By Justin Rushia
The Plattsburgh State Athletics, along with the Office of Alumni Relations, selected five new members to be inducted into the Plattsburgh State Athletic Hall of Fame on Sept. 27. The inductees include Kathleen Payne ‘14, Stefanie (Braun) Thompson ‘12, Rosilyn Cummings ‘13, Sydney Aveson ‘14 and Bart Misiak ‘12. They are the newest alumni to receive this honor and are part of the 39th class of inductees.
To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, former students must have graduated from Plattsburgh and have been graduates for at least 10 years
Payne, WBB
Payne’s all-around play on the court solidified her as one of the most dynamic players the women’s basketball program has ever seen.
Payne made a name for herself early on during her time at Plattsburgh. In her first season as a Cardinal, the guard/forward won SUNYAC Rookie of the Year, averaging 10.9 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game.
“I really have to give a lot of props to coach (Cheryl) Cole,” Payne said. “Excuse my language, but I was a bit of a shithead my freshman year. Coach let me make my own mistakes and learn from them, and she was there along the way to guide me.”
Payne put the league on notice her sophomore year, averaging 19.8 ppg and 8.5 rpg, which was good enough to earn her a spot on First Team All-SUNYAC. Payne also set a Cardinals program record of 476 points in a single season.
“My sophomore season really made me work hard on the mental side of my game,” Payne said. “I learned that basketball wasn’t just about me. It was about the whole team.”
After such a successful season, Payne didn’t fold under the pressure and embraced her leadership position in her junior year, repeating as a First Team All-SUNYAC selection and leading the Cardinals to a record above .500, which the team hadn’t done in over a decade.
Payne finished her career as the program’s all-time leader in scoring with 1,722 points and in rebounding with 759. She received Honorable Mention All-American accolades and averaged 19.6 points per game.
She also set a new single-season scoring record with 569 points.
Payne uses lessons she learned on the court to this day. She is now the head coach for the Castleton Spartans women’s basketball team.
“It was four years where I learned a lot about myself and life,” Payne said.
Cummings, VB
‘Rosi’ Cummings stuffed the staff sheet on her way to the Hall of Fame.
The Plattsburgh native began her collegiate career playing volleyball and participating in track and field as a mid-distance runner at Springfield College, where she only lasted a semester before deciding to come home to Plattsburgh.
“It was a combo of wanting to come home and also having a pretty tough time in my freshman semester at Springfield,” Cummings said. “I had known the head coach since I was seven, so I knew I would have been welcomed back with open arms,”
Cummings thrived in the Cardinals program early on. In her first season for the Cardinals as a sophomore, the outside hitter led the team in kills with 362 and came in second in digs with 292.
“Coming into Plattsburgh, there was a lot of support and a lot of people rooting for a local kid,” Cummings said. “The team was just way nicer and such a good, supportive group, a lot of them I had played with or against in high school. I was a lot more in my comfort zone.”
Cummings ramped up her play in the following seasons, earning a Second Team All-SUNYAC selection in her junior and senior years. In her senior year, she led the team in every significant statistical category, including kills with 307, digs at 451, kills per set with 2.6 and digs per set at 3.89.
Cummings finished her career by leading the Cardinals and the SUNYAC with a kills per set average of 3.50, ranking 73rd in NCAA Division III volleyball. Throughout 32 matches, she consistently delivered at least 10 kills and secured her 1,000th career kill and dig.
Payne’s performance earned her SUNYAC Player of the Year, AVCA All-New York Region, ECAC Metro/Upstate Second Team All-Star and AVCA Honorable Mention All-American.
Cummings is now the coach at Russell Sage College and dedicates many parts of her coaching style to lessons she learned as a player at Plattsburgh.
“I would say that lesson of how to change your environment around you and how to treat people in a way that makes them feel valued is a lesson that has helped me in not just life, but in coaching as well,” Cummings said.
(Braun) Thompson, XCTF
Thompson ran her way to one of the most successful careers in XC/T&F history.
Thompson wasn’t initially recruited to run for Plattsburgh. The nursing major started her career as a walk-on for the program.
“In high school, I would say I was a pretty average runner,” Thompson said. “But I knew I always wanted to run. It was a big passion of mine,”
Thompson made a statement in her first year with the Cardinals, earning a Second Team All-SUNYAC selection in cross country and outdoor track and field. The unlikely distance star also won a silver medal in the 10,000m run at the SUNYAC championships, breaking the school record.
Thompson also qualified for cross country and track and field regionals the same year. In cross country, Thompson earned All-NCAA Division III Atlantic Region honors after placing 31st at the regional event. In track and field, she placed fourth at regionals in the 5,000m run.
“It was just amazing to be able to qualify individually and make it there,” Thompson said.
