The Rensselaer Athletics Hall of Fame Selection Committee has chosen five individuals for induction into the Athletics Hall of Fame. The Class of 2015 consists of Dwaine Alleyne ’04 (track & field), Jon Branche ’07 (football), Greg Derevianko ’07 (diving), Adam LoGiudice ’07 (football, lacrosse), and Anthony Ortolano (head athletic trainer).
Among the highlights from this class are a combined 17 All-America awards, two Academic All-America awards, 10 NCAA Championship Meet appearances, and numerous school, league, and Division III records. “The 2015 Hall of Fame Class for RPI Athletics represents former student-athletes and staff who made significant contributions that transformed Rensselaer into a top 50 world-class university,” said Lee McElroy, director of athletics. “I welcome the 2015 Hall of Fame inductees back to campus as we celebrate and honor their records of excellence, which promoted the values, spirit, and traditions of the Institute.”
Alleyne was a seven-time NCAA Championship Meet participant, qualifying all four years in outdoor track & field and three times in indoor. He was a five-time National All-America, all in the triple jump—including three times as the national runner-up: 2003 indoor, 2004 indoor, and 2004 outdoor. He was eighth in the 2001 outdoor meet and sixth in the 2003 outdoor meet.
Branche was a three-year national All-America as a record-setting tight end. A four-year starter, he graduated as the NCAA Division III record holder for receptions by a tight end with 231 and yards gained in a career by a tight end (2,849). He is Rensselaer’s all-time leader in career touchdown receptions (35), receiving yards, and receptions. He holds the school marks for touchdowns in a game (5), touchdown catches in a game (5), and points in a game (30).
Derevianko was a five-time NCAA All-America, including two third-place finishes, a fourth, an eighth, and an honorable mention. He was All-America off the 1-meter diving board three times, including both third-place finishes, and 3-meter twice. He won three Liberty League Championship events, including twice as a senior with NCAA automatic qualifying scores, and was runner-up four times. He also won three New York State Championship events with three second-place finishes. Derevianko was the Liberty League Diver of the Meet once and the Diver of the Year twice. He won 20 weekly league awards in his four-year career and graduated as the school record holder off both diving boards. He was an applied physics major who earned National Academic All-America once.
An architecture major, LoGiudice was an All-America in both football and lacrosse. On the gridiron, he played defensive back and was a return specialist, setting school single season records in back-to-back seasons. In 2005, he made 26 tackles with four interceptions while also setting school marks for punt returns (30), punt return yards (222), kickoff returns (23), and kickoff return yards (581). He was All-Liberty League First Team, All-Region, and All-ECAC as a return specialist and All-League Second Team as a defensive back. The following season, LoGiudice was the league’s Special Teams Player of the Year, All-Region, and All-America after setting school records in punt return yards (299), kickoff return yards (731), and kickoff returns (28), including two touchdowns. He was also All-League, All-Region, and All-ECAC as a defensive back after finishing with 48 tackles, including 30 unassisted, two sacks, and three interceptions.
LoGiudice earned many of the same awards as an attack in lacrosse, including All-America three times, All-ECAC once, and All-Liberty League four times. He led the team in goals and points all four years, totaling 148 tallies and 57 assists for 205 points in 60 games. He also had 510 shots (261 on goal), nine game-winning goals, 23 man-up markers, and 230 ground balls. The league’s Rookie of the Year in 2003, LoGiudice led Rensselaer in ground balls in three of his four seasons, including 2004 when he had 69, along with career-bests of 48 goals (11 man-up) and 63 points.
Ortolano was head athletic trainer from 1985 to 2012, retiring following a career in which he worked with thousands of student-athletes and hundreds of coaches from Rensselaer’s 23 athletics programs. Among his main accomplishments was to greatly improve the Institute’s efforts toward prevention and treatment of athletic injuries by adding new programs and state-of-the-art equipment. He also played a major role in the design of the state-of-the-art athletic training suite in the East Campus Athletic Village and he mentored countless assistant athletic trainers and student workers, many of whom have advanced in the medical industry.
Ortolano and the former student-athletes will be inducted at Rensselaer’s annual Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet, which will be held Oct. 4, during Reunion & Homecoming Weekend. Anyone interested in attending the ceremony, including former teammates, should contact Leslie DeLano at (518) 276-6182 or khachl@rpi.edu.