Student Athlete
Brion After '94 (Golf)
For Brion After '94, athletics have always been as natural as breathing--The Pittsford, NY, native was playing in sub-junior level golf tournaments at the age of eleven, and soon began competing in junior tournaments nationwide. At age 16, he won the Irondequoit Country Club Men's Golf Championship, the youngest person to do so in the club's history. Co-captain of the Pittsford Sutherland High School golf team during his senior year, his exceptional performance on the links attracted college recruiters from around the country. Yet, After was determined to set academic goals equal to his athletic ambitions, making Skidmore, with its nationally-ranked golf program and reputation for academic excellence, a logical choice. Both After and the College have been well served by that decision.
From 1990 to 1994, After competed on the College's nationally ranked Men's Golf Team, which finished eighth, 10th, 12th, and fourth in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships, respectively. Named Skidmore Rookie of the Year in '91, he rose to the rank of team captain and first position player in '93 and '94, earning him the title team MVP. He was selected to the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) All-American Team for four consecutive years (1991-94), and was the first Skidmore golfer to be honored as a GCAA All-American Scholar in his junior year, a distinction he reclaimed in 1994.
During his tenure at Skidmore, After captured seven collegiate tournament championships, placing second in five of them and third in another five, for a total of 17 top-three finishes.
After's remarkable roster of accomplishments does not end on the links. Twice honored as an GCAA All-American Scholar-Athlete ('93-'94), he was also named Skidmore's Senior Athlete of the Year, a prestigious citation based on academic standing and athletic achievement that is given to just one scholar-athlete during his or her four year career.
His drive to broaden his academic and cultural vistas led After to study in France the summer after his junior year. Graduating with a degree in Government and International Business in 1994, he returned to Europe to study, work & travel for 1 year. He has since become an avid traveler, having visited numerous places around the world including Peru, Russia, Morocco and Thailand.
He worked in product marketing at Adidas America and TaylorMade Golf in Portland, Oregon for five years before leaving to manage the Ute Mountaineer in Aspen, Colorado. There he developed into avid outdoor sports enthusiast and endurance athlete, competing in marathons, triathlons, summer & winter adventure races, road and mountain bike races, along with many other outdoor pursuits. In 2004 he was featured on NBC's Dateline for his work coordinating the search for trapped mountain climber Aron Ralston, whose inspirational book Between a Rock and a Hard Place, pays tribute to After. Now an advertising and sales manager for an Aspen television station, After still occasionally plays golf and enjoys a good powder day of telemark skiing, long trail runs & backcountry skiing with his dog in the Colorado wilderness. He resides in Basalt, Colorado.
Michael Cornell '92 (Men's Hockey)
Michael Cornell '92 ranks among the top players ever to lace the skates for the Skidmore men's hockey team. He is third on the all-time Skidmore scoring list with, 65 goals, and 110 assists, for a total of 175 points in 89 career games. His assist total is second all-time. Cornell and teammate Rich Hiller '92 combined to form the top scoring combinations in the Eastern College Athletic Conference South.
Along with brother Steven '81, Cornell was instrumental in helping save the program from elimination in 2003.
A dedicated supporter of Men's Hockey, his teammates, and Skidmore Athletics, Cornell is a perennial participant in annual alumni hockey games and spearheaded the creation of the Hiller-First Memorial Hockey Game in 2004, an event honoring deceased team members.
Lindsay Litchfield '98 (Women's Soccer)
Lindsay Litchfield '98 achieved local, national, and regional recognition as team captain and goalkeeper for Skidmore Women's Soccer. She led the team to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III National Tournament in 1994 and 1996. Selected as a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Umbro First Team All-American in 1996, she was the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year and UCAA First-Team Member. Litchfield earned the Skidmore Senior Athlete Award in 1998. A 1998 Umbro Senior-Select All-Star Classic Participant, she was Skidmore Rookie of the Year (1994), UCAA All Conference (1995, 1996, 1997), and NSCAA All Northeast (1995, 1996, 1997). The four-year starter had 37 career shutouts and a 0.65 goals-against average.
Litchfield's achievements off the field were equally impressive. Graduating cum laude with a 3.85 average, she captured UCAA All-Academic honors in 1996 and 1997.
Courtney Phibbs '97 (Equestrian Team)
Courtney Phibbs '97 built a stunning roster of achievements as a member of Skidmore's Equestrian Team. The 1996 and 1997 Zone II, Region 2 High Point Open Rider, she became a national champion in Individual Open Over Fences at the 1996 Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Competition, held at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, CA.
A member of the 1996 Miller's Collegiate Cup National Championship Team, Phibbs captured first place in both Team Open Over Fences and Team Open on the Flat.
At the 1997 IHSA National Competition at Mt. Holyoke College in Holyoke, MA, Phibbs reclaimed her national title in the Individual Open Over Fences.
She also took fourth place in the national High Point Rider Cacchione Cup; was reserve champion in Team Open on the Flat; placed third in Individual Open on the Flat, and eighth in Team Open Over Fences.
Currently a nationally recognized, professional rider and trainer of show horses, she resides in Wellington, Florida.
Team
1990 Equestrian Team
The 1990 Equestrian Team crowned an undefeated season by claiming Skidmore's first national title, the Cartier Cup hunt seat team championship, at the 17th Annual Intercollegiate National Championship Horse Show on May 6, 1990. The Thoroughbreds scored 26 points to defeat 15 other top ranked teams in eight different phases of horsemanship.
