Wilkes Honors New Hall of Fame Class

Each spring, members of the Wilkes community, family and friends gather for the Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony, an annual tradition that recognizes Colonels who have made lasting contributions to athletics. A dinner on April 26 celebrated five new inductees for their outstanding accomplishments.

ALLISON KRISTOFCO-HAUER ’14, MBA ’16 made her mark as one of the most decorated players in Wilkes women’s tennis. She was a three-time All-Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom First Team selection, 2013 MAC Freedom Player of the Year and Conference Tournament MVP. She graduated as the winningest player in program history in both singles and doubles play. Her all-star performance in the classroom earned MAC Freedom All-Conference Academic Honors and ITA Scholar-Athlete awards. Kristofco-Hauer lives in Boonton, New Jersey, and works at Mondelez International as a senior associate brand manager — Oreo Innovation.

CHRIS LEICHT joined Wilkes as the men’s and women’s tennis coach in 2002. Over 16 seasons, he became the programs’ all-time winningest coach with 23 combined conference titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. Leicht coached 60 all-conference selections, including six rookies of the year and six players of the year. He mentored 47 singles champions at the MAC individual tournament and led 28 doubles pairings to titles. Leicht was named Conference Coach of the Year 10 times.

As the coach of the women’s team, Leicht coached 59 All-MAC Freedom performers, placing at least four on the first or second teams nine times. He also coached five conference rookies of the year and 10 players of the year. Leicht lives in West Long Branch, New Jersey, where he is the head men’s tennis coach for Monmouth University.

DAVID GREGROW ’78 was a three-time Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Associate place winner, the only 190-pounder to qualify for the NCAA National Championship Tournament in 1977 and 1978 during the University’s Division I tenure and a two-time champion at the Binghamton University Invitational. In his time on the mat, Gregrow broke Wilkes records set by fellow Hall of Famers Ron Fritts ’71 and Jim Weisenfluh ’77. The magazine National Mat News selected him as a mid-season NCAA D-I All-American Honorable Mention, ranking him in the top 16 wrestlers in the country for his weight class.

After career turns as an English teacher, admissions counselor and wrestling coach, he retired from Lockheed Martin with 32 years of service. Gregrow lives in Newark Valley, New York.

THE 1972 MEN’S GOLF TEAM Richard “Rich” Berkheiser ’73, John Corbett ’72, Gerald “Jerry” Stankiewicz ’73, Gary Williams ’72, Willard “Bill” Berkheiser ’72, David “Dave” Davis ’73 and Robert “Bob” Dwyer ’75 captured the MAC Championship with a team score of 628 (+52) in a Par 72, 36-hole tournament. The conference title was the second in the row for the Colonels, who would go on to earn the MAC crown again in 1979. Led by coaches Rollie Schmidt and Carl Zulkowski, the squad finished the 1972 season 7-3 in dual match play. Stankiewicz and Berkheiser also earned medalist honors at the MAC Championships.

PAUL ADAMS ’77, MS ’82 has been an integral part of the growth of Colonels athletics, working closely with former athletics director Addy Malatesta on projects highlighted by the expansion of seven new sports, the creation and renovation of Bruggeworth Field and Schmidt Stadium and the agreement to play ice hockey at the Toyota SportsPlex.

He began his Wilkes journey and met his wife, then Jean Reiter ’78, while pursuing his bachelor’s degree. After two years as an elementary school teacher, he earned his master’s degree from Wilkes, followed by a doctorate in organizational leadership and curriculum instruction from the University of Pennsylvania.

Adams served the University in various roles across student and academic affairs since 1979. He also served as interim president from 2019-20. Most recently, Adams oversaw all aspects of student life as vice president of student affairs, retiring in the summer of 2022. He continues to teach as an adjunct professor for the School of Education’s EdD program.