Pittsburgh, Pa. – A quartet of All-Americans, the leader of the most successful women's basketball team in program history and a trio of championship teams comprise the 2023-24 Merle Gilliand Duquesne University Athletics Hall of Fame class announced Thursday.
Current long snapper
Christian Kuntz of the Pittsburgh Steelers, a three-time All-American at Duquesne (2012-16), women's volleyball All-American's
Liz Homan (2008-11) and
Arielle Love (2011-14) and cross country and track & field All-American
Tom Slosky (2005-08) will be joined by women's basketball standout
April Robinson (2013-16) as the individual honorees.
Three teams, each of which made their program's first NCAA Tournament appearance, will also be honored:
2013 Women's Volleyball,
2015 Football and
2015-16 Women's Basketball.
The honorees will be formally inducted into the Duquesne University Athletics Hall of Fame Friday, Jan. 26, 2024, and will be publicly recognized during the men's basketball game vs. Fordham Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. The 2015-16 women's basketball team will also be honored at the women's basketball game vs. Loyola Chicago Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024.
A closer look at the latest inductees into the Duquesne University Athletics Hall of Fame:
LIZ HOMAN | Volleyball (2008-11)
Became Duquesne's first American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American when she was named honorable mention in 2010 … Earned All-Atlantic 10 honors three times (second team as a sophomore and senior and first team as a junior) … Earned a spot on the 2008 A-10 All-Rookie Team … Helped the Dukes to an NCAA Division I program record 23 wins in 2010 … Ranks among Duquesne's career Top 5 in hitting percentage, total blocks, block assists and solo blocks.
CHRISTIAN KUNTZ | Football (2012-16)
In his second season as long snapper for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is just the second Duke to earn a spot on an NFL roster in 68 years … Earned All-American honors three times in leading the Dukes to NEC titles in 2013, 2015 & 2016 … Helped the 2015 Dukes to the program's first NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoff appearance … A 2016 finalist for the FCS Buck Buchanan Award (National Defensive Player of the Year) … Is one of two two-time
Associated Press All-Americans in program history … Two-time Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Year … Recorded a school record 30.5 sacks during his standout career on the Bluff … His 71.5 career tackles for loss rank sixth on the NCAA FCS all-time list … Named to the Northeast Conference "Mount Rushmore" in November of 2020 as one of the four greatest players in the 40-year history of the conference.
ARIELLE LOVE | Volleyball (2011-14)
Named AVCA Honorable Mention All-American in 2013 … Became the first, and only, member of the Dukes to be named Atlantic 10 Championship Most Outstanding Player in leading DU to the program's first conference title and NCAA Championship appearance in 2013 … Also earned a spot on the 2013 Atlantic 10 Championship team … Is Duquesne's only three-time All-Atlantic 10 First Team (2012, 2013 & 2014) honoree … Named AVCA All-Midwest Region in 2014 and
Cobra Magazine All-East Region in 2011 … Duquesne's career hitting percentage leader at .359 … Posted the two top marks in school history in leading the Atlantic 10 in hitting percentage in 2013 & 2014 … Ranks fifth all-time at DU in total blocks and third in career block assists … Earned Academic All-Atlantic 10 honors in 2014 … Named Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of a Week a six times in her career, a program record.
APRIL ROBINSON | Women's Basketball (2012-16)
Served as captain for a 2015-16 squad that set a program record for wins (28) in securing the program's first Atlantic 10 regular season title and NCAA Tournament bid … WBCA All-America Region 1 Finalist, ECAC Women's Basketball All-Star and a Lieberman Award Finalist … Named the 2015-16 Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Year … Selected the 2016 Atlantic 10 Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year … Finished her career ranked fourth in program history in scoring (1,598 points), first in three-pointers (249), second in assists (578) and first in games played and started (133) … Joined Korie Hlede and Beth Friday as the third women's basketball player to have her jersey retired in January of 2019.
TOM SLOSKY | Cross Country and Track & Field (2005-08)
Became Duquesne's first USTFCCCA All-American (3,000-meter steeplechase) as well as DU's first Atlantic 10 men's cross country champion in 2007 … Program's first runner to compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championships (November 2007) … Member of Duquesne's first, and only, A-10 men's Cross Country Championship team in 2005. It was DU's first A-10 team title since 1977 (men's basketball) … Three-time A-10 3,000-meter steeplechase champion (2005, 2006 & 2008) … Qualified for three straight NCAA championships in the steeplechase (NCAA finalist in 2007) … Owns school steeplechase record (8:43.39).
2013 VOLLEYBALL
Went 20-10 in winning the Atlantic 10 regular season (12-2) and tournament championships on the way to earning the program's first NCAA Championship bid … Put together a program record eight-match winning streak … Six Dukes earned A-10 honors (three first team, one second team and two rookie) … Had three players - Marah Farage, Mary Henry and Arielle Love - named to the A-10 All-Championship Team.
2015 FOOTBALL
Went 8-4 overall and 5-1 in the Northeast Conference in earning the program's first outright NEC title and FCS Playoff appearance … Had a school record 13 players earn All-NEC honors, including six who were named to the first team … Combined to earn seven Player of the Week honors (three Offensive, two Defensive, one Special Teams and one Rookie) … Had 20 players named to the NEC Academic Honor Roll.
2015-16 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Set program records for overall wins (28-6) and Atlantic 10 victories (13-3) in earning the program's first NCAA Tournament bid … Won a share of the Atlantic 10 regular-season title … Won the program's first NCAA Tournament game as ninth seed (97-76 over eighth-seed Seton Hall) …Nationally ranked in the
USA Today/Coaches Top 25 for a total of three weeks, reaching a high of No. 23 on Feb. 16 … Earned the program's first national ranking when it appeared in the Jan. 12 Coaches poll at No. 25 … Second among others receiving votes in the final
USA Today poll of 2015-16 … Finished with a program-best final RPI of 18 … Posted seven wins over Top 100 RPI teams … Posted a program record 15-game win streak.
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