Westfield State to honor Hall of Fame Class of 2012

Date: 10/1/2012

WESTFIELD – Six former greats will be inducted into the Westfield State University Athletics Hall of Fame to kick off the 2012 Alumni Weekend.

The 17th annual inductions will be take place on Oct. 19. The enshrinement starts at 6 p.m. at Scanlon Banquet Hall and tickets are available by calling 572-5433.

The Class of 2012 includes: David Adams '96, baseball; Jim Forrest '90, track and field; Mary Gibney '96, basketball; Karl Labadorf '00, soccer; Mike Perry '76, basketball; and Sandy (Pinto) Graham, '98, soccer.

Adams was a prolific player for the Westfield State baseball team in the mid-1990s. The Ware native holds the school record for the best career batting average of .402 for those who played at least three years for the Owls.

The left-handed slugger also holds the distinction of being the only Westfield State position player selected All-New England and first team all-conference for three consecutive years.

Adams was a second team All-New England selection in 1994 and 1995 and a first team All-New England and All-ECAC all-star outfielder in 1996. His hitting skills earned him an invitation to the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association All-Star game, which was played at Fenway Park in Boston on May 28, 1996.

Adams played his freshman year at the University of Southern Maine and participated in the 1992 NCAA Division III College World Series. He played in 96 career games for the Owls and totaled seven triples, nine home runs and 102 runs batted in. He ranks second in the school record books with 36 career doubles and sixth with 146 hits. He was a model of consistency for the Owls, hitting .415 in 1996, .391 in 1995, and .400 in 1994. During his sophomore season he set school records with five hits and seven RBI in a victory over Western New England.

The Westfield State baseball team posted a 54-46 aggregate record during his three seasons, including 19-win seasons in 1995 and 1996.

Adams resides in his hometown of Ware and was inducted into the Ware High School Hall of Fame in 1999.

Forrest was a talented and versatile athlete for the Westfield State track and field team. Possessing a combination of power and speed, Forrest primarily starred in the jumping events for the Owls. He still holds school records in the high jump, clearing 6-9 ½, indoor long jump and pentathlon, and placed seventh in the high jump at the 1989 NCAA indoor national championships with a leap of 6-8.

Forrest earned All-New England honors four times in the high jump and achieved a rare double-double feat during the 1990 indoor season when he won the long jump and high jump at the ECAC and New England Division III championships. He stunned the competitors at the New Englands with first-place efforts of 6-7 in the high jump and his indoor school record leap of 22-9 in the long jump. He followed several weeks later by winning the high jump (6-6) and long jump (22-8) at the ECAC championships.

Forrest earned All-New England/All-Region honors nine times and was a two-time conference high jump champion. He also competed in the 400 meter run and the pentathlon for the Owls, and holds the school record of 3,747 points in the five-event competition.

Forrest resides in Norwood with is wife, Jennifer, and children, Sophia and Frankie.

Gibney was a prominent player for the highly successful Westfield State women's basketball teams of the mid-1990s.

The Holden native (Wachusett Regional High School) posted Hall of Fame numbers for the Owls despite being slowed by injuries her final two seasons. She ranks eighth on the career scoring charts with 1,122 points, and holds school records for most points scored by a freshman (401) and a sophomore (488).

Gibney made an immediate impact on the collegiate level as she was chosen the New England Division III Rookie of the Year in 1993. In her sophomore season she was selected the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) player of the year.

Gibney was a preseason All-American in 1995 and averaging 21.4 points during the first four games of her junior year when she was sidelined for the rest of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Despite still being slowed by the injury during her senior season, Gibney played in 27 games and was a starter in the second half of the season for the MASCAC champion and NCAA Tournament team.

Westfield's aggregate record was 87-27 during her four years. The Owls captured two MASCAC regular season championships and participated in two NCAA Tournaments. Westfield was the ECAC Tournament runner-up in 1993 and an ECAC Tournament semifinalist in 1994.

Labadorf is one of three All-Americans in the storied history of the Westfield State men's soccer program. He was third-team All-American in 2000 when he led the Owls to the MASCAC championship and a first-round victory in the NCAA Division III national tournament.

The Wilbraham native was All-New England first team in 2000 and All-New England third team in 1997 when the Owls won the MASCAC championship, advanced to the ECAC Tournament championship game, and finished with a 13-4-1 overall record.

The three-time first-team all-conference forward and two-time captain ranks 10th on Westfield's all-time scoring list with 111 points. He scored 42 career goals, including 13 game-winning goals.

Labadorf tallied the only goal in Westfield's 1-0 victory over Worcester State in the 2000 MASCAC Tournament championship game. He scored a season-high 39 points (15 goals, 9 assists) in 2000, including the game-winning goal in a 3-2 victory at Roger Williams University in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

Westfield finished his senior season with a 15-5 record. The Owls posted four straight winning seasons and an aggregate record of 46-24-2 from 1997-2000.

Labadorf played for the Massachusetts Twisters semi-professional indoor soccer team in 2002 and was an assistant coach at Westfield State for three years following his graduation.

Labadorf resides in Wilbraham with his wife, Stacy, and four daughters: Lindsay, Taylor, and twins Stephanie and Kaitlyn.

Perry, a four-year starter for the Westfield State basketball teams during the mid-1970s, has been a highly successful high school coach for the past 37 years.

The Bridgewater native has guided Cardinal Spellman High School in Brockton to state championships in two sports – boys' basketball and girls' soccer – and amassed more than 760 coaching victories.

During his playing days at Westfield State, Perry was a steady and dependable point guard and team captain who committed very few turnovers and distributed the ball to his high-scoring teammates. The Owls posted an aggregate record of 62-36 during the floor general's four years.

Perry resides in North Easton with his wife, Pam, a 1976 Westfield State graduate. They have four children: Megan, Justin, Danny, a 2012 Westfield State graduate, and Alyssa.

(Pinto) Graham '98 is the Westfield State women's soccer program's all-time leading scorer. The Ludlow native holds school records with 116 career points and 51 career goals. She also ranks second in the record books with 16 goals scored in a season.

The highly skilled and fast forward was a four-time all-conference selection and a two-time team captain for the Owls. She was a three-time first-team all-conference honoree and received Westfield's outstanding contributor award in 1997. Graham led the Owls to their first ever MASCAC championship during her senior year in 1997. Westfield posted a 15-4 overall record in 1997 and an aggregate record of 45-29-2 during her four years.

She resides in Southwick with husband, Judson, and sons Sam and Max.

She remains active in the soccer community through league play, coaching and volunteering.