BLOOMSBURG-- The 29th Bloomsburg University Athletic Hall of Fame class will be inducted on Friday, October 1. The induction of six individuals brings the number of members in the Bloomsburg University Athletic Hall of Fame to 137.
This year's Hall of Fame inductees are Jean Buskirk '93; Lee Gump '97; Laura Jones Coen '93; Marc Lupinacci '90; Shelley Miller Romano '95; and former assistant athletic director and men's tennis coach Burt Reese.
JEAN BUSKIRK
Buskirk was a four-year member of the softball team leading the team to four NCAA championship finals appearances, including a second, two third place finishes and one fourth-place finish. She was named to the NCAA All-Mid Atlantic region team in 1992 and 1993 and also the 1991 and 1993 All NCAA Tournament team. She was a four-time All-PSAC East first team selection and a three-time All-Region first team choice. Buskirk was also a two-time first team All-American; a two-time ECAC Division II South Region Player of the Year and the 1993 PSAC East Player of the Year. Buskirk graduated as Bloomsburg's all-time leader in career hits with 235 (now seventh on the list). Overall she helped the Huskies to a four-year record of 170-25.
After her athletic career, Buskirk was selected to try-out for the USA Olympic team in 1993. She made it to the round of the final 60 where she was selected to participate in the 1994 Olympic Festival. Also, Buskirk went on to play ASA Fastpitch softball at the Class A and Major levels. She participated in numerous ASA National Championship tournaments, helping her teams finish as high as national runner-up. She was named an ASA All-American 4 separate times.
Buskirk is currently employed as a senior Project Manager in the Information Technology industry. She earned her Master's of Science in Information Technology from Penn State. She also earned Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute.
LEE GUMP
Gump finished as the Huskies seventh all-time leading scorer with 1,430 points. He was also fifth in rebounding with 821; fifth in steals with 149; and is the all-time leader in blocked shots with 130. Gump was named first team All-PSAC East in 1994-95 and 1995-96. He was also second team All-PSAC in 1993-94.
BU went to the NCAA Tournament his junior and senior years and won the PSAC East in 1995-96, when Gump served as team captain. Overall he helped the Huskies to a four-year record of 73-37.
Gump attended Carlynton High School in Pittsburgh, PA where he was a member of the 1992 AA state basketball champion team. He and his wife, Wendy have three children; Jillian Anna, Russell Lee, and Jackson Daniel. Since graduating from Bloomsburg in 1997, he has earned his Master's Degree in Educational Leadership through Bucknell University. He is a public school administrator in the Bloomsburg Area School District.
LAURA JONES-COEN
Jones-Coen was one of Bloomsburg's original women's soccer players. She helped the Huskies establish a program that has since gone on to win several conference championships as well as earn NCAA championship berths. As a defender, Jones helped the Huskies to a three-year record of 29-19-1 and trip to the ECAC playoffs. She was named Bloomsburg's first ever All-American in women's soccer in 1992 after helping the Huskies to a record of 13-5. She was part of a defense that allowed just 15 goals in 18 games that season. She also earned first team All-Northeast Region honors in 1992.
After graduating Bloomsburg Cum Laude in 1993 with a degree in Elementary Education, Jones received a Masters Degree as a Reading Specialist from Lehigh University in 1996. At Lehigh she also served as the graduate assistant Women's Soccer Coach from 1994-1996. In the fall of 1996, she began teaching reading at Klinger Middle School in Centennial School District. During this time she also served as an assistant girl's soccer coach for William Tennent High School, her alma mater. From there she moved to Neshaminy School District in Langhorne, PA where she taught Title 1, 1st grade and 2nd grade for 6 years until starting a family in 2003.
Jones Coen and her husband, Andy Coen, head football coach at Lehigh University, reside in Orefield, PA with their 3 children Molly (7), Nolan (5), and Finn (1).
MARC LUPINNACI
Lupinacci posted a career record of 116-34, fifth all-time in winning percentage and second all-time in wins. He was a four-time PSAC singles champion as well as a four-time PSAC doubles champion throughout his four seasons at Bloomsburg. He helped the Huskies to four PSAC championships and a fifth-place national finish at the NCAA championships his senior year. He was also a finalist in the Rolex Invitational Tournament at Swarthmore College in 1989.
After graduating with a degree in Psychology, he played on the Satellite Tour with Mark Billone in the summer of 1990 and later served as the co-director of tennis at the Shippan Racquet Club from 1994 to 1998 and is currently the director of tennis at the Italian Center of Stamford, CT and since 1999 has been the head tennis professional at Stamford Indoor Tennis. He is also a USPTA Certified P-1 tennis professional since 2004.
Lupinacci and his wife Maryellen have one son, Marc, Jr. Marc is also father to two step-sons, Nick and Gene.
SHELLEY MILLER-ROMANO
Miller-Romano was a standout in both field hockey and softball for the Huskies. In field hockey she was named All-American three times and National Player of the Year once. Miller left Bloomsburg as the all-time leader in career assists with 32 (is now second) and was fourth in points with 100 (now 10th). She helped the Huskies to a four-year mark of 74-9-4, one NCAA championship and three second-place finishes. In softball Miller was a four-year letterwinner for the Huskies and helped the Huskies to a second place finish in the 1995 NCAA championships. Her best season was in 1994 when she hit .311 with nine RBI and 25 runs scored. She also led the team with 20 sacrifice bunts that season. Off the field Miller was a standout in the classroom twice earning Academic All-American honors.
Shelley and her husband Matthew, married since 2000, reside in Royersford, PA and have three children, Joey (9), Elizabeth (7), and Jake (2).
BURT REESE
Reese started at Bloomsburg University in January 1969 as a faculty member, head tennis coach and assistant men's basketball coach.
He coached tennis for the next 25 seasons finishing with a 376-161 record with a schedule that featured many, strong Division I teams. His tennis teams won the PSAC title 12 times while finishing second six times. From 1980 to 1993 the team finished in the top 20 in the nation 14 consecutive years with a fifth place being the highest. Reese also coached 11 All Americans, one NCAA champion, 65 PSAC singles champions, 34 doubles champions, one national Rookie of the Year and three NCAA scholar-athletes.
In 1987, Reese was named NCAA Division II Coach of the Year and was named PSAC Coach of the Year six times. He is a member of the East Stroudsburg's Hall of Fame and a member of the Northeast Chapter of the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame. In 2003, he was made an honorary alumnus of Bloomsburg University. During his tenure at Bloomsburg, Burt has also served as regional chairman of the NCAA East Regional Committee; was a member of the NCAA Men's and Women's Tennis Committee and was an active member of the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association.
Reese was the assistant basketball coach for 33 years and during that time he contributed to the Huskies success with former head coach Charlie Chronister.
After graduating from East Stroudsburg, Reese began his teaching career at Old Forge High School and coached football and basketball. He moved to Abington Heights where he started a tennis program and coached the team from 1965 to 1969. He also served as the athletic director and junior high boys basketball coach at Abington Heights.
He and his wife Marion have two children, Meredith and Burt and three grandchildren.
The Hall of Fame dinner will be held Friday, October 1 in the Kehr Union Ballroom. Call the Bloomsburg University sports information office at 570-389-4413 for ticket information.
