Montclair, NJ - The Montclair State University Department of Athletics is proud to announce Kaitlyn Struss, Lucas Terci, Tierra Hicks, and Tierney Conlon as the newest inductees into the Montclair State University Hall of Fame.
The group, which is the 48th class inducted, will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame in October. The total number of Hall of Famers increased to 240.
KAITLYN STRUSS (Field Hockey, 2014 - 2017)
The greatest scorer in Montclair Field Hockey history, Kaitlyn Struss scored at least a goal in over half of her appearances during her four seasons. Montclair notched 61 victories during her collegiate career, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in her final two years. She surged onto the scene her freshman season, scoring seven goals over her first six games. Struss tallied a seven-point performance against FDU-Florham and finished the year with a goal or more in six of Montclair's final eight games. Her 41 points ranked sixth in the NJAC and 31st in the nation, finishing the year with 18 goals and five assists.
Struss tallied five multi-goal performances during her sophomore season, including hat tricks against Cabrini and William Paterson, to finish with 16 goals and four assists. She helped guide the Red Hawks to an NCAA Tournament appearance in her junior season, registering 30 points with four multi-goal contests. She scored the game-winner in overtime against York College and followed it up a week later with the winner against Kean in the NJAC Tournament Semifinals. Her senior season, Struss collected 16 goals as Montclair appeared in its second consecutive NCAA Tournament. She ranked third in the NJAC in goals and led the league in game-winners with six.
She earned NJAC accolades all four seasons, including being named NJAC Rookie of the Year along with All-NJAC nods in her final three seasons. Struss also collected NFHCA All-Region honors three times, and was named Third Team All-American by NFHCA her senior year. She finished her career as the program's all-time leader in points (140), points per game (1.87), goals (63), goals per game (0.84), and game-winning goals (17).
LUCAS TERCI (Men's Soccer, 2012 - 2016)
One of the best offensive threats in program history, Lucas Terci amassed 166 points over his five seasons at Montclair. The Red Hawks qualified for the postseason each year, accumulating a pair of NJAC Championships and four victories in the NCAA Tournament. In his freshman campaign, Terci notched six goals and four assists en route to being named Second Team All-NJAC. The following season, he led the Red Hawks in both goals (12) and assists (17), guiding them to a Sectional Final appearance in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. During the postseason run, he scored a goal in all four contests, with game winners against Carnegie Mellon and Rochester.
Terci followed up his sophomore season with another stellar run in 2014, leading Montclair with 14 goals and 12 assists en route to an NJAC Championship. He led the NJAC in assists and ranked third in points, recording at least one in 16 of the Red Hawks' 22 games. In the NJAC Tournament, Terci scored against both Kean in the Semifinals and Rutgers-Camden in the Championship, sealing Montclair's first NJAC Tournament Title since 2009. After missing most of the 2015 campaign due to injury, he rounded out his collegiate career with a stellar 60-point season the next year. The second-highest goal total in a single season in program history, Terci's 28 goals ranked second in Division III, with six being game-winners. Terci notched nine multi-goal performances, including four hat tricks, and four goals during Montclair's NJAC Tournament Championship run across three games.
He ended his career as the program's all-time leader in goals (63), assists (40), and points (166) while being an All-NJAC performer four out of his five seasons. For his efforts in 2016, Terci was named the D3Soccer.com Offensive Player of the Year, along with earning All-American nods by both the National Soccer Coaches Association and D3Soccer.com three times during his collegiate career. In addition to being named All-NJAC four times, he was named NJAC Midfielder of the Year in 2013 and NJAC Offensive Player of the Year in both 2014 and 2016.
TIERRA HICKS (Track & Field, 2000 - 2003)
In 2003, Tierra Hicks became the second Red Hawk female student-athlete to win an Outdoor NCAA Championship when she won the 400-meter hurdles with a school record time of 59.22. A six-time All-American, Hicks posted one of the most illustrious careers in program history.
During her indoor career, she was named All-NJAC three times in the 400-meter and once in the 4x400 meter relay while also picking up Outstanding Female Indoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2002. In outdoor, she was the Outstanding Female Outdoor Athlete of the Year in 2002, named First Team All-NJAC twice in the 400-meter, three-time First Team All-NJAC in the 400-meter hurdles, and was an Honorable Mention All-NJAC choice in the 4x400 meter relay.
Hicks was a six-time All-American across her four years at Montclair, as she earned it twice in 2000 and 2003 in the Indoor 400-meter. During her outdoor career, she collected All-American honors during back-to-back years in 2001 and 2002 for the 400-meter, and again in 2002 and 2003 for the 400-meter hurdles.
TIERNEY CONLON (Women's Lacrosse, 2012 - 2015)
The program's all-time leader in points and assists, Tierney Conlon was an offensive mainstay during her four years with women's lacrosse. During her time, the Red Hawks won 54 games, recorded two Skyline Conference Championships, and qualified for the NCAA Tournament twice. She started all 20 games of her freshman campaign, leading the team in scoring with a program single-season record. Conlon became the first player in program history to surpass 100 points in a season, recording 11 games of four or more assists. She amassed five goals and nine assists over Montclair's Skyline Conference Championship run, and recorded two goals and three assists against York in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
Conlon continued her success into her sophomore year, as she accumulated 54 goals and 79 assists, ranking second in the nation in points and assists and setting a new program record for both categories. She recorded seven or more points in a contest 11 times, including a six-goal and two-assist performance in the Skyline Championship Game against Farmingdale State. During her junior campaign, Conlon became the program's all-time points leader and finished seventh in Division III in points (112) and ninth in assists (55), marking her third consecutive 100-point season. In her final year at Montclair, she registered at least a point and a goal in all 16 games, recording 30 goals and 45 assists.
She finished her career as the NCAA Division III all-time leader in assists (247) and ranked fourth all-time in points scored (434). Conlon earned All-NJAC and All-Skyline honors each of her first two seasons, including being named the Skyline Conference Rookie of the Year in 2012 and Player of the Year in 2013, along with being named NJAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year. During her junior and senior years, she earned NJAC Attack Player of the Year recognition. Conlon was named an IWLCA All-American from 2013 to 2015, including being the program's first-ever First Team All-American to close out her senior campaign. Today, she still ranks among the best in NCAA history, sitting third all-time in assists and 11th in points.
