SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Former Seton Hall student-athletes, Olympians and international stars will be out to highlight a star-studded Seton Hall University Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2008.  Eight members will be inducted on February 21, 2008 at the 20th Athletic Hall of Fame Enshrinement Dinner at Mayfair Farms in West Orange, NJ.  Members of the public wishing to attend the dinner should contact the Pirate Blue Athletic Fund at 973-378-9809 or 973-378-9838 to make reservations.

The Dinner will begin at 7:00 p.m. with a reception hour proceeding at 6:00 p.m.

2008 inductees will include Arturas Karnisovas of men’s basketball, Kelly Smith of women’s soccer, track & field Olympians Tracy Baskin and Shana Williams, baseball star Dana Brown, administrator and long-time men’s basketball chaplain Monsignor Richard Liddy and current Pirates head soccer coach Manfred Schellscheidt.  For her outstanding support of Seton Hall athletics over the years, Mary Beth Childs is being inducted as an honorary member.

A Seton Hall track & field legend, Tracy Baskin brought the University its first National Collegiate Championship in its 100+ year history of providing higher education. He took the NCAA by storm in the mid-1980s and was three-time NCAA All-America. He not only become the national champion at 800-meters and the #1 ranked college athlete in the country but captured the bronze medal in the 1,000-meters as well. Additionally, he anchored SHU’s 4X400m relay team to a freshmen world record that has yet to be broken. A five-time BIG EAST champion, Baskin was named the New Jersey Sports Writer’s Association “Athlete of the Decade” for the 1980s.  Following graduation, he went on to become a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team and competed in the 800-meter event.  Today, Baskin is the President and CEO of the Houston Reading Education And Development (R.E.A.D.) Commission and is responsible for oversight of the Houston’s public-private partnership that includes coordinating 140+ literacy provider agencies to identifying the literacy, education and development needs of the Greater Houston community.

A key contributor to the success of Seton Hall baseball in the late 1980s, Dana Brown established himself as one of the greatest Pirates of all-time.  Often over-shadowed by the performance of his better-known teammates, Mo Vaughn and Craig Biggio, Brown’s collegiate success was no less impressive.  A three-time BIG EAST First Team selection, he helped lead Seton Hall to a record of 149-71-1 in his four years and a conference title in 1987.  Brown is Seton Hall’s career leader in games played (215), at bats (743), runs scored (207) and walks (155) and ranks in the top-10 in seven other categories.  In 1989, he graduated and was selected in the 35^th round by the Philadelphia Phillies.  Today, Brown is the Director of Scouting for the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball Team.

A testament to the phrase “student-athlete,” basketball’s Arturas Karnisovas saw equal success both on the court and in the classroom.  A main cog on the teams that won two BIG EAST Tournaments in the early 1990s, he is one of only two players in conference history to win two BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards (1993, 1994).  A two-time Olympic bronze medallist for his native country of Lithuania, Karnisovas currently ranks 14^th all-time at Seton Hall with 1,509 career points.  He enjoyed a successful professional career overseas with stops in Spain, Italy, Greece and France.  Currently, Karnisovas is the Senior Manager of Basketball Operations-International for the National Basketball Association. 

A spiritual man who has dedicated his life to serving the Catholic Church and Seton Hall University, Monsignor Richard Liddy has also made a great impact on the University’s athletics programs over the years.  A great sports fan and former athlete, he served as the men’s basketball team chaplain for 24 years, rarely missing a game and always eager to take his seat on the bench at home or on the road.  Msgr. Liddy is currently the University Professor of Catholic Thought and Culture, as well as the director of the Center for Catholic Studies at Seton Hall University.  Previously, he has served on the faculty and as spiritual director and rector/dean of the Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology.  Liddy was the acting University Chancellor in 1990 and also served as spiritual director of the North America College in Rome.  A noted scholar, he has authored several books and articles on the topics of the Church as well as art, education and poetry.

One of the most renowned soccer coaches in the country, Manfred Schellscheidt has coached the Pirates for 20 years and has taken Seton Hall to unprecedented heights while becoming the school’s winningest soccer coach in history.  A respected teacher of men, Schellscheidt has guided the Pirates to over 200 victories, two BIG EAST Championships, nine NCAA Tournament berths, seven conference title game appearances and a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2001.  Known for his ability to nurture and develop talent, he has coached five All-Americans and three BIG EAST Scholar-Athletes of the Year.  A member of the United States Soccer Hall of Fame, Schellscheidt also played professionally in Germany and the U.S. prior to coaching.

Widely regarded as the greatest women’s soccer player in Pirates history, Kelly Smith becomes the first from the program to be inducted into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame.  In three years at Seton Hall, Smith tallied a school record 76 goals and 174 points in just 51 matches.  The first and only player in the program’s history to receive All-America honors, she was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year three times.  The NCAA statistical champion in goals and points per game in 1998 and 1999, Smith currently holds two NCAA records in career points per game (3.41) and goals per game (1.49).  The second overall pick in the 2001 WUSA Draft, Smith recently represented her native land, England, in the Women’s World Cup.  She led her team with four goals in four matches.

One of the finest all-around athletes in Seton Hall history, Shana Williams dominated her opposition on the track and field.  A seven-time NCAA All-America and 13-time BIG EAST champion, she became the first woman in BIG EAST history to win the outdoor high jump four times.  Owning several school records, she won three individual conference titles at the 1993 Championships and was named the Outstanding Field Performer at both the indoor and outdoor BIG EAST meets.  A Dean’s List member and two-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star, Williams was a member of the 1996 and 2000 U.S. Olympic Teams and won the silver at the U.S. National Indoor Championship in the long jump in 1999.  Today, she is an Instructional Technology Resource Teacher in Richmond, Virginia, and advises teachers how to integrate technology into their classroom instructions.

A dedicated and loyal contributor to Seton Hall athletics since her graduation in 1978, Mary Beth Childs is an honorary inductee to the Class of 2008.  Mary Beth has championed Lincoln Mercury's involvement with Seton Hall Athletics and has been paramount to the relationships success.  Over the years, SHU has benefited from the countless hours she has put into activating the partnership through test drive programs, vehicle displays and consumer promotions.  A former member of the Seton Hall women’s tennis and men’s golf teams, Mary Beth was recently awarded the 2007 Distinguished Service Award by the New Jersey PGA and New Jersey State Golf Association for her service to the game of golf over the past 15 years.

Members of the public wishing to attend the dinner should contact the Pirate Blue Athletic Fund at 973-378-9809 or 973-378-9838 to make reservations.  For more information go to: www.pirateblue.com.