December 5, 2007

Malone Inducts Six Into Athletics Hall Of Fame

Five athletes and one administrator were recently selected to the Malone College Athletics Hall of Fame and will be officially inducted at a banquet on the College’s campus on January 18, 2008.  The inductees will also be recognized at halftime of a Malone men’s basketball home game on Saturday, January 19.

The newest Hall of Fame inductees include Dale Baker (’78, wrestling), Mark Bankert (administrator), Heidi (Bennett) Yokom (’96, softball), Jason Carver (’96, basketball), Dan DeGeorge (’97, football) and Rob Roberts (’96, baseball).  With the addition of the six newest members, the current total of inductees now stands at 86.

Established in 1985, the Malone College Athletics Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves in athletics while at the College.  To qualify, athlete inductees must be graduates of Malone, must have graduated at least ten years prior to selection, must exemplify the highest ideals of intercollegiate athletics and must have earned two letters in one or more sports.  As a coach, they must have served the College ten or more years.  This year, a new provision was established to allow athletics administrators or other support personnel to become eligible, again with a minimum of 10 years of service to the College.

Dale Baker, a 1978 Malone graduate (Social Science-Comprehensive), was a four-year letterman in wrestling and soccer at Malone.  A 1974 graduate of Southeast High School in Ravenna, Baker lettered in wrestling, cross country and track & field.

At Malone, Baker was a two-time NAIA District 22 wrestling champion and was also Malone’s only four-time Mid-Ohio Conference champion (1975-78).  He earned the Mid-Ohio’s J. Albert Turner Award (Outstanding Wrestler) in 1978.  He was his team’s Most Improved Wrestler for the 1975-76 season and the Most Valuable Wrestler in the 1977-78 campaign.  Baker also holds the school record for most points in a match (31).  He was a two-time Ohio AAU Freestyle State Champion (1976-77) and an AAU All-American in 1975 (Greco-Roman) and 1976 (Freestyle).  In addition, he was a Greco-Roman Bronze Medalist at the 1975 AAU Junior Olympics and a Freestyle Silver Medalist at the 1976 AAU Junior World Championships.  He was also a heavyweight on the U.S. National Junior World Freestyle Team in 1976.

Baker, who was born in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, is employed by U.S. Airways as a ramp shift manager.  He and his wife, Phyllis, a 1979 Malone graduate, reside in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania.  They have four children – Matt (26), Luke (24), Chris (22) and Anna (17).

Mark Bankert, Associate Athletic Director and Sports Information Director at Malone, is currently in his 21st year at the College and becomes the first inductee elected under the new “administrator or support personnel” provision.  In 1987, Bankert became Malone’s first full-time Sports Information Director and has since also served as Administrative Assistant-Athletics, Assistant Athletic Director and most recently as an Associate Athletic Director (2006). 

Bankert, a 1980 graduate of Sandy Valley High School, earned a B.S. in Business Administration at The Ohio State University in 1984 and also earned a Masters degree in Sports Administration & Facility Management at Ohio University in 1986, completing an internship with the Cleveland Browns during his masters program. He also worked for the NFL’s Public Relations Department at the 1985 and 1986 Super Bowls.  Bankert has been very involved nationally with the NAIA Sports Information Director’s Association, having served on the NAIA-SIDA Executive Board for over 10 years, including serving as President in 1998 and 1999.  In addition, he was named the NAIA Sports Information Director of the Year in 1998. Mark is also a part-time instructor in the College’s Health and Human Performance Department, overseeing Sports Management practicums and internships.

Bankert, who was born in Canton, Ohio, resides in Canton with his wife, Colleen, and their three children, Rebecca (16), Joel (14) and Joshua (12).

Heidi (Bennett) Yokom, a 1996 graduate of Malone College (Business Administration), was a four-year letterwinner in softball at the College.  A 1992 graduate of Maple Heights High School, she lettered in slow pitch softball, volleyball and basketball and earned All-Conference honors in all three sports.

At Malone, Yokom played shortstop in Malone’s 2nd through 5th intercollegiate softball seasons and was part of Malone’s first winning season (23-22) in 1995.  Only two teams in the program’s 16-year history have recorded more wins in a season.  Yokom posted a career batting average of .336 with 139 career hits and, as a senior, recorded a team-best .402 batting average and also led the team in runs (33), hits (37) and doubles (10) that year.  As a junior, she led the team in doubles (13), RBI’s (35) and home runs (2) and, as a sophomore, paced the squad in runs (25), doubles (7), triples (2) and home runs (1).  Yokom was an All-AMC Second Team and NCCAA All-District selection as both a junior and senior.  She also earned All-NAIA District 22 honors as a sophomore.