Coach Sara Hufstader Strauss guided the team to victory by winning the Upstate New York District title for the third straight year. National championship performances in team competition were scored by Katie Ryan '93 who won in Intermediate Flat (and Novice Flat in individual competition) and Jen Rossire '92, who captured the national title in the Over Fences competition. Stacie Fluke '90 placed second in the national High Point Rider Cacchione Cup Over Fences, fifth in Cartier Over Fences, (and fourth in individual Open Over Fences.) Dawn Gilbert '91 took second in the Cartier Novice Flat and Jennifer Chang '92 finished second in the Cartier Open Flat. Natalie LaBouchere '92 placed seventh in the Cartier Novice Fences class.
Also proudly representing Skidmore in team competition were Todd O'Brien '90 and Jeanne Vagell '93.
1996 Golf Team
Voted National Champions by Golfweek magazine and by the Golf Coaches Association of America national polls, the 1996 Skidmore Golf Team played in 14 tournaments, winning 10 times and finishing second three times. The winner of three Division I tournaments, Cornell/Colgate, Eastern College Athletic Conference Upstate Qualifier, and the ECAC Finals, this team maintained a Win-Loss record of 183-11, for a remarkable winning percentage of 94 percent.
The team hosted and finished second in the 1996 NCAA Division III championships with four players earning All-America honors.
- Mike Porter '96 (Captain)
- Tom Gilbert '97
- Matt Major '97
- Bryan Martin '98
- Matt Garry '98
- David Wronowski '99
Administrator/Staff
Jane Strait Misurelli Kuk
Appointed to Skidmore's Department of Physical Education and Dance in 1960, Jane Strait Misurelli Kuk initially served a population of 800 female students as a tenured assistant professor and head resident of Kimball House dorm. Over the ensuing three decades, she incorporated the growing arena of women's athletics into the curriculum, generating whole new fields in coaching. She coached and taught badminton, squash, racquetball, gymnastics, alpine skiing, cross country skiing, track and field, field hockey, and lacrosse (the latter two as head coach)--demonstrating extraordinary versatility and range of skills. Named assistant athletic director in 1982, "Ms. Miz" as she was affectionately addressed by students, was instrumental in guiding Skidmore's female athletes from club sport participants to competitive varsity team players with unfailing dedication, pride, and integrity. She was responsible for scheduling all athletic team travel, directing the summer tennis program and summer camps, and organizing tournaments, most notably the Northeastern College Field Hockey Association tournament. Coach Misurelli also gave much to Skidmore Athletics in her unofficial capacity as trusted mentor and benefactor for new instructors.
Special Recognition
Julie Greene '58
Julie Greene's '58 passion for athletics was nurtured by the club sports available to Skidmore students during the mid-1950s. According to a 1958 Eromdiks entry, the physical education major was rarely seen without "a tennis racket, golf bag, hockey stick, or skis--depending on the season."
Greene went on to earn a master's in guidance and counseling from Syracuse University in 1962. She embarked on a distinguished 37-year career as teacher and administrator of physical education at the collegiate level, including time at Colby Sawyer, Skidmore, University of Colorado, Colorado State, and Sarah Lawrence, where she was director of physical education for over a decade. Most recently, Greene served as athletic director and teacher at the Lincoln School, a private preparatory academy in Providence, Rhode Island, before retiring in 1995.
But she has never retired from her role as coach and mentor to collegiate athletes nor missed a moment away from her beloved game of golf. A longtime coach for women's golf teams in South Carolina, she also currently officiates at women's field hockey and lacrosse games. Back home in Barrington, Rhode Island, Greene continues to hone her much celebrated ability on the links. She has captured the state amateur championship eleven times over four decades, more than any other man or woman in tournament history. In 2003, the state Hall-of-Famer made a triumphant return to Providence to become Senior Women's Champion, a title she reclaimed in 2004.
And her competitive spirit doesn't let her stop there. The multi-titled Eastern and New England golf champion was featured in Sports Illustrated after being ranked 7th in the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship in 1998. Still a formidable national competitor, Greene also plays in the Canadian, Irish, and British Women's Senior golf tours. While in Britain last June, she was on hand to cheer the U.S. team at the Curtis Cup finals in Liverpool, England.
She has given back to the game in other ways too. Former associate director of the Trans-National Golf Association, she has served as president and executive board member of the Women's Eastern Golf Association. She has been a member of the USGA Junior Girls Committee since 1984 and a key organizer of the Rhode Island WGA Junior Golf program.
Greene, who winters in Ormond Beach, Florida, coordinates Stetson University's Golf Elderhostel program in Palm Coast, Florida.
A longtime supporter of Skidmore Athletics and her Alma Mater, Greene served as chair and class historian for her 40th reunion, drawing record classmate attendance with the promise of a free golf clinic, an offer she repeated during a 45th reunion alumni golf outing at Saratoga State Park.
Currently a member of the FOSA Advisory Committee and a class agent volunteer, she has also logged in time as class fund chair.
Greene considers the time she spent at Skidmore "the best four years of my life." She adds, "We had such close relationships with wonderful faculty--mentors really. And the liberal arts curriculum allowed me to jump into the study of art and history in addition to my major."
"I am so excited by what is happening in athletics at Skidmore and delighted that alumni and friends are being brought into the process through FOSA. I am truly honored to be selected for this recognition."