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Pomona-Pitzer
Athletic Hall of Fame inducts four athletes and the 1992
NCAA women's championships tennis team.
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The Pomona-Pitzer Colleges Athletic Hall of Fame will be inducting four individuals and a team Saturday evening in the 45th annual Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.
Caryn Cranston (Pitzer 1992, Women’s Basketball and Tennis), Erin Hendricks (Pitzer 1992, Women’s Tennis), Shelley Keeler Whelan (Pomona 1992, Women’s Tennis), Nate Kirtman (Pomona 1992, Men’s Football and Track & Field), and the 1992 NCAA Women’s Championships Tennis Team will be inducted in the ceremony to be held at Oldenborg Center at Pomona College.
This is the first year in the history of P-P’s Hall of Fame that the entire induction class was selected in its first year of eligibility. All four individuals were national champions during their four years, and the women’s tennis team won the national title in 1992.
The criteria established for consideration for the Athletic Hall of Fame include meeting minimal standards in at least two of the following categories: 1) Consistency: awarded a letter for four years in one sport, three years or more in two sports, or two years or more in three sports; 2) Excellence: named or earned position on conference, regional, national, or international all-star team; 3) Superiority: set or broke a school, conference, regional, national, or world record; 4) Honorary: made an outstanding contribution to Pomona-Pitzer’s athletic program through outside recognition at the state, national, or world level, as a coach, athlete or national leader with or without involvement in athletic competition.
CARYN CRANSTON-’92 - WOMEN’S BASKETBALL AND TENNIS
Caryn’s athletic achievements began long before she attended Pitzer. At San Marino HS, Caryn starred for four years in three sports--tennis, basketball and softball. In tennis, her team won a CIF championship, and she was named First Team All Rio Hondo League. In basketball, Caryn twice earned Rio Hondo First Team honors and twice was the Team MVP. In softball, Caryn was named to the All CIF First Team. In addition, she was named San Marino High School’s Athlete of the Year in 1988, as well as being named the San Gabriel Valley Athlete of the Year.
Enrolling in Pitzer in the Fall of 1988, Caryn chose two sports in college--basketball and tennis--and excelled in both. In basketball, Caryn earned First Team All SCIAC honors four straight years, and was named the SCIAC Player of the Year as a senior in 1992. A team captain during her final two seasons, Caryn was named as a senior to the All West Region Team, as well as to the Kodak First Team All American team. Statistically, Caryn established basketball records in season points scored (611), points scored in a game (42, vs Cal Baptist as a senior), career free throws scored (364), career rebounding (956), season rebounding (370), and rebounds in a game (23, vs Colorado College as a senior). In addition, Caryn’s career point total of 1829 over four seasons stands second on the all-time list behind Hall of Famer Carol
Ferren.
Following the basketball season, Caryn turned out for tennis, where she contributed greatly in both singles and doubles. Caryn twice earned Second Team All SCIAC honors as a junior and a senior. She qualified three times in doubles to the NCAA National Championships, and three times earned All American status at Nationals. In her sophomore season, she teamed with Shelley Keeler to win the 1990 NCAA III Doubles title. In 1992, Caryn played at #6 singles and #2 doubles (with Brenda Peirce) in helping the squad win the NCAA III team title.
As a sophomore in 1990, Caryn earned the Pomona-Pitzer Athletic Excellence Award for success in more than one sport. In 1992 as a senior, Caryn won the department’s highest honor, the Most Valuable Athlete Award, as well as earning a NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship.
Following graduation, Caryn coached basketball at La Verne for 3 years, and then spent 7 years teaching English and coaching basketball, tennis and volleyball at high school and junior high levels. Caryn currently lives in Santa Cruz and is the Marketing Director for VENA Engineering Corporation.
ERIN HENDRICKS – ’92 – TENNIS
A tennis player out of Estancia HS in Costa Mesa, Erin arrived at Pitzer in the fall of 1988 ready to hit the courts.
Erin earned First Team All SCIAC honors in her first spring as a Sagehen--and then repeated the feat each subsequent season at Pomona-Pitzer to earn four in a row. In 1991 as a junior, Erin joined with teammate Shelley Keeler at #1 doubles for the season. The duo played together extremely well and advanced to the National Championship, where the two tore through the draw to win the national doubles title in convincing fashion.
As a senior, Erin again teamed with Shelley in doubles, and the successful pair claimed an astonishing second straight NCAA III doubles title. A team co-captain as a senior in 1992, Erin also played at the #2 singles spot and qualified to Nationals, where she advanced to the final 16. To cap a very busy senior year Nationals trip, Erin continued play at #2 singles and #1 doubles in helping the Pomona-Pitzer squad win the NCAA III team title.
Over four years Erin recorded a singles win-loss record of 23-5 (1989), 14-12 (1990), 20-9 (1991), and 18-11 (1992). Erin also tallied a four year win-loss record in doubles of 22-1 (1989), 15-6 (1990), 26-2 (1991), and 30-3 (1992).
Erin currently lives in Newport Beach, and is a Certified Pilates Trainer and small business owner. In her spare time, she enjoys golf and Pilates.
