EASTON, Pa. - John Gaydeski '69, Art Fischetti '75, Christine Sieling (Demareski) '94, Stephanie Tinney (Robinson) '02, Emily Myers (Royle) '03 and Joe McCourt '05 will be inducted into the Maroon Club Hall of Fame's Class of 2024-25 during the Hall of Fame Dinner on Friday, Nov. 22 at Kirby Sports Center.
Tickets are $90 for adults and $30 for children under 12. Please register at the link above or contact Andrew Foster directly at fostera@lafayette.edu or 610-330-5472.
John R. Gaydeski '69 (Track and Field, Football)
Gaydeski, a two-sport athlete, competed as a thrower for track and field as well as a defensive end for the football team. He secured a spot as an NCAA qualifier in 1968 by setting the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional record in the javelin.
During the first varsity track meet of his senior year, the Vandergrift, Pa. native broke the Lafayette javelin record and set the final mark at the 1969 Penn Relays, where he took fourth with a throw of 240'5" and made the Penn Relays meet record in prelims with a throw of 249'4".
While ranked 11th in the nation, he placed second at the Mid-Atlantic Conference championships in the javelin in 1968-69 and third at the 1968-69 IC4A Championships. To this day, Gaydeski holds Lafayette's outdoor javelin record prior to javelin technology being changed.
On the gridiron, he earned First Team All-Pennsylvania Colleges honors in 1968 when the program went 7-3, then its best record since 1940. He was an All-Middle-Atlantic Conference First Team selection that year and an honorable mention during the previous season. As a senior, the Religious Studies major received the 1969 Charles L. Albert Award, given to the most outstanding Lafayette athlete.
After graduation, he played one season of pro football for the Hartford Knights. Gaydeski then joined the Air Force in 1970, flying both F-4 and F-111 fighters which included a combat tour in southeast Asia. He recalls activities like jumping from planes and working alongside forces at Fort Bragg, N.C. He retired from active duty 20 years later and received his Master's of Public Administration from Central Michigan in 1990.
While spending the next 15 years as a town or city manager in various municipalities, he became involved in acting, completing several stage plays and commercials. Currently, he resides in Concord, N.C. and works alongside his son running a scuba diving and swim instruction business.
Gaydeski has five children and four grandchildren, who live in various parts of the United States.
Art Fischetti '75 (Baseball)
Fischetti was a standout outfielder on the baseball team, ranking fourth in career stolen bases (71) for the Leopards. As a senior captain, he guided the team to a 66-37 record over four seasons, earning First Team All-NCAA District II selections in 1972 and 1974.
The Economics and Business major was also a three-time All-Mid-Atlantic Conference First Team honoree in 1972, 1974 and 1975 in addition to a Second Team selection in 1973.
Following graduation, the Elmont, Long Island and Brooklyn, N.Y. native was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 28th round of the 1975 Major League Baseball draft, where he played until 1977 and advanced to AA. He was a career .298 hitter in the minor leagues and stole 85 bases in the 1976 season.
After that, he sought out a career in the business world, working in contract administration for an engineering firm in New York for a year. He received an offer to play for a baseball team in Parma, Italy within the Italian Baseball Federation in 1979, completing the seven-month season.
Upon returning to the United States, Fischetti accepted a role with Houston Lighting and Power company in Houston, Texas. He lived and worked there for 21 years before taking a position as the senior manager of procurement with Reliant Energy.
From there, after almost two years of early retirement, he capitalized on a number of oil and gas supply chain opportunities with several companies including Halliburton, ConocoPhillips, Champion Technologies and finally one with Ecolab. Fischetti went on to become a Global Supply Chain Vice President, enabling him to visit and lead teams located around the world.
Fischetti retired permanently in 2015 with his wife of 32 years, Linda (Susi). They built a home in McKinney, Texas the following year to be close to his daughter, Lisa, and granddaughter, Alexandra. The couple love to be involved with their family and in his free time, Fischetti enjoys daily golf and world travel, including skiing and motorcycle trips.
Christine Sieling (Demareski) '94 (Women's Basketball)
Sieling was a two-time captain and First-Team All-Patriot League honoree as a forward on the Lafayette women's basketball team. She helped guide the Leopards to the 1991-92 conference final as an All-Rookie Team selection.
Sieling, known as Kiki to her friends, ranks 28th in career rebounds (727) and 34th in scoring with 1,377 points within the league. She lands in College Hill's top 20 in career field goals (5th, 525), points (7th, 1,377), free throws (6th, 327), rebounds (8th, 727), steals (10th, 179) and field-goal percentage (7th, 47.6).
The Biology major was also an All-Patriot League Tournament Team member in 1993. For single-season rankings, she is listed at fourth (480, 1993-94) and ninth (436, 1992-93) in scoring, and fourth (185, 1993-94) and 11th (229, 1993-94) in field goals.
Following graduation from College Hill, she attended Lehigh University while working as a graduate assistant for the women's basketball team and earning a Master's degree in Elementary Education in 1998. Sieling has been an elementary school teacher for the past 25 years, having taken time off to raise her family.
For the past several years her focus has been on STEM education. She currently teaches fifth grade science, moderates the sixth grade STEM club and is a tutor for math, science and language arts. She's also stayed connected to basketball, coaching at both the elementary and high school levels. She lives in New Providence, N.J., with her husband, Craig '93, and their two children Matthew and Elizabeth.
