NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee is pleased to announce the addition of three distinguished individuals to the Class of 2025 and to unveil a major update to the Hall of Fame nomination process: a new, official annual nomination window.

For the first time, an official annual nomination window will be implemented to streamline and enhance the selection procedure.  A designated annual nomination period - October 1 to February 1 - will now serve as the official call for nominations each year, helping increase awareness and improve transparency in how candidates are considered for induction.

This new nomination period means that to be eligible for the upcoming year's class, nominations must be submitted within this designated timeframe.  Nominations received outside the window will be deferred to future classes.  This change reflects the committee's ongoing commitment to honoring Norwich's rich athletic history with fairness and efficiency.  More information on the nomination window is available below.

The Class of 2025 will now include 12 individuals and one team who will be formally inducted on Sunday, Sept. 21, at 10:00 a.m. in Plumley Armory as part of Homecoming Weekend festivities.

The latest additions include Vanessa Champagne '15 (women's hockey / women's rugby), Al Georgio '15 (football), and Jaye Trapasso '70 (distinguished letterwinner in baseball and men's basketball).  Their selection represents a continuation of Norwich's rich tradition of athletic excellence and leadership, honoring those whose impact has been felt both on and off the playing field.

Vanessa Champagne '15 (Women's Hockey / Women's Rugby) - One of the most accomplished dual-sport athletes in Norwich history, Champagne was a six-time national champion in women's rugby and a two-time NCAA Final Four participant in women's hockey.  A four-year letterwinner in both sports, she served as vice captain of rugby and captain of hockey as a senior.  On the pitch, she earned 111 caps and scored 493 career points, ranking fifth all-time at Norwich, while amassing five Division I national championships, one Division II title, and two additional national runner-up finishes.  She was named to the ACRA All-American and All-Academic Teams, and the NIRA National Championship All-Tournament Team.  In hockey, she tallied 18 goals and 21 assists for 39 points over 103 games and helped lead the Cadets to a third-place national finish in 2015.  Champagne earned three ECAC East All-Academic honors and netted a goal in the 2014 NCAA Semifinals win over Wisconsin-River Falls, serving as a key member of a program that compiled a 98-17-7 record over her four-year tenure.  She was inducted into the Norwich Athletic Hall of Fame previously as a member of the 2011-12, 2012-13, and 2013-14 national championship rugby teams.  After Norwich, she earned her Doctor of Osteopathy from the Collège d'Études Ostéopathiques de Montréal in 2020 and now practices at McGill University.

Al Georgio '15 (Football) - One of the most explosive offensive players in Norwich football history, Georgio made his mark as a record-breaking running back and four-year letterwinner.  A 2014 team captain and two-time team MVP, Georgio holds the single-season program records for touchdowns (18) and scoring (108 points), achieved during a dominant junior campaign in which he rushed for 1,168 yards on 213 carries and averaged 5.5 yards per rush.  He finished his career with 539 rushing attempts and 27 rushing touchdowns, adding impact on special teams with a 13.8-yard punt return average.  Georgio helped guide the Cadets to a 28-15 overall record and a 22-5 mark in ECFC play over his four seasons, highlighted by the 2011 ECFC Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, as well as three straight ECAC Bowl game berths from 2012-14.  A two-time ECFC First Team All-Conference honoree and multi-time ECFC Offensive Player of the Week, he was recognized regionally as an ECAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week in 2013.  After graduating with a degree in accounting, Georgio earned his Juris Doctor from Roger Williams University School of Law and is now a practicing attorney in Rhode Island.  He continues to give back as a youth baseball coach in his community.

Jaye Trapasso '70 (Distinguished Letterwinner - Baseball / Men's Basketball) - A six-time varsity letterwinner in basketball and baseball, Trapasso's impact extends far beyond the playing fields of Norwich University.  A sharp facilitator on the court and a .300+ hitter across three collegiate seasons, Trapasso helped lead the 1969 baseball team to a program record in double plays and topped the basketball team in assists as a junior and senior.  He also captained his intramural football teams all four years, quarterbacking them to multiple championships.  Trapasso's Norwich experience laid the foundation for a 30+ year career in public education, coaching, and officiating in Western New York.  A longtime teacher in the Buffalo Public Schools, he also served as a football and basketball coach and spent over three decades as a multi-sport official.  He was inducted into the Western New York Baseball Hall of Fame and the JFK Football League Hall of Fame, and earned the Niagara Frontier Officials Association Director's Award in 2012 and a 30-year service recognition in 2021.  A lifelong leader, mentor, and advocate for youth, Trapasso has dedicated his life to developing character and community through sport.

