Lehman College Athletics Hall of Fame Inducts Four New Members

Lehman College inducted four new members into its Athletics Hall of Fame at a luncheon and ceremony on May 21 at The APEX. Athletics Director Dr. Martin Zwiren welcomed guests and BronxNet TV talk show host Gary Axelbank was emcee for the Hall of Fame ceremonies. Dr. Anne Johnson, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, and Lehman Vice President Jose Magdaleno also participated. New members of the Hall of Fame include:

Paulette Baldwin , 1999-2003
Track & Field

When Paulette finished her freshman year at Lehman, she was already one of the greatest track athletes in the college’s history. Incredibly, that was only the start of her outstanding athletic career.

Paulette went on to win both the Lehman College Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Most Valuable Runner award and the Female Athlete of the Year award in each of her four years at Lehman, but her true greatness can only be measured on a national scale. She also won the City University of New York Athletic Conference long-jump championship twice and the hurdle championship eight times.

A freshman qualifier in the NCAA, 55m and 100m hurdles, Paulette ascended to All-American in her sophomore year, finishing sixth in the 55m and eight in the 100m hurdles. In her junior year, she was an NCAA champion in both the 55m and 100m hurdles. As a senior, she became the national champion in the 100m, as well a the runner-up in the indoor long jump and 55m hurdles, and was named the NCAA Regional and National Female Athlete of the Year. A champion in every sense of the word, Paulette has raised the bar for all track and field athletes at Lehman.

Samuel Márquez, Ph.D., 1983-1987
Soccer & Tennis

The multi-talented Samuel Márquez starred for Lehman from 1983 to 1987 in soccer, tennis and academics, winning the Lehman Scholar Athlete Award in 1986. In soccer, Márquez was team captain and a City University of the New York Athletic Conference All Star in his junior and senior seasons. in his senior year he was the team's Most Valuable Player and was voted Most Valuable Player in the senior All-Start game.

Márquez also excelled in single's tennis, capping his four-year career with a winning performance in the City University of New York Athletic Conference Tournament that clinched the Championship for his team. After graduating Summa Cum Laude, Márquez began his five-year soccer coaching career at Lehman College and was honored as Coach of the year in 1989. After coaching at Lehman for five succesful seasons, Márquez earned his Ph.D. in physical anthropology from the City University of New York Graduate Center in 2002

Hillary Peart , 1997–1998
Softball

As a transfer student, Hillary had just two short years to prove herself on the sofball diamond. In her first year at Lehman, she earned "Rookie of the year" (1997) and captured the City University of New York Athletic Conference batting title. Hillary also led the NCAA Division III in doubles and RBI's.

Her stellar performance won her a place in the City University of New York Athletic Conference and on the Hudson Valley All-Star teams. As a testament to Hillary's impact on the softball team, her teammates elected her team captain, quite an honor after just one year on the team. Hillary's outstanding performance was not limited to the softball field. She also excelled in the classroom, receiving both her undergraduate and master's degrees from Lehman College.

Christian Viggiano, 1992–1996
Baseball

When Christian "Vigg" Viggiano entered Lehman College, he ushered in some of the finest years in Lehman College baseball history. Chris, an outstanding second-baseman, was a three-time All-City University of New York Athletic Conference selection (1993-96). In addition, he was voted NCAA All-American Second Team in 1995, the year he batted 463.

"Vigg" was also selected as a Knickerbocker Baseball Conference All-Star in 1995 and 1996, as well as honored as New York State Region All-Star. His intense desire to win and his total devotion to the team and sport he loved helped Lehman win the 1996 City University of New York Athletice Conference Championship., the Eastern College Athletic Conference/New York New Jersey Metropolitan Baseball Championship, a truly fitting end to this champion's stellar four-year performance.