ATHLETICS: Lasell announces Hall of Fame Class of 2019

NEWTON, Mass. – Lasell University will honor its athletic heritage this fall when the 2019 class is enshrined into the Lasell Athletic Hall of Fame.

This year's induction ceremony, set for Friday, October 18, will mark the second class to be enshrined into the Lasell Athletic Hall of Fame.  The new inductees honor some of the elite Laser student-athletes over the last two decades, representing the sports of men's basketball, field hockey, men's and women's lacrosse, and men's soccer.

 The 2019 inductees are:

* Mark DeMieri ('08), a two-time All-Pilgrim League selection and an All-Region men's lacrosse goalie who set several program single-season and career records and helped the Lasers to three ECAC post-season appearances.

* Tia Pratt ('11), a four-time All-North Atlantic Conference selection in field hockey, including twice on the First Team, who held the program scoring records for several years and still ranks among the all-time scoring leaders.

* Mike Skelton ('13), a Third-Team All-America, two-time All-New England selection and Great Northeast Athletic Conference Player of the Year in men's soccer who set the program scoring records while leading the team to four winning seasons and one post-season berth.

* Ashley Slattery ('13), a four-time All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference selection who set numerous women's lacrosse records for both offense and defense, helping the team to one conference championship and three post-season berths.

* 2001-02 Men's Basketball team, which finished with a 21-7 record, captured the North Atlantic Conference championship and has the distinction of being first Lasell team in any sport to qualify for the NCAA Championship Tournament.

"We are very excited to be inducting another outstanding class into the Lasell Athletic Hall of Fame," said director of athletics Kristy Walter. "Everyone in this class made a huge impact on their sport and the athletic program at Lasell.  They will go down in our history as some of the greats to have worn a Laser uniform. We look forward to inducting them this fall, and hope this honor means as much to them as they have meant to Lasell Athletics."

This year's inductees come on the heels of the first Lasell Hall of Fame ceremony, which took place in 2017. The ceremony will take place this year on Friday October 18, 2019 at the Brae Burn Country Club during the college's Family, Friends and Alumni Weekend. For tickets and hotel information, click here.

The entire list of inductees and profiles on each member, as well as a nomination form open to the public, is available on the Lasell Athletics website at laserpride.lasell.edu. For more information, contact Kristy Walter at 617-243-2147 or kwalter@lasell.edu. 

MARK DEMIERI ('08) … A four-year starter in goal for the Laser men's lacrosse team, DeMieri broke on to the scene as a freshman when he earned team Rookie of the Year honors after leading the nation in Division III with a .682 save percentage. He went on to become a two-time team Most Valuable Player and earned All-Conference honors in the prestigious Pilgrim League his junior and senior seasons, Second Team in 2007 and First Team in 2008. He also earned All-Region Second Team honors from the ECAC in 2008 while serving as team captain.

DeMieri topped the Pilgrim League in 2008 in goals against average (6.59) and save percentage (.695), which ranked second and eighth in the nation, respectively. He led all NCAA Division III goalies in 2005 with a .682 save percentage, and was eighth nationally in save percentage in 2006 (.648). He completed his career with school records for goals against average in a season (6.59, 2008), and saves in a game (30), season (260) and career (916), the latter of which ranks eighth in NCAA Division III history.

A native of Seaford, N.Y., DeMieri helped the Lasers to a combined record of 36-28 record in his four years under head coach Tim Dunton, making three Pilgrim League semifinal appearances ('05, '07 and '08) and three ECAC post-season appearances (first round in '05, semifinal in '06, runner-up in '08). 

TIA PRATT ('11) … A four-year starter at midfield for the Lasell field hockey team, Pratt was a standout for the Lasers from 2007-10, earning All-North Atlantic Conference (NAC) honors all four years. She made an impact as a freshman, earning NAC Rookie of the Year and All-Conference Second Team honors, and she repeated her Second Team accolades her sophomore season in 2008. Pratt continued as one of the top players in the conference the next two years, claiming All-NAC First Team honors as both a junior and a senior.

Pratt was among the top four on the team in scoring all four years, finishing second on the squad as a junior with eight goals and five assists, and leading the Lasers as a senior with 12 goals, seven assists and 31 points. She started 70 of her 74 career games wearing the Lasell blue, compiling 28 goals, 23 assists and 79 points. Her 23 career assists stood as the school record for seven years until 2017 and still ranks third all-time, and her 79 points were tied for the school standard until it was also broken in 2017. She currently stands fourth in goals and third in points on Lasell's career scoring lists.

