Ackerman Inducted into RSC Athletics Hall of Fame
ALBANY, N.Y. – The Russell Sage College Athletics Hall of Fame increased by five members when Kirsten Ackerman (Women's Tennis), Nicole Corbett–Forth (Women's Volleyball), Hillary Faas-Li (Softball), Robert Villanueva (Men's Basketball) and TJ Zehner (Men's Soccer) were inducted on Saturday, June 1.
ALBANY, N.Y. – The Russell Sage College Athletics Hall of Fame increased by five members when Kirsten Ackerman (Women's Tennis), Nicole Corbett–Forth (Women's Volleyball), Hillary Faas-Li (Softball), Robert Villanueva (Men's Basketball) and TJ Zehner (Men's Soccer) were inducted on Saturday, June 1.
Kirsten Ackerman was the first RSC tennis player to advance to ITA regional semifinals. The 2012 and 2013 Skyline Conference Player of the Year had a 35-11 career singles record and a 44-5 overall career doubles record. Ackerman, who played tennis for the Gators from 2011-2014, earned three first-team All-Skyline Conference honors and was designated as a Scholar-Athlete by the ITA, the Skyline Conference and Russell Sage College.
Nicole Corbett–Forth was a presence at the volleyball net for the Gators from 2007-2010. The four-time first-team All-Skyline Conference selection totaled 447 blocks during her career, still the most by a Gator nearly 15 years following her graduation. Corbett-Forth, the only RSC player with 115 or more blocks in three different seasons, ranks fifth in program records with 1,123 career kills.
Hillary Faas-Li played shortstop for the Gators between 2011-2014 and holds the softball program records with 20 career home runs and 130 career RBI and ranks second among RSC players with 193 career hits. As a senior, she earned second-team All-Atlantic Region honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and was voted the ECAC Player of the Year, and the Skyline Conference Player of the Year. Faas-Li, a three-time All-Skyline Conference pick, batted .465 with 45 RBI, 37 runs scored, 12 doubles and six home runs that spring.
Robert Villanueva excelled on the Junior College of Albany men's basketball team from 2000-2002. He led the Sabres in scoring and earned NJCAA All-Region honors in both of his seasons. Villanueva, the program's career leader in rebounding at 547, finished fourth in JCA records with 996 career points. He established the JCA single-season standard with 295 boards in his final campaign, while blocking 65 shots, second-most by a Sabre in a year. JCA went 46-13 across the two seasons, including a program-best 27-4 ledger in 2001-02.
TJ Zehner stood tall in the goal for the men's soccer team during the falls of 2012-2015. The three-time All-Skyline Conference selection holds the program career records in numerous categories including wins (36), goals against average (0.94) and saves (260). He is the only Gator goalkeeper to register nine or more victories in a single-season three times, including tallying a program-record 13 wins for the 2015 Skyline Conference Regular Season and Tournament Champions. Zehner secured a spot on the 2015 National Soccer Coaches Association of America NCAA Division III East Regional Team after backstopping the Gators to their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Since its inaugural class in 1993, Russell Sage College Athletics has inducted 53 individuals and two teams into its Hall of Fame.
