StFX Athletics was pleased to induct the 23rd class into the StFX Sports Hall of Fame Thursday evening to kick off Homecoming weekend. Included in the 2019 class were three athletes: Andrew Culligan (hockey), Dave Liem (soccer) and Dr. Beth McCharles (soccer, hockey), along with two builders: Dr. Cecil MacLean and Dr. David Cudmore.
Andrew (Andy) Culligan (Hockey, Class of 1974)
Andy Culligan enjoyed five successful seasons with the X-Men hockey team. A prolific goal scorer, the left-winger led the team in scoring for three of those years. Honoured on three occasions as an Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association (AIAA) all-star, he was second overall in league scoring for two seasons skating with the blue and white. The 1971 StFX rookie of the year, Andy earned recognition as the team's most valuable player in 1972. His 194 career points remains the third best in X-Men all-time career leading scoring as he has left his mark in the record books.
Dave Liem (Soccer, Class of 1987)
Dave Liem was a standout goal scorer with the X-Men soccer team for four seasons. Leading the team scoring race for three of those campaigns, Dave was honoured as an Atlantic University Athletic Association (AUAA) all-star for three consecutive years. He received national recognition as a second team all-Canadian in 1983, the first X-Men soccer athlete to receive such status. Upon graduation, Dave's 27 career goals garnered him the third position in the conference record books and tops in the StFX career scoring list. The X-Men team most valuable player in 1984, to this date Dave remains fourth overall in the StFX record book for career goals.
Dr. Beth McCharles (Soccer/Hockey, Class of 2001)
A successful dual-sport athlete, Beth McCharles was a national-caliber goalkeeper with the X-Women soccer team for four seasons, in addition to skating with the X-Women hockey team. For her extraordinary play on the soccer pitch, Beth was honoured as the 1998 AUS most valuable player, and became the second ever X-Women soccer athlete to garner first team all-Canadian status. She again received all-Canadian recognition on the second team in 2000, as well as being named an AUS first team all-star. A leader and captain with the soccer squad, Beth won three AUS championships on the ice with the hockey team, enjoying a remarkable StFX varsity athletics career.
Dr. Cecil MacLean (Builder, Class of 1931)
Dr. Cecil MacLean enters the StFX Sports Hall of Fame posthumously in the builder category, having made significant contributions to the StFX athletic department for the better part of 50 years in varying capacities. From the late 1940's to the early 1960's, Dr. MacLean was a volunteer broadcaster, covering the play-by-play commentary on the road for countless StFX hockey and rugby games for the local CJFX radio station. For 46 years he hosted a radio sports program reporting on intercollegiate teams events and providing on-air interviews of StFX varsity athletes. Cecil lent his writing talents to a weekly sports editorial column for the Antigonish Casket newspaper for 30 years, detailing the many achievements of StFX teams and athletes.
Aside from his journalistic contributions, Dr. Mac Lean coached the X-Men hockey team for three seasons, leading them to a N.S. and Maritime Intercollegiate championship in 1941. He was responsible for the revitalization of intercollegiate baseball at StFX in the mid 1940's and coached the team for a decade. Cecil was readily counted upon to be the master of ceremonies for numerous athletic banquets, as well as guest speaking at countless StFX alumni events. He was the founding member of the StFX Varsity Club that established the StFX Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1976, and he remained an integral member of the induction committee for many years, researching and writing citations for numerous inductees.
Dr. David Cudmore (Builder)
Dr. David Cudmore enters the Hall of Fame as a builder, having dedicated his time and medical expertise to StFX Athletics for the last 30 years. The medical leader of the sports medicine team for StFX Athletics, David is a genuine and devoted supporter of our X-Men and X-Women varsity athletes. A notable sports medicine expert certified by the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine, Dr. Cudmore has been an invaluable resource to the athletic therapy staff, coaches and athletes as a selfless individual who makes himself readily accessible for countless treatments.
David has covered hundreds of home and away games in all StFX sports over the years as a consulting physician, often travelling to AUS and U SPORTS championships to be on the sidelines should a medical need arise. Well respected in the regional and national sports medicine community, Dr. Cudmore serves on the U SPORTS medical committee and has become a leader in the treatment of concussions over the past decade. His local Antigonish concussion clinic has gained province-wide recognition and David himself received the 2015 Special Recognition Award for outstanding support to advance the causes of brain injuries in Canada. Honoured with the 2005 Alumni Award of Excellence as a Friend of StFX, four years later David was the deserving recipient of the X-ceptional award for going above and beyond to contribute in a positive manner to StFX Athletics. For three decades Dr. David Cudmore has served as a formidable mentor to countless student-athletes over the past three decades while generously giving his time and medical expertise to the StFX Athletics department.