ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A trio of esteemed former student-athletes and Eckerd College alumni, Cady Dolan (women's soccer), Roy Silver (baseball) and Lydee Benoit (volleyball), were officially inducted over the weekend as new members of the 2014 Hall of Fame Class.
Dolan, Silver and Benoit, each made their way to the McArthur Center with family and a number of guests to celebrate their career accomplishments and present a speech to the audience.
The following text is a copy of the script written for their videos, which can be viewed in their entirety in separate windows below:
Cady Dolan – Women's Soccer – Center Midfielder – Cape Coral, Fla.
For the second straight year, the women's soccer program has another member from the early 2000's era sworn into the Hall of Fame. Born and raised in Massachusetts before moving to the Sunshine State, Dolan completed her prep career at Mariner High School before being recruited as a piece of the puzzle that was to come.
From 2000 to 2002, Dolan roamed as an impactful center mid and was an integral part of a successful Eckerd powerhouse program that accumulated a total of 27 wins in a three-year span.
After enduring a season-ending ACL injury as a freshman, Dolan was an inspirational comeback story while being named the Eckerd Athlete of the Year in her first year back on the pitch.
Throughout her playing career, Dolan was a two-time All-South Region Team selection and a two-time First Team All-Sunshine State Conference pick while helping the team to the NSCAA Collegiate Team Award in 2001.
In the record books, Dolan ranks sixth all-time in goals scored with 11, seventh in assists with 10 and has 32 points, a total that ranks fifth-best in program history.
Her most memorable experience at Eckerd resulted from working three paying jobs as a student-athlete with a pair of non-paying internships. She reflects back on the hard work, dedication and hardships (losses or injuries) that have helped shape her into the person she is today to succeed both personally and professionally.
Dolan graduated from Eckerd in 2003 with her degree in Finance and Economics while serving currently as vice president for an investment firm, PIMCO, in the state of Florida.
She recently celebrated her wedding day and currently resides in Lakeland with her new husband, Mr. Eric Johnson, and seven-year old stepdaughter, Halle.
Please join us in welcoming to the Eckerd Athletics Hall of Fame, the former Miss Cady Dolan!
Roy Silver – Baseball – Outfielder – Long Island, N.Y.
Our next inductee was the consummate utility player who originally came to Eckerd in the mid-80's as a catcher before excelling through a positional transition to the outfield.
Silver enjoyed a marquee career as a student-athlete with Eckerd, which included NCAA Division II All-American honors in 1984 and current top-10 record single-season performances in hits, singles and a batting average of over .400 as a senior.
He continued the lineage of Eckerd program standouts that advanced to the professional level and Silver climbed the minor league ladder in the St. Louis Cardinals' organization from rookie ball up to Triple-A in Louisville.
His accomplished minor league tenure resulted in a well-traveled 672 games played with a .291 average, 28 home runs with almost 600 hits and 300 runs according to stats compiled on Baseball Reference.
Silver's playing experience translated into another lengthy managerial stay for eight years with the Cardinals' and then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays franchises. His favorite moments include winning several championships for the team as both a manager and a player.
To this day, Silver continues to make a passionate impact through the game which he loves, working as the owner and lead instructor of the Winning Inning Baseball Academy for the past 15 years in Clearwater.
He also works with Baseball Chapel, traveling to conduct religious services to both major and minor league teams throughout the country.
Silver graduated from Eckerd in 1984 with his degree in Human Resources. He resides in Palm Harbor with his wife, Dana, and two daughters, Samantha and Olivia.
Please join us in welcoming to the Eckerd Athletics Hall of Fame, Mr. Roy Silver!
Lydee Benoit – Volleyball – Outside Hitter – Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Benoit is a first-ballot honoree in her initial year eligible for induction after posting career numbers across the board that are indicative of the legacy she left behind on the court.
She was very first All-American in the volleyball program's history, helping lay the foundation for a perennial Sunshine State Conference contender and NCAA Championship South Regional qualifier while flourishing in coach Courtney Draper's system.
Benoit began her career as the SSC Freshman of the Year and went on to become a four-time all-conference selection, earning first team accolades as both a senior and sophomore. She was also honored as part of the AVCA All-South Region Team in her final campaign.
Benoit is the program's all-time leader in kills (1,747) and ranks fourthall-time in digs (1,326). She was also a team captain as a senior and a three-time selection as the team's Most Valuable Player.
One of her favorite moments as a student-athlete includes beating Minnesota-Duluth when the non-conference opponent was ranked 11th nationally in 2009.
Before taking her current post as an assistant coach at UNC-Asheville, she coached at Valdosta State University.
Benoit currently resides in Asheville after graduating from Eckerd in 2010 with a degree in Sociology. She later acquired her Master's in Public Administration.
Please join us in welcoming to the Eckerd Athletics Hall of Fame, Miss Lydee Benoit!
