Jeffrey J. Brooks, ’94
Albion football’s offensive line featured a pair of All-Americans in 1993. Ron Dawson, the center, gained induction to the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009, and Jeff Brooks receives his award tonight. A hulking 285-pound left tackle from Ionia, Brooks opened holes for Jeff Robinson to become the fifth player in school history to rush for 1,000 or more yards in a season, and he protected quarterback Mike Montico as he became the first Albion player to throw for 5,000 yards in a career.
Albion won its first NCAA Division III post-season contest in 1993, then took top-seeded Mount Union to the wire before dropping a 30-16 decision in the quarterfinals. Along the way, Albion earned its fifth consecutive MIAA championship with its seventh unbeaten/untied regular season in school history with a 34-0 decision over Kalamazoo.
A math teacher at Portland High School, Jeff was an assistant coach for the school’s football team which captured the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s Division 5 championship in 2012. He was also selected the district’s baseball Coach of the Year in 2005.
Jeff and his wife, Elena, are the parents of Mary and Mark.
Jason M. Carriveau, ’99
Former Albion sports information director Robin Hartman wrote, “Jason Carriveau can rightfully earn the title of consensus All-American, having been chosen to a first team for five different programs—American Football Coaches Association, Football Gazette, Hewlett-Packard, The Associated Press, and Division III Football Online.” Jason, an All-MIAA first-team pick in 1996 and 1998, also achieved distinction on Hewlett-Packard’s All-America squad in 1996.
An offensive lineman, he helped Albion go undefeated (11-0) against league rivals during the 1996 and 1998 seasons. With Jason pushing opposing defenders out of the way, the Britons averaged nearly six yards per play in 1998.
The varsity football coach at Melvindale High School, Jason met his wife, Amy Pessefall Carriveau, ’01, at Albion, and they are the parents of a son, Jonas.
James L. DeBardelaben, ’93
Speed was the key ingredient as James DeBardelaben achieved All-MIAA first-team status in football and track and field during his time at Albion.
Born in Galveston, Texas, but raised in Saginaw, James was a defensive back who picked off three passes in games against league rivals as Albion reeled off its third consecutive MIAA championship season in 1991. He achieved All-MIAA first-team status in football from 1989 to 1991.
He was placed on the 1992 All-MIAA track and field team after joining Tom Reason, Aaron Yaverski, and Stacey Cowan on the league’s top 4x100-meter relay team. He went on to compete in the NCAA Championships in the relay event.
James, who continues to reside in Saginaw, remains involved in athletics, as an assistant varsity football coach at Arthur Hill High School. He is also involved in the community, serving with Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
James is currently an operations specialist for SodexoMAGIC-School Services for the Saginaw Public Schools. He and his wife, Angela, are the parents of Elizabeth, Ashley, Clifford, Quinton, Takisha, Courtney, and Tyler.
Elizabeth Hermiller Jackson, ’02
Liz Hermiller was a star on the soccer field and in the classroom during her time at Albion. A midfielder, she helped the Britons achieve their first MIAA women’s soccer championship in 2000 when she bagged 10 goals, the fifth-most in the league that year. She again produced 10 goals in 2001 as she achieved All-America status from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, and Albion earned the second of three consecutive league titles.
A biology major, Liz was selected to the Academic All-America third team by the College Sports Information Directors of America in 2001, and she was awarded a post-graduate scholarship by the NCAA.
Liz continues to remain active in the sport as she plays in an over-30 competitive league in Rochester and with the Michigan Raiders. In addition to volunteering at her kids’ school, Liz enjoys traveling, paddle boarding, and jogging.
A physician assistant at Crittenton Hospital, Liz resides in Rochester with her husband, John, and their children Johnny, Heidi, and Hannah.
