Mount Athletics inducts 2019 Hall of Fame
Mount Saint Mary College’s Athletics Department celebrated the achievements of the five newest members of its Hall of Fame at an induction ceremony in October of 2019.
The ceremony recognized former student-athletes Lindsay (Searle) McHugh ’11 (Women’s Tennis), Jacqueline Mancini ’14 (Women’s Soccer), and Tara McDermott ’14 (Women’s Soccer), as well as former athletic directors William Lahar (professor of Chemistry) and Thomas Sarro (professor of Biology).
McHugh played an important role in the success of the Women’s Tennis team from 2007-10. She helped lead the Knights to three unblemished Skyline Conference seasons and a pair of NCAA Tournaments. Over her four years with the team, it had a remarkable 63-10 overall record and a 31-1 mark against Skyline Conference opponents. In 2010-11, with McHugh’s aid, the Knights followed up their first appearance on the national stage with a 15-4 mark and 7-0 league mark, returning to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history. McHugh graduated with a degree in Nursing and completed a doctorate in Nursing Practice at Duquesne University.
Mancini helped set the standard for the Women’s Soccer program and became the most prolific goalkeeper in program history. She anchored a team that went unscored upon in Skyline Conference play twice and posted three straight unblemished conference campaigns. Over her four years, the Mount finished with a stellar 64-24-2 overall record, including a 30-4 mark against Skyline Conference rivals. Over the course of Mancini’s career, the Knights made four straight trips to the Skyline Conference Championship game and a trio of appearances in the ECAC Semifinal Round. Currently, she works as a high school physical education teacher and coaches high school soccer.
McDermott was a standout on the Women’s Soccer team for four seasons ,helping build the Knights into an annual contender for the Skyline Conference crown. Over her four years, the Knights set the program’s record for most wins,18, and best overall record, 18-4-1. She and her team went on to appear in four Skyline Conference Championship games and three ECAC semifinals. She was named the MSMC Female Athlete of the Year and ECAC Division III Metro Division Defensive Player of the Year following her senior campaign. McDermott completed a master’s in Fashion Management from Laboratory Institute of Merchandising and currently works at Vogue Magazine.
Lahar and Sarro helped to create the Athletics Department at the Mount as some of the college’s first athletic directors. They were a driving factor in shaping the department into what it is today. Sarro and Lahar started the Men’s Basketball program with just a handful of male students and coordinated an intramural program without a gym facility on campus. Lahar and Sarro began their tenure at the college in 1975 and are currently in their 45th year. Lahar became a co-athletic director with Sarro and served as the Men’s Basketball coach from 1976-78.