ROCHELLE KEELER WHELAN – ’92 – WOMEN’S TENNIS
A state doubles champion for Mercer Island HS near Seattle, Washington, Shelley came to Pomona College in the fall of 1988. Known on campus as Shelley Keeler during her collegiate days, Shelley made an immediate impact on the women’s tennis team.
Shelley earned four straight First Team All SCIAC honors by winning four SCIAC doubles titles and three SCIAC singles titles. In her junior and senior years, Shelley was named SCIAC Player of the Year in women’s tennis, and she was a team co-captain as a senior in 1992.
At the national level, Shelley qualified to the NCAA III National Championships all four years in both singles and doubles--and she made an indelible mark in the NCAA record archives. In singles, Shelley earned All American honors twice, and capped off her collegiate singles career with a flourish by winning the 1992 NCAA III singles title. In doubles, Shelley earned All American honors three times, and won an unprecedented three straight NCAA III doubles titles--in 1990 with Caryn Cranston, and in 1991 and 1992 with Erin Hendricks. To cap off a storybook senior season in 1992, Shelley led the team at #1 singles and #1 doubles in helping the squad win the NCAA III team title.
Shelley’s exploits earned her the Volvo ITCA Senior Player of the Year Award in 1992, and she also earned the Pomona-Pitzer Most Valuable Athlete Award in 1991.
Shelley’s four year win-loss record in singles stands at 29-4 (1989), 24-8 (1990), 30-8 (1991), and 29-5 (1992). In doubles, Shelley’s earned a four year win-loss record of 26-2 (1989), 19-4 (1990), 26-2 (1991), and 30-3 (1992).
Married this past July, Shelley lives in Portland, Oregon and is a Marketing Manager for Intel. She received an MBA from the University of Washington in 1998. In her spare time, she enjoys playing piano, skiing, and spending time in the outdoors.
NATE KIRTMAN – ’92 – FOOTBALL AND TRACK & FIELD
A three-sport all-league athlete in football, soccer and track & field at St. Mary’s College HS in Oakland, Nate arrived at Pomona in the fall of 1988. During his four years at Pomona, Nate played four seasons of both football and track & field.
In football, Nate earned All-SCIAC honors as a junior and senior, and was team captain as a senior in the fall of 1991. As a junior, Nate finished as the NCAA III leader in kickoff returns with a 36.8 yard average--the second best mark in NCAA III history. That mark was certainly helped by a 100-yard return against Redlands that tied the all-time NCAA record. In addition, Nate earned a #2 NCAA ranking in punting with a 39.6 yard average as a junior. That year Nate led the team in scoring (36 points) and in all purpose yards (923). As a senior in 1991, Nate led the team in receiving (18 receptions for 356 yards) and again in punting (37.7 average).
In track & field, Nate set school records in the 100m (10.69) and long jump (25’0) that still stand. During his collegiate track years, Nate earned First Team All SCIAC honors ten times among five individual events. As a junior, Nate won SCIAC titles in the 100m, 200m, Long Jump, and Triple Jump, and was named SCIAC Most Valuable Athlete for Track & Field in 1991. Nate competed at the NCAA III Championships three years, earning six All American honors in the long jump (1990 and 1991), triple jump (1989, 1990, and 1991) and 100m (1991). Most significantly, Nate won two straight national titles in the long jump in 1990 and 1991.
Nate’s senior year track season ended prematurely after being picked in the 9th round of the NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys. As a junior, Nate was named the recipient of the Athletic Excellence Award by the Physical Education Department for success in more than one sport. In 1992, he was named Pomona-Pitzer’s Most Valuable Athlete.
Married in late August, Nate and his wife--Kimberly Buffington Kirtman ‘94--are bi-coastal and live in both Stamford, Connecticut and Pasadena. Nate is the manager for GE.com, General Electric’s website, where he is responsible for developing the strategic branding and direction of GE’s online presence.
1992 NCAA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP TENNIS TEAM
1992 NCAA National Team members: Shelley Keeler Whelan ‘92, Erin Hendricks ‘92, Brenda Peirce Barnett ‘92, Tricia Corran Musick ‘92, Debbie Boger ‘93, Caryn Cranston ‘92, Amy Burton ‘92, Head Coach Lisa Beckett, Assistant Coach Curt Tong.
After NCAA National finishes of third (both 1989 and 1990) and fifth (1991), the 1992 P-P women’s tennis squad looked at its senior-laden roster and knew experience would be on its side.
Completing the regular season 19-3--including a SCIAC Tournament where the team didn’t lose a set--Pomona-Pitzer entered the 1992 NCAA III National Championships as the top-ranked team.
After a first-round bye, the Sagehens faced Swarthmore, winning handily, 8-1, by sweeping the doubles and dropping only one singles match. In the semi-finals, Pomona-Pitzer met Gustavus Adolphus, and again won, 7-2, by sweeping the doubles and losing only two singles matches. Meanwhile, #2 ranked Kenyon had easily moved through the rounds with 8-1 and 9-0 team victories over St. Thomas and UC San Diego.
On May 15, 2002, Pomona-Pitzer and Kenyon stepped onto the courts to determine the national champion. The two squads split the singles, 3-3, and headed into doubles, where the Sagehens won two out of three matches to claim the first team title in any sport in school history.
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