Buzzards Bay, Mass.--  The Massachusetts Maritime Academy Athletic Hall of Fame welcomed five new members this past weekend, as standouts in the sports of football, baseball, lacrosse, cross country and softball, along with a former Academy President, were enshrined during ceremonies on campus on Saturday evening. 

Heading this year’s induction class was the late former Massachusetts Maritime President Admiral Maurice Bresnahan ‘59, who was honored for his significant contributions and dedication to Buccaneer Athletics.  Admiral Bresnahan, who served as the Academy’s President from April 1998 through November 2004, was a staunch supporter, advocate and engineer of the turf field installation and upgrades at Clean Harbors Stadium, and his support helped pave the way for further expansion of the Department of Athletics during his presidency.

Melissa DeValles ’03 became the second female inductee into the Massachusetts Maritime Athletic Hall of Fame, as the four-time all-MASCAC softball honoree joins current Academy trustee and former crew standout Meghan Carter Duggan ‘99, who was inducted in 2003.  DeValles was a two-sport star during her matriculation at the Academy, as she also shined in cross country and was selected as the Buccaneer Female Athlete of the Year in 2003.

Kenny Case ’99 was the third member of the 2010 Induction Class, as he excelled both in lacrosse and football during his playing days in Buzzards Bay.  Case graduated as the school’s career leader in goals (165) and points (216) on the lacrosse field, as he scored a single-season record 61 goals during his senior campaign in 1999, including a school record 11 goals in one game.  Kenny was a Pilgrim Lacrosse League all-star and was also selected to play in the East-West All-Star Game, and additionally he was a three-year letterwinner on the gridiron for the Buccaneers.

Two former Buccaneer standouts in baseball and football rounded out this year’s induction class.  Mike Burt ’79 was an third team all-New England performer on the diamond for longtime baseball mentor Bob Corradi during his senior campaign and was selected as the squad’s Most Outstanding Pitcher on three occasions.  A team captain, Burt tied the school record for most strikeouts in a game with 14, and on the gridiron he graduated as the Academy’s season (39.5) and career (37.7) leader in punting yard average while also holding the school single-game record for punting yard average at 47.8.  Burt helped lead fellow Hall of Famer Don Ruggeri’s Buccaneers to the New England Football Conference championship in 1977.

Like Burt, Tim Zaniboni ’00 also starred in football and baseball at Massachusetts Maritime, where he was a two-time all-New England Football Conference honoree as a junior and senior while additionally earning all-ECAC accolades and a spot on the New England Football Writers Association all-star squad following the 1999 season.  A two-time all-MASCAC selection for Corradi on the baseball diamond, Zaniboni was named as the Academy’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2000.

The purpose of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Hall of Fame is to honor former athletes, Academy staff, alumni and individuals that have made a significant contribution to Academy athletics. Massachusetts Maritime Academy, the oldest continuously operating maritime academy in the nation, has maintained a reputation of excellence for over 119 years. Student-athletes shall be eligible for consideration and induction into the Hall of Fame beginning no less than five years after graduation from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

“The contributions that these five individuals have made to the tradition of Massachusetts Maritime Athletics is something that the entire Academy takes great pride in,” Corradi says of the Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2010.  “Their legacy of excellence has made them an integral part of our athletic family, and I congratulate them all on this great honor.”

With the addition of the Class of 2010, the Massachusetts Maritime Athletic Hall of Fame now boasts of 55 inductees after this year’s 11^th annual ceremony.