A native of Oxford Hills, Maine, Pratt played for three different coaches in her four seasons. She helped the Lasers to 30 victories in four years and four NAC Tournament berths, advancing to the semifinals in 2007. 

MIKE SKELTON ('13) … A four-year scoring sensation for the Lasell men's soccer team, Skelton was a four-time All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) selection, a two-time GNAC Player of the Year and All-New England First Team pick, and a Third Team All-American in 2013. He owns Lasell records for goals and points in a season and career, and led the Lasers to four winning seasons and the title game of the 2013 ECAC post-season tournament.

Skelton was a Second Team All-Conference choice as a freshman in 2009, but missed most of the 2010 season with an injury. He came back in 2011 as the team's leading scorer with 15 goals, earning his second spot of the All-GNAC Second Team. Skelton moved to the upper echelon his junior and senior seasons, combing for 36 goals and eight assists and earning GNAC Player of the Year and All-New England First Team honors both years. He was a Third Team All-American in 2013 with a 22-goal performance, which ranked fifth nationally in Division III. He has the top two single-season marks in school history in both goals and points, and tops the career lists with 55 goals and 126 points.

A native of Conway, N.H. (Hebron Academy), Skelton helped the Lasers to a combined 51-20-9 overall record under head coach Giovanni Pacini, including a 27-6-1 mark against GNAC opponents. He led the team to a program-best 17-4-2 mark as a senior, including a 10-game unbeaten streak before falling to Springfield in the ECAC New England Championship game. 

ASHLEY SLATTERY ('13) … A four-year starter at midfield for the Lasell women's lacrosse team from 2010-13, Slattery was a four-time All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) selection, including GNAC Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-Conference as a freshman and a First Team honoree the next three years. She helped the team to three straight appearances in the GNAC championship game and one GNAC title, along with three post-season berths, two ECAC and one NCAA.

Slattery left her name all over the Lasell record books on both offense and defense. She holds the career marks for ground balls, draw controls and caused turnovers, and previously held the single season standards in all three categories. She was also one of top scoring threats, and ranks second all-time in assists and points and third in goals in the Lasell career record books. She also ranks first in assists and the top four in both goals and points in the single-season ledger.

A native of Weymouth, Mass., Slattery helped the Lasers to a four-year record of 49-23, the last three years under head coach Cait Connolly, including program-best 15-4 marks in 2012 and 2013. She led the team to a 28-6 record against GNAC opponents and was the tournament MVP as Lasell captured the GNAC title in 2013, earning the team's first trip to the NCAA Tournament. 

MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM 2001-02 … Led by second-year head coach Chris Harvey, the Lasell men's basketball team was in just its fourth season as a varsity program in 2001-02. Coming off a 17-9 season the previous year, the Lasers put together a 21-7 campaign, including an 8-0 mark in the North Atlantic Conference. The team captured the NAC tournament for the first of three straight conference championships and earned an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament, the first Lasell team to qualify for the national championship tourney.

The Lasers won their first five games before an overtime loss to Clark University in late November. The team went into the holiday break with an 8-3 record, won its first four games in 2002 and finished January with a 14-5 mark. Lasell finished the regular season winning five of its last six games before defeating Elms College and Maine Maritime to claim the NAC Tournament title. The Lasers traveled to Union College (N.Y.) for the NCAA Tournament, suffering a tough 75-73 setback in the first round.

After scoring at least 100 points six times and at least 90 points 10 times, the Lasers finished 12th in the NCAA in scoring offense (85.3 ppg), and 21st in scoring margin (12.4 ppg). Senior Dwayne Okantey led the team with 17.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, and junior Vincent Johnson was good for 13.9 points per game after making 52 three-point baskets. Senior E.J. Vaughn added 9.1 points per game and freshman Demetrius Dejesus chipped in with 8.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest.

The remaining members of the team include juniors Erik Costin, Josh Ferreieras, David Montville, and Napoleon Sandeford, and sophomores Evans Cazeau, Stern Chamberlain, Mike Gallagher, Mike Jones, Jim Smith and Greg Walker.

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