GENESEO, N.Y. - The SUNY Geneseo Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation is pleased to announce the 2026 SUNY Geneseo Sports Hall of Fame class. The group will be honored at the annual Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony slated for Friday, November 6, on the campus of SUNY Geneseo.
The 2026 class includes the induction of five standout Knights: forward Gordon Lyons '15 (men's basketball), distance runner Lee Berube '12 (men's cross country and track and field), attacker/midfielder Caroline (Buonocore) Marra '14 (women's lacrosse), outside hitter Kate (Barth) Nash '08 (women's volleyball) and forward Shannon McGinnis Burns '15 (women's basketball).
A two-time first team All-SUNYAC selection who capped his career by being tabbed the 2014-15 SUNYAC and ECAC Player of the Year, Lyons ranks among the most decorated players in Geneseo men's basketball history. He finished his career third all-time in scoring with 1,626 points and second all-time in rebounding with 1,015 boards, while his .594 career field goal percentage also sits second in program annals. Lyons earned first team All-America honors in 2015 and was a second team D3hoops.com All-American the same year, in addition to NABC All-East District Player of the Year, All-ECAC Player of the Year, and D3Hoops.com All-East Region Player of the Year. He was also named a Jostens Award finalist in both 2014 and 2015, a Capital One Academic All-American in 2015, and received the SUNYAC Chancellor's Scholar-Athlete Award in 2013.
One of the most accomplished distance runners in Geneseo cross country and track and field history, Berube was a three-time SUNYAC individual cross country champion (2009, 2010, 2011) who helped anchor the Knights' run of conference dominance under Hall of Fame coach Mike Woods. Berube earned NCAA Division III All-America honors twice in cross country, finishing 8th nationally in 2010 and runner-up in 2011, which marks the best individual finish at NCAA's in program history for the Knights. He carried that success indoors and out, collecting All-America honors in the 5,000 meters in three-straight indoor seasons (2010-12) — including a runner-up finish in 2010 — and adding outdoor All-America recognition in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters in 2011 and 2012.
A four-time first team All-SUNYAC selection, Marra is the program's all-time leading goal scorer with 226 career goals and ranks second all-time with 275 career points, totals that still stand atop the Geneseo women's lacrosse record book. Marra capped off her career with Third-Team IWLCA All-American honors in 2014. Her 73 goals in 2011 remain the single-season program record. The 2011 SUNYAC Rookie of the Year, Marra earned IWLCA All-Empire Region first team honors at attack as a rookie in 2011 and again at midfield as a senior in 2014, sandwiched around a second team selection in 2013. She helped lead the Knights to a school-record 17-3 mark and a second-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in her senior season under coach Carly Ritchlin.
The first All-American in 35 years of Geneseo volleyball, Nash remains one of the most prolific hitters in program history. She set the single-season kills record with 677 in 2004 — still the program standard by a wide margin — and finished her career second all-time with 1,558 kills. Nash also holds numerous program marks for kills in three-, four- and five-game matches. A three-time first team All-SUNYAC honoree (2004, 2005, 2007) who was also named the 2004 SUNYAC Rookie of the Year, Nash earned AVCA NCAA Division III All-Region first team honors and AVCA All-America honorable mention in 2004, along with All-State recognition as a rookie in 2004 and again in 2005.
The program's all-time leading rebounder, McGinnis Burns pulled down 1,011 career boards while also finishing third all-time in scoring with 1,473 points. Her 341 rebounds during the 2014-15 season and her 11.4 rebounds-per-game average that year both stand as single-season program records. Named the 2014-15 SUNYAC Player of the Year, the Walworth, New York native was a three-time All-SUNYAC selection (2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15) after being tabbed the 2011-12 ECAC Rookie of the Year. McGinnis Burns earned first team NCAA Division III All-America honors in 2015 and helped lead the Knights to a 25-5 record and a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament that season.
In addition to the Hall of Fame presentations, the ceremony will honor the life and legacy of Dr. Myrtle Merritt, long time professor, department chair, and benefactor at Geneseo. Merritt passed away in 2024, leaving behind an incredible personal and professional legacy as well as a generous bequest to the Athletic Department.
The event is open to the public. TICKET INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION
