Two area athletes to be Hall of Famers

Kristen Clark

Two area athletes
to be Hall of Famers

The JP Morgan Chase Scholarship Basketball Tournament, will include recognition of the 11th Class of inductees into the JP Morgan Chase Scholarship Basketball Tournament Hall of Fame. The oldest running NCAA Division III Tournament January 8 through 12 is the 42nd annual event.

The Hall of Fame's Class of 2008 consists of power forward Kristen Clark of SUNY Brockport, who was selected First Team All-Tourney twice (2001-02 and 2002-03) on the way to setting the tournament career scoring record, and forward Bill Mason of SUNY Geneseo, who was a First Team All- Tourney pick in 1988-89 and 1990-91 when his Blue Knights won tourney titles and who set the Tournament career rebound mark.

Clark is Brockport's fourth Hall of Fame selection, joining previous inductees Kristin Roseti (2003), Guy Vickers (2005), and Jen Feneli Sullivan (2007). Mason is also Geneseo's fourth Hall of Famer, joining former teammates Scott Fitch (inducted in 1998), Spencerport High School graduate Ian Tudman (2003), and Jim Clar (2004). Clark, a Hilton, native who now resides in Spencerport and Mason, a life-long Webster, resident, will be inducted on Sunday, January 6 at the Tournament's Seeding and Pairings Dinner at 6:30 p.m. at the RIT Inn & Conference Center.

Clark amassed the notable individual statistical performances in the women's tournament 14-year history. As a four-year starter (1999-00 through 2002-03), she led the three-game event in scoring twice and was runner-up once, twice was the tourney's third-best rebounder, and was voted First Team All-Tournament twice and Second Team once on the way to finishing as the tourney's career scoring leader and second all-time rebounder.

In 1990-00 as a freshman, she averaged 12.3 points and 10.7 rebounds (third in tourney) per game as Brockport beat RIT 72-54 for seventh place.

Clark led the 2000-01 Tournament in scoring (17.7 ppg) and was fifth in rebounding (9.0 pg), earning Second Team All-Tourney status after her 25-point, 14-rebound effort led her Golden Eagles over Keuka 68-61 in the seventh place contest.

In 2001-02, Clark was a First Team All-Tourney selection after leading the event in scoring (23.0 ppg) while compiling 7.0 rebounds per game with 52.0 percent (26-50) field goal and 68 percent (17-25) foul shooting figures. She established her tourney career-best for points with 30 (including a Tournament record for most points in a half with 27 in the second half) in the Golden Eagles' 82-72 quarter-final loss to Roberts Wesleyan, and produced 22 points with 10 rebounds and four steals in Brockport's 61-59 loss to Nazareth in the fifth place contest.

Clark was second in scoring (19.3 ppg) and third in rebounding (10.7 pg) in 2002-03 to repeat as a First Team All-Tournament performer after Brockport beat Nazareth 64-56 for fifth place. She collected her Tournament career-best in rebounds with 15 and added 17 points in the Golden Eagles' 76-68 quarter-final loss to Geneseo, and in the follow-up consolation game tied her tourney career-best for points with 30 and grabbed 10 rebounds as Brockport stopped RIT 78-65.

In 12 (5-7) tournament contests, Clark averaged 18.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, hitting 43.8 percent (81-185) from the field and 67.9 percent (55-81) at the foul line She established three Tournament records: most career points (217) and field goals made (81), and most points in one half (27 vs. Roberts Wesleyan in 2001-02). She currently stands second on the tournament career charts for most points (217), rebounds (112), and field goals made (81) and her two 30-point efforts are fourth on the points in one game list.

Clark, who graduated in 2003 as a Business Administration major, finished her four–year career under head coach Michele Carron with Brockport records for most career games played with 107 (65-42), and most points scored (596) and most points per game (20.6) in one season (2002-03) when the Golden Eagles (21-8) won the SUNYAC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Division III National Tournament. She earned 2002-03 SUNYAC Player of the Year and WBCA NCAA Division III Honorable Mention All-American honors. Clark's 1780 points and 878 rebounds are both second on Brockport's career lists.

A 1999 Hilton High School graduate, Clark earned her masters in sport management from California (Pa.) University in August 2007. She is in her fourth year at Genesee Community College (Batavia, NY) where she serves as head softball coach, an adjunct faculty member in physical education, and an academic advisor.