Night of Cougar Pride Honoring 2016 Hall of Fame Class Set for October 21

CALDWELL, N.J.- Caldwell University Athletics, in conjunction with Cougar Pride, will host “A Night of Cougar Pride” at Cedar Hill Country Club in Livingston, N.J. on Friday, October 21. The Caldwell Athletics “Night of Cougar Pride” Dinner, honoring the 2016 Hall of Fame inductees, will begin with cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner and hall of fame induction ceremony at 7:30 p.m.

The Caldwell University Hall of Fame committee has elected a trio of honorees and the first-ever team for the 2016 class. Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics and Men’s Basketball Head Coach Mark A. Corino highlights the induction ceremony and will be enshrined for his years of service to the institution. Men’s soccer standout Uke Dauti and women’s basketball’s Gwen Gunn will also be recognized during “A Night of Cougar Pride”, on October 21. In addition to the three inductees, Coach Corino’s first national tournament team in 1992-93 will be recognized as the first-ever team to receive hall of fame honors.

Cost is $125 per person with tables of 10 people available for $1,000. All proceeds will go to the Cougar Pride General Fund, which supports the degree completion program and enhancements for the 16 intercollegiate athletic programs. Tickets are available for the Caldwell Athletics “Night of Cougar Pride” Ceremony by calling Caldwell University Athletics at (973) 618-3260. Online registration for the event is available and can be accessed by clicking here.

The Caldwell University Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 2010 to honor student-athletes, coaches and contributors who have played significant roles in the success of the intercollegiate athletic programs at Caldwell University. With this year’s class, there are now 40 members in the Hall of Fame, which is located on the first floor of the George R. Newman Center. The October 21 ceremony is the main fundraising event for Cougar Pride, the official booster club of Caldwell University Athletics.

Coach Corino joined the Cougars as the Director of Athletics and men’s basketball coach in 1988. During his tenure as Director of Athletics, he led the initiative to transition the institution to full NCAA Division II membership status in 2002. The department has seen significant growth during Corino’s tenure as he has overseen the process to increase sport sponsorship from three in 1988 to the current number of 16 athletic programs. Corino has seen tremendous success on the court in 28 seasons as the men’s basketball head coach for the Cougars. He has amassed 435 wins as Caldwell’s head coach and four CACC Coach of the Year honors as well as a Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Coach of the Year Award in 1998. Corino’s collegiate coaching career spans over 30 years where he has 530 wins and is the second winningest collegiate men’s basketball head coach in the state of New Jersey. His Caldwell coaching career includes five trips to the NAIA National Tournament, one appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament; seven CACC regular-season championships, five CACC Tournament titles and an NAIA District 31 crown.

Dauti played for the men’s soccer team from 2004-06 and was a two-time Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference First Team All-Conference selection. In his three seasons, he totaled 69 points with 31 goals and seven assists for the Cougars. He tallied 35 points in the 2005 season with 16 goals in 15 games. Dauti was honored twice by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America on the All-Region Second Team. During his time, the Cougars posted a record of 37-19-3 and appeared in the CACC Tournament semifinals all three seasons. Caldwell was the tournament runner-up in 2005 where Dauti earned CACC All-Tournament honors.

Gunn played for the women’s basketball team from 1996-2000 and was twice honored as a CACC All-Conference selection in her junior and senior seasons. In her senior season, she averaged 12 points and 6.9 rebounds per game to earn All-American Honorable Mention honors. She currently ranks 12th in school history with 1,225 points and ninth with 742 rebounds for her Cougar career. She helped lead the Cougars to a second place finish in her freshman season and a CACC Regular Season Championship as a senior. The Cougars advanced to their second-ever NAIA Tournament appearance in 2000. Caldwell posted a four-year mark of 66-49 during her time in a Cougar uniform.

In addition to the three inductees, Coach Corino’s first men’s basketball team that advanced to the national tournament will be the first team to be enshrined in the hall of fame. In their sixth year as a program, the 1992-93 men’s basketball team posted 21 wins, which tied the win record set the previous season. The Cougars went 11-1 in the CACC as they repeated as regular season champions and won their first ever CACC Tournament Championship. In the District 31 Tournament, Caldwell defeated Nyack College and Teikyo Post College (now Post University), earning their first ever District 31 title and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in program history. Matt Stuart was the top player as he averaged 18.1 points per game along with 8.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per contest. He earned NAIA Second Team All-American honors, which was the first All-American in men’s basketball history.