SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- The Notre Dame College Athletic Department hosted its inaugural Hall of Fame Induction ceremony at the Performing Arts Center this past weekend.

Four Individuals, and one team were inducted, in front of a capacity crowd.  Amanda Stewart (Tonkin), Jerome Pierce, Joni DePiore (Reardon), Debbie Beatty (Pickering), and members of the 2005-06 Women's Basketball Team were inducted into the Notre Dame College Athletics Hall of Fame, as members of the Inaugural class.

Stewart (2004-07) finished her remarkable career on College Road, as the best pitcher in the history of the softball program.  She is still the program's all-time leader in wins (64), appearances (84), complete games (75), innings pitched (623.1), shutouts (18), and strikeouts (537).  Her 2.83 ERA is third best in the history of the program. Stewart was named the American Mideast Conference's Northern Division Pitcher of the Year in 2006.

Beatty (2004-07) had an outstanding Volleyball career with the Falcons, finishing in the top-10 in many major categories, before becoming a Graduate Assistant Coach in 2009.  Beatty is the program's all-time leader in digs, with 2,662.  She was responsible for 1,130 points in her career, fifth most all-time, and here 944 kills are fourth most in NDC history. In 2007, she was named the American Mideast Conference's Northern Division Libero of the Year.

Pierce (2004-08) scored 2,271 points in his career; second most in the history of the Men's Basketball program.  Pierce has a number of top-5 career marks in NDC history, and still holds the career mark for steals (204) and assists (476). His 2,271 career points are second most in NDC history, and he was the first member of the program to earn All American status.  Pierce was a first team NAIA All American in 2007-08. That same year, Pierce was named the American Mideast Conference Player of the Year.

DePiore (1993-97) was an NAIA Women's Basketball Scholar Athlete in 1996, and became the first student athlete in the history of Notre Dame College to obtain All American status, in 1997.  She scored 1,385 points during her career with the Falcons, which is still a top-5 mark in the history of the program. She was also the first player in the history of the program to average a double-double over her four year career.

The 2005-06 women's basketball team captured the program's first ever division title (American Mideast North), and made the NAIA national tournament for the first time in history as well.  That year, the Falcons went 25-7 overall, including a 10-0 mark at home, and had four winning streaks of five games or more. Head Coach Dick Deasy was named the American Mideast Conference's Northern Division Coach of the Year.

All four individuals were in attendance for the event, and many of the 2005-06 Women's Basketball team was there as well. 

"It was a very exciting night on so many levels.  To bring back these fine student-athletes and honor them was very special for the Falcon Athletic community.  These four individuals and team laid the foundation for the athletic successes that we are experiencing today at Notre Dame College." said Scott Swain, Director of Athletics.

The nomination process has begun for the Class of 2015.  Nominations will be accepted through July 15, 2014. (Nomination Form)