Brent E. Keller, ’93
Brent Keller slugged his way to the MIAA’s most valuable player award and to a place on the All-MIAA first team in baseball in 1992. He drilled six homeruns—double the number hit by the second-leading slugger in the league—and drove in 19 runs against league rivals that year. He also placed his name among the league leaders with a .386 batting average and five doubles. His eight homeruns for the season placed him 19th in the national Division III statistics.
An outfielder, Brent started to become a feared hitter in the MIAA in 1991 when he finished among the MIAA leaders with 20 total bases, nine runs batted in, and two home runs. He finished the season as an All-MIAA second-team pick.
Brent, who was a member of the Britons’ 1989 MIAA championship team that was enshrined in Albion’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008, was elected into the Detroit Men’s Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Brent and his wife, Adrienne Auker Keller, ’93, reside in Goodrich with their children, Noah, Jonah, and Julia. He teaches at Richfield Academy in Flint and coaches football at Swartz Creek High School.
David A. Middlebrook, ’66
David Middlebrook earned varsity letters in basketball and track and field at Albion, and he is best known as a two-time MIAA high jump champion and as an NCAA small-college champion. David achieved the first of his league titles in 1963 when he cleared the bar at 6 feet, 4 ½ inches, and he reached the top of the awards stand in 1965 when he soared to 6 feet, 6 inches.
A sculptor who resides in Los Gatos, Calif., David has created many monumental works in his more than 40 years as a professional artist, but the past months have turned out to be “monumental” for him in other ways as well. His professional work was affirmed when he was selected to participate in the Personal Structures, Time, Space & Existence group exhibition of the 55th Venice Biennale, which runs through Nov. 24, 2013. The Biennale is considered one of the world’s most prestigious exhibitions for contemporary art.
While in Europe for exhibitions of his work in Venice, Paris, and Bordeaux, David received a call informing him that San Jose State University’s Department of Art and Art History has selected him and his best students to be featured in an exhibition to celebrate the department’s 100th anniversary during the 2013-14 academic year.
David and his wife, Lita Ruble, are the parents of Jason, Aaron, and Tess.
Brian S. Myers, ’97
Brian Myers wore out opposing pitchers in the mid-1990s, and the Britons celebrated MIAA baseball championships in 1995 and 1996. An outfielder, Brian burst on the scene in 1994 with a .500 batting average that was third-best in the nation and propelled him to a first-team Division III Mideast Region selection.
The 1996 baseball team’s facts book reported Brian “struggled” in 1995, but he still led the Britons with five home runs and his 21 runs batted in were third-most on the team despite hitting .258.
Brian put together an MIAA MVP season in 1996. He led the team in nearly every hitting and fielding category, starting with a .413 batting average, a .462 on-base percentage, and a .635 slugging percentage. In 33 games, Brian collected 43 hits, 36 runs batted in, 30 runs, seven doubles, two triples, and four home runs. He raised his average to .451 in games against league rivals.
Brian was also awarded varsity letters in football in 1992 and 1993.
A professor of physical education at Northern Michigan University, Brian and his wife, Kimberly, are the parents of Selina, Taylor, and Cooper.
Stacey L. Supanich, ’03
Stacey Supanich was the force behind an MIAA championship run in women’s soccer, and she was one of the athletes who set the women’s basketball program on course to climb to the top of the MIAA ladder in the middle of the first decade of the 21st century.
At forward, Stacey helped the women’s soccer team achieve a 39-3 record against league rivals as the Britons enjoyed a three-year run as league champions from 2000 to 2002. Her 2001 season was remarkable as she achieved All-America status with a haul of 19 goals and 13 assists. Those figures continue to be the school records in both categories. Her three-year total against league rivals from 2000 to 2002 was 37 goals and 30 assists.
Stacey was an All-MIAA second-team pick as the women’s basketball program improved by 14 victories in one season. She knocked down nearly 42 percent of her shots from the field to average a shade better than 9 ½ points per game against league rivals in 2002.
She is currently a store manager for a women’s clothing salon.
