A former head coach and two former student-athletes have been selected for inclusion in the 2018 Class of the College of Charleston Athletics Hall of Fame.
This year’s induction class includes former College of Charleston Volleyball Head Coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan, baseball All-American Lee Curtis ’05 and volleyball standout Mary Sabatino ’03. Former student-athletes, coaches and staff are selected for the honor through a nomination process that seeks to recognize and celebrate outstanding student-athletes, and persons who have made significant contributions to the College of Charleston Athletics program.
The honorees will be inducted into the CofC Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018.
LEE CURTIS (2002-03)
Second baseman Lee Curtis (Greer, S.C.) hit .404 in his two years at the College of Charleston from 2002-03, which remains the baseball program’s all-time career mark and third all-time in Southern Conference history. A two-time SoCon Player of the Year award recipient in 2002 and 2003, he earned All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association in 2002 and 2003. Curtis batted .399 with 11 homers, 64 RBI and 20 stolen bases and was the only player in college baseball to have double-figure totals in homers, doubles (26), triples (11), RBI and stolen bases during the 2003 season. His career slugging percentage of .742 and his 20 career triples are also league and school records. Curtis, who started his college career at Spartanburg Methodist Junior College, was drafted in the eighth round by the Boston Red Sox in 2003. He was inducted into the Charleston Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015. Curtis graduated in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
SHERRY DUNBAR-KRUZAN (2003-06)
Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan (Ellettsville, Ind.) was the head coach of the College of Charleston volleyball program from 2003-06 and amassed an overall record of 113-22 (.837) including a 67-3 SoCon record (.957). Her teams captured four Southern Conference regular-season titles, three SoCon Tournament titles and made three NCAA Tournament appearances in 2004, 2005 and 2006. CofC beat North Carolina, 3-1, in the 2005 NCAA Tournament First Round, which marked the program’s first of two all-time wins in postseason play. It also marked the first time a SoCon volleyball team won a NCAA Tournament match in league history. A two-time SoCon Coach of the Year honoree in 2003 and 2005, her squad also set single-season program records for overall wins (32), conference victories (18) and overall winning percentage (.941). Dunbar-Kruzan earned honorable mention recognition for the Collegiate Volleyball Update Coach of the Year Award in 2005. While her teams were dominant on the volleyball court, they were equally impressive in the classroom, as the Cougars earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award three-straight seasons from 2003-05 and former Cougar standout Rebecca Wieters was named a CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team selection. After her time at The College, Dunbar-Kruzan served as head volleyball coach at Indiana University from 2007-17, where she led the Hoosiers to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2010.
MARY SABATINO (1999-2003)
Setter Mary Sabatino (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) was team captain and an outstanding leader of the College of Charleston volleyball team from 1999-2003, playing in 465 sets for the Cougars. She is the program’s all-time leader in total assists (5,637) and assists per set (12.12). Sabatino also currently ranks fifth in both digs (1,523) and service aces (143) in the CofC record books. A three-time all-conference First Team selection and two-time Southern Conference champion, Sabatino was also honored on the AVCA All-South Region First Team and as SoCon Tournament MVP in 2002. During her career, she led the Cougars’ nationally-ranked offense and helped the team compile a 93-39 overall record (.705) and a 56-24 mark (.700) in conference play. Off the court, she served as Student-Athlete Advisory Board President, was an Honor Roll student and earned Verizon Academic All-District Second Team honors in 2001. Sabatino graduated cum laude from the College of Charleston in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in English.
