Updates for Ballers and Fans
As Susquehanna’s student-athletes continue to excel in competition, the university’s athletic facilities have undergone several updates and renovations to truly reflect the quality of its programs. Along with the addition of more championship banners, recent highlights include:
Orlando W. Houts Gymnasium
The home of Susquehanna’s men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball teams received several necessary upgrades, including the addition of an air conditioning system, new hardwood on the gym floor, new backboards and hoist equipment, fresh paint, new end pads and logos, and new bleacher seats to fit 1,100 rowdy River Hawk fans. These renovations were made possible by the Julius and Katheryn Hommer Foundation, the estate of Lucille Arthur H’13, and by Alan Bennett ’72, George Liberopoulos ’86 and Peter Arduini ’86.
Douglas A. Arthur Jumbotron
Game days were even bigger this fall with the addition of a new jumbotron at Doug Arthur Stadium. The 804 square-foot, ultra-high-definition LED video display board is a state-of-the-art piece of equipment that very few NCAA Division II or III schools in the country can currently duplicate. With live footage and detailed replays, stadium-goers could see every play during an historic season which saw Susquehanna football capture the Centennial Conference championship and host a first-round NCAA tournament bout against Utica College. The jumbotron was made possible by the estate of Lucille Arthur H’13.
The Robert I. Estill Field House
In September 2022, Susquehanna dedicated the Robert I. Estill Field House in honor of Bob Estill ’65 for his significant support of capital improvements to athletic facilities and provision of equipment. The 51,000-square-foot field house features four multi-sport courts for basketball, tennis, and volleyball. It includes indoor team practice space for field sports; and an indoor, six-lane, 200-meter track. The Robert I. Estill Field House hosts all indoor competition for the university’s men’s and women’s track and field teams, which each won consecutive Landmark Conference indoor titles in the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons. Additional renovations are scheduled for 2023 and 2024.
Perkovich Recognized as Top Coach in the Northeast Region Following Historic Season
Entering the 2022 season, “Coach Perk” had winning seasons in all seven years as head coach of the River Hawks. In his eighth year, he topped everything, leading them to a perfect 10–0 regular season — its first since 1986 — en route to their first Centennial Conference championship and first NCAA Division III tournament appearance since 2009. At year’s end, the River Hawks were ranked 19th in the final NCAA Division III national poll.
Additional accolades included center Dalton Simpson ’22 receiving All-American nods from the AFCA and D3Football.com. He also earned the Rimington Award, given to the top center in all NCAA Division III.
The 2023 season will mark another historic one for Susquehanna football, as the program will join fellow River Hawks varsity teams in the Landmark Conference. The league will sponsor football for the first time with the addition of new full-time members Wilkes University and Lycoming College, making the annual Stagg Hat Game with the latter a conference game again for the first time since 2006. Keystone College will also join the Landmark as associate members for football.
Susquehanna Honors Its 54th Hall of Fame Class
The Susquehanna University Athletics Department inducted five members into the Class of 2022 Athletics Hall of Fame, including four student-athletes and one longtime staff member and supporter.
The Susquehanna University Athletics Hall of Fame was established to formally recognize outstanding contributions to the heritage and tradition of the university’s intercollegiate athletics program. A total of 265 individuals have been inducted into the SU Athletics Hall of Fame.
Mike Ferlazzo – Still a consistent presence at Susquehanna events, Ferlazzo was SU’s sports information director from 1987 to 1991, before moving into a new role of assistant director of public relations from 1992 until 2000. He has served as a public address announcer for many teams from 2000 to 2004, and again from 2012 through today. Fans can still hear Ferlazzo as the announcer for women’s volleyball, track and field and men’s basketball. He also was once a broadcaster for WQSU in 2001 and 2002. Ferlazzo now works at neighboring Bucknell University as the director of media relations.
Isaac Laubach ’09 – A standout defender and four-year letter winner for the Susquehanna men’s soccer team, Laubach earned First Team All-Conference honors three times while also earning Second Team. He was the 2008 Landmark Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was honored as a National Soccer Coaches Association of America College Division Scholar All-American in 2007 and 2008. A 2007 and 2008 member of the NSCAA All-Middle Atlantic Regional team, he was the co-captain of the first-ever Landmark title winning squad in 2008, the first NCAA Tournament team in program history.
Michelle McGinniss ’14 – One of the best women’s lacrosse players in program history, McGinniss was a four-time All-Landmark Conference First Team honoree along with being named 2014 Landmark Player of the Year. McGinniss was a three-time Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association All-Region award winner, including picking up IWLCA All-American Second Team laurels in 2014. McGinniss is first in school history in draw controls and goals, while ranking in the top five in eight categories.
Ken Schetroma ’13 – Another two-sport star for SU, Schetroma was a member of the football and track and field squads. On the gridiron, Schetroma was a four-year starter and team captain in 2012. Schetroma was part of the 2009 Liberty League Championships squad, and All-Centennial Conference on the defensive line in 2011 and 2012. A Division III Defensive Preseason All-American in 2012, he earned USA College Football Inc. All-American honors in 2012. In track and field, he was team captain 2011–13, winning the Landmark Conference shot put title a total of seven times. He also captured gold in the weight throw three seasons and was the hammer throw conference champ three times as well. He was voted as the Landmark Conference Field Athlete of the Year three times and was a 13-time First Team All-Landmark Conference honoree. He also was named to the Landmark All-Decade Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Team.
Katie McKeever ’03 Sillup – A two-sport standout for Susquehanna, Sillup played both field hockey and swimming in her time at SU. As a member of the field hockey program, she was a 2002 STX/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III Third Team All-American, also earning First Team All-South Atlantic Region and All-MAC Commonwealth in 2002. She ranks fifth in school history in career points and sixth in goals, along with 10th in assists all-time. In the pool, she ranked in the program’s Top 10 in the 200-yard breaststroke and 100 butterfly.
Five Programs Earn Landmark Titles
For the 2022–23 year, Susquehanna athletics raised Landmark Conference Championship banners for baseball, men’s and women’s outdoor track & field, and men’s and women’s indoor track & field.
The men’s and women’s track & field teams swept all four of the indoor and outdoor Landmark Championships for the first time ever, including the women picking up their first-ever outdoor conference championship. As hosts of the Indoor Championships, the men and women ran away with the title, winning a combined 13 events along with Bryce Ellinger ’23 and Chloe Yoder ’24 qualifying for the NCAA National Championships. The women’s historical outdoor conference championship was bolstered by five event wins, including Yoder sweeping the 100- and 400-meter hurdles. The men, meanwhile, posted eight outdoor wins to their decisive victory, highlighted by career performances from Ben Bulger ’25 in the 400-meter hurdles and Ellinger in the high jump that earned them a national championship berth. Ellinger and Yoder went on to earn NCAA All-American honors, respectively finishing third and fifth in the nation.
The River Hawks 2023 baseball team had a remarkable tournament run to win the Landmark championship, beating both Elizabethtown College and University of Scranton twice for their first conference title since 2019. Tony Rossi ’25 was named the Landmark Tournament MVP, while it was the bat of Michael Mancuso ’24 that drove in the winning run for the 6–5 walk-off championship win over Scranton. Susquehanna made it as far as the NCAA Regional Championship game against Rowan University after wins over Arcadia University and SUNY Brockport.
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