Edward S. Weber, ’95
No one can argue Ed Weber’s status as Albion’s greatest butterfly swimmer. Nearly 20 years after graduating, Ed continues to hold the school records at the 100- and 200-yard distances. Ed achieved All-MIAA status and qualified for the NCAA Championships all four years. He was the league champion in the 200 in 1994, and his best finish at the national level was eighth in the 100-yard distance in 1995. He finished his career with six honorable mention All-America and two All-America awards.
A math teacher in the Plymouth Canton Community Schools since 1999, Ed has remained active in the sport through coaching. One of Ed’s highlights was coaching Allison Schmidt, a three-time gold medal winner at the 2012 Olympic Games, at Canton High School.
Ed and his wife, Carrie, are the parents of Madelyn and Owen.
1964-1965 Men’s Track and Field Teams
The 1964 and 1965 track and field teams achieved a 12-0 record in dual meets against league rivals, and they reached the top of the team standings in the MIAA Field Day meets both years. Jim Dow was the first runner to complete the two-mile event in the 1964 and 1965 league championship meets, and Rex Curry (880-yard run, 1965), J.B. Elzy (220-yard dash, 1964), Don Genson (long jump, 1965), Dave Heth (pole vault, 1965), Randy McNitt (pole vault, 1964), David Middlebrook (high jump, 1965), Jeri Stiles (mile run, 1965), and Bob Turner (120-yard high hurdles, 1965) also brought league championships back to Albion.
Dean Dooley was the coach. Mike Conwell and Elzy served as co-captains in 1964, and Ron Cox and Middlebrook were the 1965 co-captains. Other team members included: Dave Anspaugh, Jim Batti, Steve Belcher, Tom Black, Charles Clark, Vince D’Agostino, Dave Erickson, Bill Gannon, Tom Gerow, Jack Graves, Forrest Gunnison, Fred Hawkins, Phil Hora, Mike Keller, Bob Krumm, Charles Kuechenmeister, Vaughn McGraw, Art Raymond, Paul Roush, Mike Shafer, Jim Smith, and Tom Thompson.
2000-2002 Women’s Soccer Teams
Albion enjoyed a golden era in women’s athletics at the dawn of the 21st century, and the women’s soccer program was a shining example. The 1999 and 2000 women’s golf teams, inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame last October, won back-to-back MIAA titles, and the softball team earned an MIAA Tournament title in 2001, but the three-year run established by the women’s soccer teams coached by Lisa Roschek stands above the rest.
Liz Hermiller and Stacey Supanich, two of the individuals gaining induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame tonight, fueled an offense that rarely allowed the opponents an opportunity to possess the ball. As a result, Albion achieved a three-year record of 39-3 against league rivals, and outscored the opponents by a margin of 128-35.
Albion advanced past the first round of the NCAA Championship each year. The Britons defeated Lawrence University (Wisconsin) in 2000 and the College of Mount Saint Joseph in 2002, and advanced on penalty kicks after playing to a draw with Mount Saint Joseph in 2001.
Supanich was named an All-American after establishing school records of 19 goals and 13 assists in 2001. Theresa Kolly was an All-MIAA first-team pick all three years. Hermiller, Supanich, and Laurie Vance all achieved All-MIAA first-team status twice in the three-year period. Lauren Gentry, Natalie Sztykiel, and Erica Williams also gained All-MIAA first-team awards during the run.
Other team members included: Angela Anagnost, Maggie Betscher, Carrie Cangelosi, Ashley Carter, Kendra Clark, Lauren Clark, Emily Crisman, Deanna DeRoo, Jayne Godlew, Katie Gustavson, Marnie Harte, Betsy Hubert, Lindsay Humenny, Karen LaFlair, Annie Lerew, Erin Marasco, Katie McCabe, Allison Mills, Janna Orlikowski, Sarah Pike, Ashley Rosaen, Katie Strock, Kristyn Sweeney, Traci Torni, Amanda Yeager, and Ericka Zemmer.