-time All-American, he totaled 50 points as a junior and averaged 39 points a season over his career.  Miller ranks fifth in career points (157), third in career goals (83) and ninth in career assists (74) in SNHU hockey history.

Tajiou, a native of Stockholm, Sweden, played for the SNHU men's soccer team in 2001 and 2002, over his career leading the Penmen to a 33-7-3 record and a berth in the Division II national championship game in 2002.  That year, he was the NSCAA Division II National Player of the Year, the only SNHU athlete to receive that honor in any sport, as he totaled 24 goals and 11 assists for 59 points, three shy of the single-season school record for points in a season.  He ranks ninth in career goals (40) and 10^th in career points (97) despite playing just two seasons.

Prouty recently wrapped up a 36-year association with Penmen athletics that began as a freshman in the fall of 1973 as a member of the soccer team.  A baseball and soccer standout, Prouty was the 1975 SNHU Male Athlete of the Year and was a team MVP as well as an NEIBA All-Star on the diamond. 

Following graduation, Prouty was named Athletic Business Manager, a position he held until 1985 when he was promoted to Assistant Director of Athletics.  In 1991, he was again promoted to Associate Director of Athletics, a position he held until this past year, when he took a job as SNHU's budget manager for the entire campus.  Prouty also served as head softball coach for six seasons (1981-86), compiling an 81-73 record and leading the Penmen to a pair of ECAC Tournament berths.