After such a successful first year, Thompson was primed for a successful sophomore season for the Cardinals. The runner made it to the NCAA Championships three times in one year. Once for cross country, where the runner placed 130th, and twice in track and field, appearing in both the outdoor and indoor championships, she finished ninth in the 10,000m run at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and 13th in the 5,000m run at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
The runner was named First Team All-SUNYAC after winning the 10,000m run at the Outdoor SUNYAC Championship and the 5,000m run at both the Outdoor and Indoor SUNYAC Championships.
Thompson didn’t slow down in her junior season. She had another strong campaign when she competed at the NCAA Outdoor Championship, finishing 20th in the 10,000m run. She also placed first in the 10,000m run in the Outdoor SUNYAC Championship and the ECAC Outdoor Championship. Her first-place finish in the Outdoor SUNYAC Championship placed her on the All-SUNYAC 1st team. The decorated runner also raced in the 5,000m run at the Outdoor SUNYAC Championship, recording a second-place finish.
“If I were to give one piece of advice, it would be just to try to enjoy the experience. Have fun with it, and you might find yourself,” Thompson said.
Aveson, WHKY
Sydney Aveson began her career for the Cardinals 14 years ago and was a force to be reckoned with in the crease as she led the Plattsburgh State women’s hockey team to their third NCAA Division III women’s hockey national title.
Aveson left a lasting mark on the NCAA Division III women’s ice hockey record books. She holds records for the most shutouts in a single season and for the highest save percentage in a season.
Before Aveson became a Cardinal, the California native had a full-ride scholarship to Division I Minnesota State, which she turned away.
“I was — at the time — undecided on what I wanted to do. And when I was recruited by Plattsburgh, I knew about a program called expeditionary studies, and I really couldn’t stop thinking about the degree program,” Aveson said.
Aveson didn’t look back after her decision and thrived in the Cardinal system.
The goaltender started only six games in her first year, but she earned the win in every one of those games and accumulated a .931 save percentage.
Aveson earned the starting spot her sophomore year, where she broke out on the scene. She was named an AHCA First Team All-American after posting an 18-6-2 record with a 1.62 goals-against average, a .930 save percentage and was second in the nation with seven shutouts. The goalie also received ECAC West First Team honors as the league’s Goalie of the Year and was voted Plattsburgh’s most valuable player.
The Cardinals made it all the way to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament in Aveson’s 2011-2012 sophomore season. Plattsburgh placed third.
“(Head Coach Kevin Houle) has a lot of success under his belt, and he’s figured out the recipe for unifying his players,” Aveson said. “I would say that (Houle) taught me the value of teamwork. I would also say how important discipline and preparation are in success.”
In Aveson’s next season, the Cardinals put together one of the greatest seasons in the program’s history, boasting an overall record of 27-1-2. Plattsburgh again made it to the tournament’s semifinals.
“We had a tight-knit group, and having strong relationships on and off the ice transfers over to playing well together,” Aveson said.
Aveson said the team was heartbroken after failing to win the championship in their previous seasons. The next season, the Cardinals put together one of their best seasons of all time. They went 28-1-1 and won the NCAA championship with a 9-2 victory over Norwich College. This would start the Cardinals run of four titles.
“It was a feeling of elation, satisfaction and I would say in large part relief because as a senior it was our last chance,” Aveson said. “If we didn’t get it done that year, we wouldn’t get another shot at it.”
Misiak, MSOC
During his time at Plattsburgh, Misiak established himself as a dominant force on the Cardinal back line.
On the field, Misiak was aggressive and head coach Chris Waterbury was worried Misiak would “kill somebody” on the field.
Misiak immediately impacted the Cardinals’ back line, earning NSCAA All-Northeast Region third team and All-SUNYAC second-team accolades. Misiak helped the team post an NCAA- and school-best 18 shutouts and 0.20 goals allowed per game.
Misiak continued to prove himself as an elite defender for Plattsburgh, anchoring the SUNYAC’s best defensive unit that ranked nationally in shutouts, being fifth with a 0.63 percentage and goals against average, where it was 13th with a 0.57 average. He was the only SUNYAC player to earn All-American honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, making the third team and one of three sophomores in the nation to earn the honor. Misiak was also voted to the first team for both NSCAA All-Northeast Region and All-SUNYAC.
Misiak continued to add to his illustrious career, winning a slew of awards, including NSCAA All-America First Team, All-East Region First Team by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, All-SUNYAC First Team and All-ECAC Upstate First Team. Misiak once again anchored a defense that was the best in the SUNYAC, allowing just 18 goals in 22 contests. The Cardinals also gave up the fewest shots on goal. These accomplishments earned Misiak a near-unanimous choice for Cardinals Male Athlete of the Year for the 2009-10 academic year.
The Hall of Fame Committee will meet over the upcoming winter break to begin the selection process for the 2025 class. Anyone can nominate a SUNY Plattsburgh athlete for consideration as long as the athlete has graduated from Plattsburgh State and has been graduated for at least 10 years. To nominate someone, visit gocardinalsports.com.
