Pair of Chapman greats to be inducted into Hall of Fame
ORANGE, Calif. – Chapman University and the Donald P. Kennedy Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will host its annual Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony and banquet on Saturday, October 2. Two of Chapman’s all-time greats will be enshrined: men’s soccer All-American Craig Bennett ’96 and men’s golf pioneer and former PGA professional Sandy Galbraith ’69. The banquet, which begins at 5 p.m., will follow a welcome reception and precede Chapman’s home football game against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges at 7 p.m. at Wilson Field.
Craig Bennett ’96: As team captain and starting goalkeeper he led the Chapman men’s soccer team to its first and only appearance at the NCAA Division III Final Four in 1995. He was named to the Umbro Select Senior All-Star team that year after allowing just 16 goals in 1,900 minutes and earning nine shutouts. Bennett was the starting goalkeeper for three years from 1993-95 and earned All-West Region honors twice. He is still the Chapman record holder for career shutouts with 26. He stayed on staff at Chapman after his graduation, becoming an assistant athletic trainer and head women’s soccer coach (2000-03), leading the Panthers to the NCAA playoffs in four consecutive seasons. He is currently the head athletic trainer at the University of Puget Sound (Wash.).
Sandy Galbraith ’69: The top player when Chapman began its men’s golf program in 1967, Sandy was the team’s MVP each of the first two seasons and helped the team to a 12-7 record in 1967-68. He qualified for the PGA Tour from 1974-77 and played in the British Open in ’74. His best tournament as a professional was a fourth-place finish at the Texas Open in San Antonio in 1976, where he shot 10-under for the weekend. He maintained amateur standing after 1977 and won SCGA mid-amateur championships in 1986 and ’91. In another amateur tournament, the Fiji Open in Australia, Galbraith lost in a sudden-death playoff to a very young Greg Norman. He retired from competitive golf in the early 2000s and has served as a loan officer since 1981.
Additionally, Chapman’s all-time women’s basketball scoring leader Melody Bongiorno ’04 was originally announced as an inductee at this year’s event. However, her induction has been postponed until 2011 as she is currently pregnant with twins and is unable to travel to this year’s event from her home in Vermont.
The Bennett and Galbraith, as well as all current Hall of Fame members in attendance, will be recognized on the field during halftime of the football game. An unveiling of their names on Chapman’s Hall of Fame wall is scheduled to take place immediately following the halftime ceremony. The Hall of Fame is located on Gray Victory Way as part of the Lastinger Athletics Complex. Tickets for the banquet are available for $75 per person or $700 per table. For more information, contact Hilda Douvas: 714-744-2191 or douvas@chapman.edu.