Â
NORTH ANDOVER, MASS.-- The Merrimack College Athletics Department is excited to announce the Hall of Fame Class of 2023, which includes four Warriors; a pioneering men's hockey coach and three former student-athletes who made their marks on the campus, Merrimack's legacy and its athletic lore.
"These four remarkable inductees embody what It means to be a warrior. Their enshrinement here today honors the best of Merrimack." said Merrimack President Dr. Christopher E. Hopey, "These honorees contributed to this campus, to our legacy, and to our athletic lore forever."Â
"The hall of fame class of 2023 are accomplished, successful and memorable and are taking their rightful place in the pantheon of Merrimack athletics." commented Director of Athletics Jeremy Gibson. "This wall represents the very best of the college's history from the very first inductee to our 71 current hall of famers, to the four we add tonight."
Ron Anderson | Men's Ice Hockey Coach | 1983-1998
Coach Ron Anderson was the men's ice hockey coach from 1983-1998. Ron led the Warriors to a Division-II final in his very first season and also was at the helm for Merrimack in the 1984-85 season, their first at a Division-I level. Anderson won 109 games as a part of the ECAC East from 1985-89, capturing three regular season titles and winning three conference championship tournaments in 1986-87, 1987-88, and 1988-89. He also won a school record 34 games in 1987-88 including going undefeated 22-0-0 in the ECAC East, winning an invite to the team's first ever NCAA national tournament as a Division-I independent, where they advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Northeastern 10-8 on aggregate. Anderson also saw the transition to the Hockey East becoming the first coach in school history in that conference. Anderson won 116 games behind the bench during his nine years with the team in Hockey East reaching the Hockey East Tournament in eight of those seasons. In 1997-98 which was Anderson's last season, the Warriors pulled off the top seed upset over Boston University, sending the Warriors to the Hockey East Semifinal for the first time in team history. Anderson finished his tenure with a 254-253-24 record behind the bench. After leaving the Warriors, Anderson was part of the Chicago Blackhawks dynasty, getting his name on the Stanley Cup three separate times in 2010, 2013 and 2015.
Kerri Berquist | Field Hockey | 2013
Kerri Bergquist attended Merrimack from 2009-2013 and was the starting goalkeeper for the field hockey team. She became the full-time starter for the team right from the start as she set the program record for shutouts (4), wins (13) and games played (21) in a season in her freshman year. In year two Bergquist started all 19 contests between the posts, owned a 2.54 goals-against average and a .782 save percentage, sported an 8-11 record, and earned three shutouts on the season. Her junior year was on an entirely different level. Bergquist was named Longstreth/NFHCA First Team All-American and earned Northeast-10 Conference Goalie of the Year award and First Team All-Conference. She set the school record for wins in a season with 17, ranking second in the Conference, set the school record for shutouts in a season with nine including a shutout streak of six straight games that spanned 449:31 minutes. In her senior season she was once again Northeast-10 Conference Goalkeeper of the Year and was longstreth/NFHCA Second-Team All-American as well as Northeast-10 All-Conference First Team. She finished her final year with a 1.28 GAA (second-best in single-season history) and a .832 SV% (third-best in single-season history). She wrapped up an incredible four-year career ranking near or at the top of the program record book in several categories, including saves (637 - 1st); save percentage (.812 - 2nd); goals-against average (1.81 - 2nd); and shutouts (22 - 1st).
Richard Pion | Men's Ice Hockey |1989
Richard Pion had an outstanding career in his time at Merrimack from 1985-1989 as a member of the men's Ice Hockey team. He is second on the all-time list for Merrimack in points, recording 103 goals and 128 assists for 231 points in 124 games. He also led the team in points in 1986-87 and 1988-89 with 64 points and 70 points respectively. Pion was a part of the Warriors teams that won three regular season titles and three ECAC East conference tournaments, along with reaching the NCAA tournament in 1987-88, the first team to do so at the Division-I level, including scoring the final goal to complete the Warriors comeback against Northeastern in the first round of the tournament. After graduating from Merrimack, Richard spent seven years as a part of the Peoria Rivermen and Chicago Wolves, where he was inducted into the Rivermen's Hall of Fame in 2004.
Isaiah Voegeli | Football | 2013
Isaiah Voegeli attended and played football at Merrimack from 2009-2013. He made his debut in 2009 and became a full time starter in 2010. In his sophomore campaign he started all 10 games. Voegeli was second on the team with 804 yards on the season and led the Warriors with six touchdown catches and an average of 18.1 yards per catch. In a game against Pace as a sophomore he collected eight catches for 222 yards and two touchdowns which was the 3rd highest yard total for a player in Merrimack school history. In Voegeli's third season, he was a Northeast-10 All-Conference First Team selection as he led the team in receptions (59), receiving yards (1,251), reception touchdowns (14), average reception yards per game (125.1) and all-purpose yards (1,555). In his final season with the Warriors, he earned Northeast-10 Player of the Year and NE-10 All-Conference First Team selection. To go along with NE-10 honors he was also a first-Team All-American, earned all-region distinction, and was a New England Football Writers All-Star selection. Voegeli wrapped up one of the most decorated careers by any receiver in program history with another record-shattering campaign as a senior. He would end up leading the team, and league with 1,500 receiving yards on 108 receptions, averaging 13.9 yards per catch. He hauled in a single-season record 14 touchdowns while averaging 150 receiving yards per game and led offense with 86 points and 1,593 all purpose yards.