Stephanie Tinney (Robinson) '02 (Women's Lacrosse)
Tinney, a standout midfielder for the women's lacrosse program, left an indelible mark on the sport with her exceptional performances during her college career. In 2001, she earned Brine All Mid-Atlantic Region First-Team honors and was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, a title she would claim again in 2002.
Her defensive prowess is highlighted by her NCAA records, ranking third for caused turnovers per game (4.0) and second for total caused turnovers (72) in 2001. She also excelled in ground balls, leading the NCAA with an average of 5.4 per game in 2002 and setting the Patriot League single-season record with 108 ground balls that same year.
Tinney was integral in her team's success, helping lead the Leopards to NCAA Tournament and Patriot League titles from 2000 to 2002, and was named the Patriot League Tournament MVP in 2001. Her contributions were further recognized with the Charles L. Albert Award for the most outstanding athlete in 2002 and a spot on the Patriot League's 25th Anniversary Team.
After the Ridley Park, Pa. native graduated from College Hill with a bachelor of arts degree in English, she began working as a marketing assistant at Firstrust Bank. After nine years working around the Philadelphia area, Tinney continued her marketing career as a marketing manager at Resi Home Loans and moved to Sydney, Australia with her husband, Ben.
She is currently working as a marketing and sales manager for Mud Kitchen, specializing in providing educational STEM resources to schools and museums all over Australia. Tinney and her husband have three children, Cooper, Skylar and Brayden, with whom they enjoy coaching in t-ball, basketball, netball and rugby. The family enjoys visiting beaches and National Parks in their free time, along with Tinney volunteering for Sutherland Shire Food Hampers to deliver necessary provisions to underprivileged families in their community. She is furthering her education to receive a certificate as a support teacher.
Emily Myers (Royle) '03 (Women's Soccer)
Myers, a 2003 graduate, was a forward on the Maroon and White's women's soccer team. She earned All-Patriot League First Team honors in 2000 and 2001, preceding a second-team selection in 2002.
The Hershey, Pa. native led the team to an ECAC Tournament berth in 2000, followed by the program's first conference tournament appearance in eight years during the 2001 postseason. The NCAA ranked her 20th in goals and 22nd in points while leading the Patriot League in 2000. She ended her career in the conference's top 10 for goals (43) and points in a season (39, 2000).
At Lafayette, the Biology major lands at second overall in career goals (43), assists (16) and points (102). Myers sits fourth (16, 2000), fifth (12, 2001) and seventh (10, 2002) for goals in a season as well as second (7, 2000) and fifth (6, 2001) for assists in a season.
For points in a season, she ranks second (39, 2000), fifth (30, 2001) and seventh (21, 2002). SoccerBuzz named her an All-Mid-Atlantic Region Second Team member in 2002.
After college, Myers lived in a variety of places including Philadelphia, Pa., Maryland and southern England for work assignments. She had a stint at the Philadelphia Zoo within animal care and as a veterinary technician.
Myers currently resides in Bryn Mawr, Pa. with her husband, Chris '03, and children, Will, Benji, Lena, Audrey, and dog, Moxie. She enjoys adventuring with her family and has started a business out of her quilting hobby, specializing in T-shirt and memory quilts as well as long arm quilting for Quilt'Em. To this day, she still plays soccer with two of her Lafayette teammates.
Joe McCourt '05 (Football)
McCourt, a dynamic running back for Lafayette football, delivered an extraordinary collegiate career that left a lasting legacy on College Hill. In 2004, he was honored as an AFCA All America First-Team selection and the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, while also making the Football Gazette All-Atlantic Region First Team and the College Sports Report.com All-America Second Team.
His impressive achievements include setting Lafayette records for career touchdowns (54), points (326), and all-purpose yards (6,047). McCourt's single-season performances were equally notable, with records for rushing touchdowns (16 in 2004) and carries (314 in 2002). He excelled in critical games, notably leading his team to a Patriot League title and the program's first FCS Playoff berth in 2004, and delivering a pivotal performance against Lehigh in 2002 with 37 carries for 103 yards and a game-winning touchdown.
Recognized as Lafayette's most outstanding athlete with the Charles L. Albert Award in 2005, McCourt graduated with a degree in Anthropology and Sociology.
McCourt currently works as the director of campus safety at Manor College while residing in the Fox Chase section of Philadelphia. He shares two children, Addison and Joey, with his wife Heather. In his free time, McCourt enjoys taking his kids to their sporting events and watching them play. He previously coached 15 years of high school football and now volunteers as a coach for his son's youth travel baseball team.
Enshrinement into the Lafayette College Maroon Club Athletic Hall of Fame is truly the highest honor the College can bestow upon its former student-athletes, coaches, administrators, support staff and teams. Of the many men and women who have represented Lafayette in athletic competitions, only 165 individuals and 20 teams have been inducted into the Hall of Fame as of 2023-24. Each year, the Maroon Club hosts a banquet and ceremony on the eve of the Lafayette-Lehigh football game to induct a Hall of Fame class.
For the latest on Lafayette College's 23 Division I athletic programs, follow the Leopards on X @GoLeopards and Instagram @goleopards.