These three new inductees join nine individuals and one team previously announced for the Class of 2025, including Aliah Curry Pulaski '15 (women's basketball), Kaycie Anderson '15 (women's hockey), Ally Daniels Gaudreau '10 (women's basketball / women's lacrosse), Donovan Brown '10 (baseball / football), Silver Oghayore '05 (men's wrestling), Robert Archambault '95 (football), Peter Cornish '75 (skiing), Robert Priestley '65 (men's hockey), Ernest Harmon (honorary), and the 1975 Men's Lacrosse Team.

The Norwich University Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee has also formalized the nomination process by implementing an official annual nomination window.  In accordance with new bylaw changes, nominations are now accepted between October 1 and February 1 each year.  To be eligible for consideration in the current year's class, nominations must be submitted within this window.  For example, nominations for the Class of 2026 must be received between October 1, 2025, and February 1, 2026.  Any submissions received after February 1 will be held over and automatically added to the pool for future classes, beginning with the following year's induction cycle.  This change is intended to create a more consistent and manageable selection process while allowing the committee sufficient time to review each candidate thoroughly.

"I would first like to congratulate the newest Hall of Fame Inductees. They complete an incredible 2025 induction class, and the Selection Committee is proud to welcome them to the Hall of Fame," said Ed Hockenbury, Director of Athletics.  "The timing of this announcement of three additional inductees is due to the confusion surrounding the change in the nomination deadline.  We genuinely appreciate the passion of our Norwich Athletics alumni, which is so vividly demonstrated in the sincere and thorough Hall of Fame nominations submitted for these and other candidates, and the committee did not want the change in deadline to prevent them from this honor they so richly deserve.  With that in mind, and to alleviate any future confusion, the committee is establishing and communicating the nomination period detailed here.  Our Athletic Communications team has also redesigned our Hall of Fame website, making it more easily accessible, and providing detailed information about not only our amazing Hall of Famers, but also the nomination process, deadlines and forms.  We ask all of you to spread the word, and to continue submitting nominations for the many incredible athletes, coaches and contributors who have enriched the history of Norwich Athletics."

The induction coincides with the ongoing partnership between the Norwich Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee and Rocket Alumni Solutions, after the launch of the Norwich University Digital Athletic Hall of Fame over the summer.  This interactive online database continues to serve as the new epicenter of the Hall of Fame, and has largely been made possible by the generosity of Norwich University Fins and Feathers.  Complemented with pictures and biographies of each inductee, the Digital Hall of Fame is an online space where Norwich's proud athletic history can be showcased to the public.  In conjunction with the Department of Athletic Communications and the Department of Archives & Special Collections, the Digital Hall of Fame continues to be updated with supplemental content.

The Selection Committee welcomes nominations for the Class of 2026, with an Individual Nominee Form and Team Nominee Form available at norwichathletics.com.  To be considered for next year's class, nominations must be submitted between October 1, 2025, and February 1, 2026.  Any Norwich alumni, faculty, staff, or member of the Selection Committee may nominate individuals or teams for induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame.  Self-nominations for individual awards are not accepted.  Regular, distinguished letterwinner, memorial, and/or team nominees are eligible for selection any time after the 10th anniversary of their year of graduation, or team participation from Norwich University.  Anyone who nominates an individual or team must provide supplemental information and documentation (records, statistics, occupational information) with the submission of a completed Nomination Form in support of their candidate for induction into the Hall of Fame.

The Selection Committee comprises 10 voting members, including seven Athletic Hall of Famers in chairman Eduardo "Chico" Hernandez '72 (Honorary), Wally McLean '66 (Football), Kenny Howard '65 (Distinguished Letterwinner in Men's Hockey), Mark Bolding '95 (Men's Hockey), Liz Cronin '83 (Women's Basketball, Field Hockey, and Softball), Hope Allen Moulton '00 (Women's Basketball), and Tony Mariano (Honorary).  Also among the committee voting members are Ed Hockenbury, Director of Athletics; Marc Kolb, Associate Vice President of Campus and Athletic Communications; and David Blythe, Associate Professor of Management and Faculty Athletics Representative.  Derek Dunning, former Director of Athletic Communications, and Ben Zacher '20, Associate Director of Athletic Communications, currently serve in advisory and informational capacities.

The Class of 2025 will be formally inducted during Homecoming Weekend on Sunday, September 21, at Plumley Armory.  Further details about the ceremony, including livestream availability and the digital program, will be shared closer to the event date.