Retired Penn State Altoona Director of Athletics Fredina M. Ingold was inducted into the Eastern College Athletic Conference’s Hall of Fame on April 28.
Established in 2015, the ECAC Hall of Fame recognizes former student-athletes, coaches, administrators, teams, officials, and support staff for outstanding achievements, service, dedication, commitment, and contributions to ECAC. The ECAC Hall of Fame selection committee, comprised of representatives from a variety of different ECAC constituency groups, meets annually to determine the year’s induction class.
The 2017 Hall of Fame class was inducted on Friday, April 28 at the ECAC Hall of Fame Gala and Induction Ceremony. The event was held at the Matrix Conference & Banquet Center in Danbury, Connecticut.
Ingold, who served as Penn State Altoona’s Director of Athletics for thirty-seven years until her retirement from the University in June 2014, is one of ten inductees in this year’s class.
Throughout her thirty-seven years of service to Penn State Altoona, Ingold was committed to the students, her colleagues, and the University’s mission of teaching, research, and service. While serving in various administrative capacities, Ingold played a critical role in the growth and development of Penn State Altoona’s intercollegiate athletics and recreational sports programs after joining the staff in 1977. A former faculty member, she coached the women’s varsity basketball and tennis teams, men’s club golf and volleyball, and the men’s and women’s swim teams.
In 1986, Ingold was appointed Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Penn State Altoona, and she also served as the Director of Admissions from 1994-99. Under Ingold’s direction, the sixteen-team intercollegiate athletics program experienced a phenomenal change. One of her most significant achievements was the successful transition of the intercollegiate athletics program from junior college status to National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division III membership. During Ingold’s tenure, the total number of sports offered was expanded, there were improvements to and construction of athletic facilities, and the program grew in stature as a member institution of the NCAA, the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC), and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).
Ingold’s commitment to the University and to intercollegiate athletics reached far beyond her administrative duties. She created the “Fredina M. Ingold Intercollegiate Athletics Enhancement Endowment” at Penn State Altoona, the first of its kind at the institution, which provides discretionary funds that are crucial to moving intercollegiate athletics forward in new and innovative ways – ways that enhance the extracurricular experience for student-athletes, satisfy the expectations of a cutting edge coaching staff, and provide attractive entertainment options for alumni and fans in the community.
The nine other 2017 inductees to the ECAC Hall of Fame are Jamaal Branch (Athlete, Colgate University football), Bob Deming (Administrator, Ithaca College), Jennifer DiMaggio (Athlete, Pace University women’s basketball), Laura Hurd (Athlete, Elmira College women’s hockey), Gordie Lockbaum (Athlete, College of the Holy Cross football), Noreen Morris (Administrator, Northeast Conference/Northwestern University/Conference USA/University of Connecticut), Jim Nelson (Administrator/Coach, Suffolk University), Shana Williams (Athlete, Seton Hall track & field), and the 1970 Cornell men’s hockey team.
Ingold formally announced her retirement from Penn State Altoona in June 2014, saying: “I want to express my gratitude to the Penn State Altoona community for a lifetime of memories. It was been a wonderful ride which I will never forget. I will miss you all.”