Martin Zelnik leads the Hall of Fame class this year, as he and five other Brandeis Six alumni will be inducted on Sunday.
Zelnik, from the Bronx, was a one-of-a-kind athlete at Brandeis. He lettered in five different sports in his career: tennis, basketball, football, fencing and soccer. Martin led the tennis team to a 30-3 record in three years under head coach Bud Collins. The 1959 team was the first unbeaten men's tennis team in school history, finishing 7-0.
Dick Bergel, from Providence, RI was a member of the football and track and teams at Brandeis. He lettered for four years as a running back on the football team. His football career included winning touchdowns against Bates College in 1954 and 1955.
A four-year veteran of the Brandeis women's soccer team, Carmen Bumgarner, of Norman, Okla. is another inductee. Bumgarner led the team to a 42-28-4 record in her four years, with a trip to the Division III tournament in 1988 and an ECAC tournament berth in 1990. Bumgarner earned All-America honors as a senior. She totalted 14 goals and seven assists in her career.
Melissa Jones of Waltham, Mass., was the named team MVP in both soccer and softball during her Brandeis career, which spanned from 1995 to 1999. As a senior, Jones paced all NCAA Division III players in runs batted in and slugging percentage as she helped the Judges win a team-record 29 games. In her career, Jones set Brandeis career records with 31 home runs, 162 RBI, a .451 batting average and a .873 slugging percentage.
Another Waltham native, Ed McCarthy, was a member of the Brandeis cross country and track and field teams from 1980 to 1984. McCarthy was a two-time All-American who led the Judges to second place finishes at the NCAA Division III cross country championships in 1981 and 1982.
Brandeis soccer star Frank Raio, the pride of Hamden, Conn., captained the team his junior and senior seasons. Brandeis appeared in the NCAA Division III tournament during each year of Raio's tenure at Brandeis. As a junior, Raio earned All-New England honors.Frank finished his career with 18 goals and 13 assists despite playing defender throughout his career.
The Hoot congratulates all of this years inductees. The induction ceremonies are set to take place this Sunday morning at 11 a.m. at the Westin Hotel in Waltham.
