DOYLESTOWN (PA) -- The Delaware Valley University Athletics Hall of Fame Committee is proud to announce the 2022 induction class that includes five honorees in Elise (Dauber) Skirzynski '09 (women's soccer), James Jones '12 (men's basketball), Kyle Gesswein '10 (football), Mike Long '11 (football), and Kim (Vennera) Dayton '10 (women's basketball). The five new inductees will be enshrined during a Hall of Fame Ceremony on Thursday, December 8^th beginning at 6:00 p.m in the Life Sciences Building.

All our welcome to attend, but must register for the event in advance using this link:

DelVal Athletics Hall of Fame (touchnet.net).

All reservations must be made in advance – no tickets will be available at the door.

This year's class of five inductees is the largest Hall of Fame class DelVal Athletics has seen since 1980. The standout athletes combined for five Conference Player of the Year honors, 12 first team all-conference nods, nine all-region honors and four conference championships during their time.  

Skirzynski, nee Dauber, was a four year member of the women's soccer team from 2005-2008 and finished her career as one of the best offensive performers in program history while leading the team on three MAC Freedom playoff runs. She finished her career with 51 goals, 20 assists, and 122 points - marks that have stood as the second best in program history since she graduated.

Dauber was named a first team all-MAC Freedom all-star in 2006, 2007, and 2008 and was named the league MVP after the 2007 campaign when she had 16 goals and seven assists for 39 points. The following year, in 2008, she upped her totals to 17 goals and seven assists for 41 points as she led the team to a runner-up finish in the conference playoffs and an ECAC south region playoff appearance. In 2007 and 2008 she was named to the soccer coaches' association all-region team.

James Jones, a 2012 graduate, joined the DelVal basketball team prior to the 2008-09 season after transferring from Widener where he played one season. In just three seasons with the Green and Gold, Jones set program records for free throws in a game (16) and a season (189), and points in a season (586).

He further cemented his legacy in DelVal basketball history with the second highest single-game scoring mark (43 points), third most assists all-time (326), and fourth most points scored all-time (1,526).

Jones had a record-setting season in 2010-11 to cap his three-year career with DelVal. He led the squad to the Freedom Conference playoffs as the top seed and defeated Wilkes in the semifinals for the program's first ever postseason win, before routing defending champion DeSales in the title game to earn the first Conference Championship in program history. He was named the Freedom Conference Player of the Year, Conference Tournament MVP, and earned All-America honors - the first in program history. He also set an NCAA Division III record for consecutive free throws made in one season (66) and was also featured in Sports Illustrated's Faces In The Crowd.

The guard from Philadelphia concluded his career with three all-conference nods, two first team honors, three all-region mentions including two first teams, and a pair of All-American nods.

Kyle Gesswein and Mike Long were cornerstone players on opposite sides of the ball for a DelVal football team that won three consecutive MAC Championships from 2008-2010, during their tenure.

Gesswein was a two-year team captain and the only player in program history to be named a regional Defensive Player of the Year and earn two MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors.

From his defensive end position, he posted 11.5 sacks in 2008 and another 11 sacks in 2009 which ranked as the first and second most single-season marks in program history for nearly a decade. He went on to finish his career with an astounding 39 sacks, 13 more than any other Aggie ever. His 328 career tackles ranked third all-time.

Gesswein took home Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2009 and 2010 where he also earned his two all-region and all-american nods.

On the other side of the ball stood Mike Long, an offensive lineman who did not have all of the stats and accolades as other position players, but was known as one of the toughest DelVal football players ever. He served as a team captain in 2010 and took home all-region and All-American honors in both 2009 and 2010. Long played right guard his first two seasons before moving to left tackle where he continued to excel. He consistently graded out as the top lineman on the team and in his junior season he helped the Aggie offense average 30.7 points and 382.5 yards (184.8 avg rushing, 197.7 avg passing) per game, including four, 40-plus point performances. In his second All-America campaign, Long permitted just two sacks all season and anchored an offense that averaged 31.3 points and 414.4 yards (183.7 avg rushing, 230.8 avg passing) per game, with a pair of 50-plus efforts. 

Gesswein and Long played for three MAC Championship football teams and reached the NCAA Playoffs second round twice as they helped the team to a 32-13 overall mark in four years.

Kim Vennera played for the DelVal women's basketball team for four years from 2007 to 2010 under current head coach and DelVal Hall of Famer Laura Hogan.

Vennera earned three all-conference selections in her career including first team honors in both 2009 and 2010. Her senior year, she became the first Aggie to be named the conference's Player of the Year since Alisa DiBonaventura took home the award in 2000-01.

When she graduated, she was among the top-6 Aggies all-time in 10 different categories. In four years, she racked up 1,427 points (3^rd all-time), 254 steals (2^nd), 676 career rebounds (5^th), and 266 career assists (6^th). In a 2009 game against DeSales, Vennera posted 43 points, the most points scored in a single-game by any Aggie. During her junior season, Venerra posted 20.3 points per game, second all-time, and her 89 steals in her senior season also maintains the second spot on the career ranks. 

Venerra led the Aggies to the playoffs in her senior year and earned the team a spot in the ECAC tournament.

The Delaware Valley University Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to honor former outstanding student-athletes who graduated from The National Farm School, National Agricultural College, Delaware Valley College and Delaware Valley University. This year's class raises the number of members to 132.

To join in this year's festivities and honor our five new Hall of Famers, please visit DelVal Athletics Hall of Fame (touchnet.net) and reserve your spot by Friday, November 25. All reservations must be made in advance – no tickets will be available at the door.