Canisius College has selected three former student-athletes and a former coach to its Sports Hall of Fame for the class of 2008. The four new members are: Jill (Evans) Benham '96 ? synchronized swimming, Scott Dochat '98 ? football, Richard Foit '95 ? baseball, and Joanne Wright ? former synchronized swimming coach.
The ceremonies for the Hall of Fame will be held Sunday, Feb. 8, during halftime of the Golden Griffins' Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men's basketball game against Saint Peter's, which tips off at 11:30 a.m. The game will be broadcast live on MAAC-TV and on the radio at CJRN 710 AM. A postgame reception will also be held for the honorees and their guests. For more information, contact the Alumni Office at (716) 888-2700.
To be eligible for the Canisius College Sports Hall of Fame, a student-athlete must have completed his/her eligibility 10 years prior to induction, be a graduate of the College, been acclaimed, as an undergraduate, as one of the outstanding athletes in the history of the school and, since graduation, the athlete's life must have continued to reflect favorably on the College. Non-athletes may be inducted if they have made outstanding contributions to Canisius College athletics.
The Canisius Sports Hall of Fame, which began in 1963, now boasts 157 members with the addition of the 2008 class.
Jill (Evans) Benham '96 ? A four-year student-athlete who was part of the original synchronized
swimming team in 1992. Benham was the second All-American in school history, earning the honor in her senior season. In that same season, Benham finished second in the country in the solo event at the U.S. Collegiate National Championship to earn the silver medal. Benham also finished fifth in the solo at the 1992-93 U.S. Collegiate National Championship and eighth in the country in 1994-95. Through her sophomore, junior, and senior seasons she was part of two first-place trios and part of the 1993-94 first place team at the East Regional Championship. In her junior season, she won the solo competition at five events including the East Regional Championship. In 1995 Benham was a U.S. Olympic Trials Finalist. As a senior she was named team MVP and won the Presidential Athlete of the Year Award.
Scott Dochat '98 ? A four-year varsity football player, Dochat was named MAAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 1997. He earned first-team All-MAAC honors in 1997 as well as second-team All-MAAC accolades in 1996. As a defensive end, Dochat holds the school record for career sacks (27.5) and tackles for a loss in a single season (18 for 97 yards). He holds the program's record for fumble recoveries in a career (nine), as well as for a single season (five). In his junior year, Dochat stopped Saint Peter's quarterback Jeremy Bartuck at the one-foot line on the final play of the game to preserve a 12-7 Canisius lead and secure the win. In his senior season alone, Dochat had 55 tackles, 10 sacks, and 18 tackles for a loss. His leadership helped the Golden Griffins earn the fourth-ranked defense in the MAAC for rushing defense and total defense in 1997. Dochat also led the league in fumbles recovered, and ranked second in sacks and tackles for a loss during the 1997 campaign. An ECAC 1997 All-Star, Dochat was named to the ECAC Weekly Honor Roll as a senior.
Richard Foit '95 ? A two-season member of the Canisius College baseball team, Foit started all
81 games from 1993-95. At the time of his graduation, Foit was second all-time in single-season bases (84 in 1994), and ranked third in single-season runs (38 in 42 games, 1994), single-season doubles (13 in 1994), and career doubles (25). He is currently ranked 13th all-time in single-season bases, 12th in single-season runs, seventh in single-season doubles, and tied for 11th in career doubles. Foit had a 33-game hitting streak over two years, including the first 21 games of the 1994 season. He graduated in eighth place on the career hits list and earned MAAC North Player of the Year honors in 1994. He was a member of the 1994 MAAC regular-season champions when the Griffs posted a 17-1 record. While at Canisius, the Golden Griffins earned a 41-39-1 team record. Foit currently ranks ninth all-time in both career batting average (.342) and career slugging percentage (.554), ranking sixth and seventh, respectively, at the time of his graduation in 1994.
Joanne Wright ? An 11-year coach for the synchronized swimming varsity team from 1993-2004. Wright began the program at the club level in 1992, advancing to varsity level one season later. Under her leadership, the synchronized swimming team won 11 East Regional Championships and boasted 10 All-Americans, including five in 2000. Since 1998, when synchronized swimming joined the ECAC, Wright led the team to first-place finishes in all seven ECAC Championships. Wright had six swimmers finish in the top six of the solo event at the U.S. Collegiate Championships, as well as six duets in the top six and 13 trios in the top eight. Also at the U.S. Collegiate Championships, she led Canisius to six third-place finishes and three fourth-place finishes. Wright is a nationally recognized official for FINA and is known as the “mother” of synchronized swimming at Canisius College.
