Saints Athletics has a storied history, featuring many All-Star student-athletes participating in varsity sports at St. Clair College during the school's 58-year history.
To commemorate these all-time student-athlete performers, St. Clair College unveiled the Saints Wall of Honour during halftime of the Saints men's basketball game on Feb. 8, 2025.
"We went through our history, through all of our sports, all of our athletes, and we identified those who excelled beyond everybody else," said Reid Innes, the Director of Recreational Services at St. Clair College. "We wanted to make sure that we were able to recognize some of the people that helped set the foundation that we currently are building the future on - the ones who set the standard for what we expect from our student-athletes."
Former student-athletes at St. Clair College who are the first inductees to the Saints Wall of Honour at a special ceremony at the SportsPlex on Feb. 8, 2025. (Rich Garton/St. Clair College)
The individuals earning this recognition are those who have represented St. Clair College at the highest levels of performance and set the path for how Saints student-athletes strive to achieve and rise above the competition.
In total, 13 Saints were recognized on the new Saints Wall of Honour, with their name and jersey numbers proudly displayed on a wall at the SportsPlex.
"It's a nice way to give a little bit of extra honour, a little extra recognition to the people who have shone the brightest when the lights are the brightest and have really set the standard for all of us that wear the green gold with pride," said Innes.
Here are the 13 athletes who claimed their spots on the Saints Wall of Honour:
- John Moore - Hockey
- Henry Koscielski - Men's Basketball
- Sandra Meisel - Badminton
- Debbie Cowgill - Women's Basketball
- Beth Brannagan - Women's Volleyball
- Jimmy Parsons - Men's Basketball
- Lindsay Verkoeyen - Softball
- Rob Malbasic - Men's Soccer
- Alexa Georgiou - Softball
- Jason Hernandez - Men's Volleyball
- Kyle Breitner - Baseball
- Shannon Kennedy - Women's Basketball
- Tyler Jones - Cross Country
Ten of the 13 athletes were able to make it for the induction ceremony Saturday evening, including Jimmy Parsons, who is now the Chair of the School of Media, Art and Design at St. Clair College.
"I am both excited and honoured to be part of the inaugural group of outstanding Saints athletes to be represented on the Saints Wall of Honour. This recognition is not only a reflection of my journey but also a tribute to the hard work, dedication, and invaluable life lessons shared by my teammates, coaches, and mentors," said Parsons. "Together, we grew both on and off the basketball court."
Parsons played for the men's basketball team from 1995 to 1999, where he was named a CCAA All-Canadian, OCAA West region all-star, and OCAA and West region scoring champion.
Parsons was named the St. Clair College Student-Athlete of the Year for the 1998-1999 season, and in 2000, was named to the OCAA All-Millennium team.
"What I am most proud of are the lasting lessons and friendships that basketball has brought into my life, through playing, coaching, and mentoring. This recognition is truly humbling, and I am deeply appreciative," Parsons said.
Shannon Kennedy, a stand-out member of the women's basketball team from 2013 to 2018, was also at the induction ceremony and called the honour "indescribable."
"You go through the five years, doing everything for the team, and it's kind of nice to be recognized for that," said Kennedy. "And then even tonight, as they're reading everybody's honourary stats, and I put myself back into it. 'Oh, I remember when that happened with our team, I remember doing that together.'"
Among her accolades, the hometown (St. Joseph's) favourite also holds the all-time OCAA scoring record, with 1,401 career points while wearing the green and gold.
"It's really nice for them to honour the 13 of us, and to see the names that will come in the future too," she said.
Sandra Marinacci (nee Meisel) earned her spot on the Saints Wall of Honour for her accomplishments in a sport which is no longer played at St. Clair: badminton.
"It's awesome to be recognized. After so many years, gosh, and this place has changed so much!" she remarked, noting the facility is a big upgrade from her playing days. "There was one building when I came here, and now there's many, and it's awesome here."
A well-decorated athlete, Sandra is a three-time OCAA women's badminton doubles gold medalist with championship titles coming in the 1977, 1979 and 1980 seasons. She also earned a bronze medal provincially in women's singles in 1978.
Sandra was also named a member of the OCAA Women's Badminton All-Millennium Team.
"It's quite the honour. It was a great night. Great to see all the changes, and it went really well," she said. "It's nice to see other people getting it too."
The Saints Wall of Honour will continue to get new members, according to Innes, who says this is the start of something special to honour the all-time great Saints.
"We bring a lot of really, really talented people on our campus. We're very proud of that," said Innes, noting the Athletic department has support from the school. "It does speak to the hard work of our department, our coaches, support staff, our senior administration, which does a great job of putting us in a position where we can bring these people on campus, and we can put them in a position to do what they do best, which is excel in sport."
