2022 Sports Hall of Fame
Peddie honored an exceptional group of athletes at the Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony during Reunion Weekend in June. Since 1986, the Peddie Sports Hall of Fame has recognized elite athletes, teams and coaches for their athletic feats and inspirational leadership.
1981-82 Girls' Swimming and Diving
The 1981–82 girls’ swimming and diving team certainly made a splash when they captured Swimming World’s inaugural mythical national prep school championship. Capping a perfect dual meet season at 10-0, the Falcons walloped their biggest nemeses, Mercersburg Academy 103-69 and Germantown Academy 111-61. There was a lot to celebrate as Peddie ran away with Easterns at the Clinton I. Sprout Pool. Peddie reeled in 339 points, bettering Mercersburg (265) and Germantown (189). In all, eight program marks fell, with the quartet of Tracey Dew ’83, Tracy Winfree ’82, Joan Franz ’83 and Diane Makarewicz ’82 clocking a 3:32.36 in the 400-yard free relay – eclipsing the independent school record set back in 1975.
What solidified Peddie’s mythical crown was its freestyle depth. The team demolished the field in the 100 and 500 free events. In the 100, Dew claimed second, Makarewicz earned fourth and Diana Hattler ’82 took 11th. Similarly, in the 500 free, Franz notched third, followed by Hattler in fourth and Lynn Haggerty ’82 placing 10th. The dominance continued when Franz and Haggerty went second and fifth in the 200 free. The multi-talented Terri Querubin ’83 picked up the gold in the 200 individual medley, and Winfree ’82 grabbed seventh in the 50 free.
A huge boost came from divers Shannon Walsh ’83 and Dina Hulsizer ’85, who finished first and sixth on the one-meter board at Easterns. The Falcons built their uncatchable lead using a total team effort. Mary Ellen Claffey ’82 touched sixth in the 200 free; Liddy Allee ’82 took fifth in the 200 IM; Sallie Cinco ’82 placed fourth in the 500 free and fifth in the 100 fly; Jennifer Pierson ’84 was fifth in the 500 free and Robin Fischer ’83 added a fourth-place finish in the 100 back.
Jenna Graber '02 Basketball
Jenna Graber blended strength and athleticism to become a picture of efficiency as one of the purest shooters from beyond the arc. In four seasons, she scored 1,335 points and netted an incredible 217 3-pointers, a school mark seemingly untouchable. The Falcons won 86 games during her career, capturing four consecutive Mid-Atlantic Prep League and New Jersey Prep A titles.
On February 21, 2001, in the championship game against Montclair-Kimberley Academy, Graber scored 22 points and cracked the 1,000-point plateau. Graber’s father was among those she thanked after surpassing the milestone. “He practices with me every day in the backyard, and all his time working with me definitely improved my game.” “Jenna was an incredible gamer,” said Sean Casey, her former coach. “She always showed up in the biggest moments.”
Consider the magnitude of Graber’s game when, as a sophomore, she “stole the show” with 27 points to beat highly-touted Germantown Academy (23-3), 65-47. She “launched one rainbow projectile from NBA range” to cap off a spectacular shooting clinic. Graber pitched in 13 points, including three 3s, in a stunning 64-58 victory against Willingboro High School, the Group III state champion. Named to the Nike Tournament of Champions All-Tournament Team, Graber was a 2002 McDonald’s All-American Nominee and earned first-team All-State honors for independent schools from the Newark Star-Ledger. Graber continued her 3-point marksmanship at LaSalle University. She made 151 triples out of 352 attempts (42.9%). In the 2005-06 season, her 3-point shooting percentage of (.451) was sixth among all Division I players.
1997 Boys' Sprint Medley Relay Team
It has been said that good things come to those who wait. In this case, it took until the 10th grade for Stu Way ’97, Nemo Bolin ’97 and Matt Davis ’97 to arrive at Peddie to join Rob Totten ’97, and another year before all of them were together on the track team. The ’96-’97 indoor campaign had a magical run.
Way led the team in scoring as a high jumper and a 55-meter hurdler. Team co-captain Bolin had sprinter’s speed for the 400 and pole vault. Totten was the state champion in the 55 and the 400 and still owns the school record in this latter event (49.89). Co-captain Davis was the state champion in the 800 and the Mercer County Champion in the 1600. The quartet teamed up to win the 4 x 400 relay at the Mercer County championships and closed out the Lavino Relays with a school-record victory time of 3:39.3 in the Sprint Medley Relay (SMR).
The group found its passion in the relay. The Sprint Medley consists of two runners, each running a 200, followed by a 400 runner with the anchor leg running an 800. At the National Championships in Boston, Bolin opened the 200 leg (24.0), followed by Way (23.0) and Totten (49.1). Davis brought the team home (1:59.4) for another school-record time of 3:35.54 – a mark that still stands today. Their sixth-place finish earned the team All-American honors.
Marty Fajerman '87 Wrestling
A fierce and dedicated competitor, Marty Fajerman is one of the most heralded wrestlers to ever don a Peddie singlet. Over his four-year journey, he amassed a record of 125-4 for an amazing .969 winning percentage and never lost a dual meet bout (66-0). He distinguished himself at the highest level using a perfect combination of strength, quickness, technique and mental toughness.
Fajerman wrapped up his storied career at Peddie a four-time Mercer County Champion (Outstanding Wrestler 1986), a four-time State Champion (Outstanding Wrestler 1987) and a three-time National Prep finalist. In 1986, he stood atop the 130-pound podium at Nationals, capturing five wins in arguably the toughest bracket of the tournament. He gutted out a 3-2 decision over his opponent from Blair Academy in the Round of 16 and then dominated his next two opponents by a combined 16 points to reach the finals. Next up was Mount St. Joseph High School (Md.), and Fajerman put an exclamation point on the title bout with a pin midway through the second period.