Yokom, who was born in Cleveland, is employed as the Director of Information Technology for the Salvation Army in Maple Heights, Ohio.  She and her husband, Matthew, reside in Macedonia, Ohio.

Jason Carver, a 1996 Malone graduate (Business Administration), was a four-year letterman in basketball at the College.  He graduated from Shelby Senior High School in 1992 and helped his team to a 25-18 record during his two years of playing basketball in high school.

At Malone, Carver was one of the best pure shooters in the program’s history and still ranks sixth on Malone’s all-time scoring list with 1945 career points.  Despite playing at the guard position, he also currently ranks 26th on the College’s all-time rebounding list with 485 rebounds.  An outstanding free throw shooter as well, Carver still holds the school record for most free throws made in a season with 218 (during his senior season) and posted an 80.1% career free throw percentage.  He also made 220 career three-point baskets as well.  As a senior, he led Malone to the NCCAA national championship and was named the NCCAA National Tournament MVP.  That season, he was also named First Team All Mid-Ohio, First Team NCCAA East Region and Second Team NCCAA All-American.  As a junior, he earned Second Team All Mid-Ohio accolades.

Carver, who was born in Shelby, Ohio, is employed as an Inside Sale Specialist for School Specialty, Inc.  He and his wife, Jennifer, and their two children, Mason (6) and McKenzie (6), reside in Shelby.

Dan DeGeorge, a 1997 Malone graduate (Elementary Education), was a four-year letterman in football at the College, having been a part of the program’s first four intercollegiate seasons.  A 1992 graduate of Archbishop Hoban High School, he was a three-year starter in both baseball and football and earned numerous honors and records in both.  He was also elected to the Archbishop Hoban Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.

At Malone, DeGeorge started all 41 games at running back during his Pioneer career.  A three-year team captain, four-time Offensive Back of the Year and two-time Offensive Player of the Year for the Pioneers, he was also voted a two-time First Team All MSFA selection and a one-time Second Team All MSFA recipient.  In addition, he also earned NAIA All-American Honorable Mention honors as a junior.  The school’s first 1,000-yard rusher in a season, DeGeorge also still holds numerous Malone records including career records for rushing yards (3111), rushing touchdowns (32), touchdowns (39) and 100-yard rushing games (14).  He still also holds the school record for longest run from scrimmage (78 yards vs. Findlay,1995 NAIA playoffs).

DeGeorge, who was born in Akron, earned a masters degree in Education Administration from The University of Akron in 2006.  He is employed as a History Teacher at Lake Local Schools and also serves as the Offensive Coordinator for Blue Streak varsity football.  He and his wife, Alison, and their three children, Drew (4), Emma (4) and Abby (2), reside in Uniontown.

Rob Roberts, a 1996 Malone graduate (Business Administration), was a four-year letterman in baseball at the College.  A 1991 graduate of Salem High School, he lettered in basketball and was a three-year starter in baseball, earning All-County and All-Conference honors.

At Malone, Roberts was a two-time team captain and played second base, shortstop and outfield, earning postseason honors at all three positions.  As a freshman shortstop, he earned NAIA District 22 Second Team honors and then, as sophomore and junior second baseman, he was voted NAIA District 22 First Team and All-MOC First Team, respectively.  As a senior outfielder, Roberts was tabbed All-MOC First Team.  He still holds the Malone career record for hits (206) and runs scored (159) and he had previously held the career record for RBI’s (142).  In 162 games played, he posted a .371 career batting average with 29 home runs, 33 doubles and 11 triples.  In addition, Roberts, a five-time conference player of the week and a two-time member of the 500 Club, led Malone to a 92-75-2 record during his tenure and was a member of the ’93 Pioneer squad which still holds the best winning percentage in the program’s history at .793 (36-9-1).

Roberts, who was born in Salem, Ohio, is employed by Graceway Pharmaceuticals as a professional sales representative.  He and his wife, Amanda, and their son, Charlie (3), reside in Canton.
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