Inducted to the Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 as part of the 1986 Wrestling Team, Fajerman helped Peddie’s program reach the pinnacle of success when the Falcons finished second at Prep Nationals. He sandwiched the 1986 individual national crown between a pair of runner-up efforts wrestling in the 123 (1985) and 136-pound (1987) classes. Fajerman won three straight Robert L. Tifft Wrestling trophies (1985-87) as the team’s most outstanding wrestler.
Fajerman secured a legacy at Furman University that will endure. In the Paladins’ season on the mat in 1991, he became Furman’s first and only Southern Conference champion and NCAA Division I Qualifier. Ranked among the nation’s top 20 wrestlers at 142 pounds in 1991, Fajerman had a career mark of 118-18-1
(.865).
Roger Colbert '97 Football, Basketball, Lacrosse
A three-sport captain, Rodger Colbert took the word “compete” to another level in football, basketball and lacrosse. If you faced Colbert, there was a good chance you were in for a long day.
“There’s no doubt Rodger could have received scholarship offers for football if he hadn’t chosen to play lacrosse in college,” said Coach John Mackay. “He had great balance and speed with big play-making ability.” He ended his senior campaign with 46 catches for 741 yards (seven touchdowns) and posted 43 tackles on defense. He earned the Maurice P. Shuman Football Award as the team’s most outstanding player and first-team All-Prep honors in the postseason.
Basketball coach John Stahl described Colbert as a tenacious competitor with innate athletic ability and invaluable leadership skills. “He was so unselfish. And that’s a hard thing to teach. Often outsized, I asked him to guard the other team’s toughest player almost every game. What was his best sport? All I can say is that Rodger was a special athlete.”
Colbert’s athleticism stood out as a first-year student football player and caught the eye of Sports Hall of Fame lacrosse coach Bob Turco ’70. “Due to his toughness and great basketball footwork, a long stick in his hands for me was his natural athletic progression. And wow, did Rodger, with hard work, ever prove that thought correct.” He used his elite speed as a defensive weapon.
Colbert became a two-time All-State selection and an All-American defenseman by his senior year. As a junior starter, he helped the Falcons finish the 1996 season undefeated (No. 4 nationally) while capturing two monumental victories over Lawrenceville. He captained the 1997 team to its second straight Prep A title.
Colbert did not stop there. He became a captain and All-American defenseman at Georgetown University and was then picked 12th by the Bridgeport Barrage of the Major League Lacrosse Draft.
Fall 1986 Girls' Soccer
Peddie girls’ soccer kicked off its inaugural season in the fall of 1983 and quickly established a winning program made up of a talented group of multi-year starters. Winning the NJISAA Prep A Championship in the fall of 1984, the Falcons followed with a runner-up finish in 1985. The 1986 squad took the game to the next level on the pitch.
Finishing at 13-3-1, the girls swept the Prep division (9-0-1) and lived up to its expectations. They won the Prep A championship for the second time, beating perennial powerhouse Pingry School 4-2 in double overtime. With the game knotted at 2-2 in regulation and the so-called “golden goal” rule not in effect, Mary Dawes ’90 set up Angie Smith ’89 for the go- ahead goal in the first extra period. Mary Jeanne Deery ’90 sealed the deal, scoring on a header in the second OT off a corner kick service from co-captain Allison King ’87. This was described as Peddie’s “finest girls’ soccer season to date,” including a dramatic 2-1 first-ever victory over Hightstown High School. In her second appearance, Crystal Oliver ’88 stymied the Rams’ potent offense with a staggering 22 saves.
The Falcons outscored their opponents by an impressive 2-to-1 margin (50-21). King, an individual Sports Hall of Fame member, tallied 19 of 50 goals to become Peddie’s most prolific scorer with 82. King was named All-State Prep Player for the third year, her second consecutive unanimous selection.
Polly Chapin ’87 was a second-team All-State pick as the second-highest scorer with 11 goals. King led in assists with 13. Co-captain Kendy Fredericks ’87 was second in assists with eight and made the All-State Team. Defenders Jennifer Grundy ’87 and Stephanie Mazzella ’89 were also selected as first-team choices to the All-State Prep A Team; Grundy for the second time.
Maddie Copeland '12 Field Hockey
When Maddie Copeland arrived at Peddie as a junior in the fall of 2010, it did not take long for her incredible talent to shine for the Falcons. She burst onto the scene in a major way, marking her debut with a 5-2 win over Madison High School. Copeland had everything needed to perform at an elite level: fearlessness, speed and stickhandling skills, and an eye for the goal.
In Copeland’s two seasons, the prolific goal-scorer amassed 74 goals and 21 assists and helped the Falcons compile a combined record of 33-3-4, two Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) crowns and a pair of NJISAA Prep A titles. The Prep final in 2011 was one to remember as Copeland’s golden goal in double overtime propelled the Falcons to a 4-3 victory over Lawrenceville. During her junior campaign, she racked up a program-high 33 goals, eclipsing the previous school mark of 31 goals. Copeland established new standards as a senior, finding the back of the cage 41 times, including five hat tricks.
Her honors are enough to fill several record books. She was the 2011 New Jersey All-Prep Player of the Year, a Mid-Atlantic Regional All-American (2010), a New Jersey Regional All-American (2011), and in 2010 was selected for the U.S. Field Hockey Junior National Under-17 Squad.
Copeland added a National Championship to her resume as a first-year member of the Princeton University field hockey team. Putting together an exceptional senior season with 16 goals, she was named the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year. She tabbed a Division I All-American by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.