Cecil College inducts seven into Athletic Hall of Fame
Published on March 25, 2024
Cecil College Athletic Director Ed Durham stands with the Class of 2024 Jerome Coleman, Eric Schmieder, Katie (Ferguson) Giffing, and Bill Dorsey. Missing are Aaron Lewis, Don Feldscher, and Elaine Cox.
NORTH EAST, MD: The Class of 2024 was inducted into the Cecil College Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, March 23. Seven of its icons were recognized for their accomplishments during their time at the College. The Class of 2024 includes pioneers who contributed to the creation, development, and growth of the Cecil athletic programs.
The Hall of Fame committee, made up of alumni, current coaches, and staff, bestowed honors upon Aaron Lewis, Jerome Coleman, Elaine Cox, Bill Dorsey, Don Feldscher, Katie Ferguson, and Eric Schmieder during the ceremony held in the conference room in the Technology Center on the North East Campus.
The purpose of the Cecil College Athletics Hall of Fame is to honor individuals who, through participation, support, or interest, have made outstanding contributions or brought recognition to Cecil College’s athletic programs.
Aaron Lewis was a two-year starter and captain for the Seahawks baseball program, where he led the program to a school record of 50 wins in the 2001 season. As a freshman, he batted over .400 and hit a Cecil College record 21 home runs. Lewis led the Seahawks the following year by batting .424 with 17 home runs, thus giving him 38 for his two-year career.
Lewis was selected as a First-Team All-Conference and First-Team All-Region 20 both years he played for the Seahawks before continuing his exceptional career on the diamond at Wilmington University, where he was named 2003 Mid-Atlantic Regional Player of the Year and NCAA first-team all-American.
An 18-year veteran of the Wilmington Police Department, Lewis is also the head baseball coach at Delaware Military Academy, where his teams have won 128 games and two state championships.
Jerome Coleman was a two-year starter for the Seahawks from 1999-2001 when the team earned a 48-12 record. Coleman scored more than 1,200 points in his career to be named First Team All-Conference, First Team All-Region 20, and Second Team All-American.
Behind his performance, the 2000-2001 Seahawks won the Maryland Junior College Conference championship with a 17-1 record, including defeating perennial power Allegany College of Maryland for the first time in school history in double overtime. Coleman scored 39 points in that game, including seven three-point baskets.
From Cecil College, Coleman played for Rutgers University, where he was named First Team All-Big East. After graduation, Coleman was recruited and played professionally for 15 years in the European Leagues.
Elaine Cox was a three-sport athlete. As a freshman, she was named to the all-conference team in volleyball and softball. That same year, she was also named to All-Region 20 in softball. During her second year at Cecil College, she earned accolades in volleyball, basketball, and softball, being named First Team All-Region 20 in the three sports and First Team All-American in softball. She went on to play for Wilmington University with a full scholarship in all three sports.
Bill Dorsey came to Cecil Community College after graduating from North East High School, where his team won a state championship. He played the 1983 season for the Seahawks, receiving all-conference and all-region honors. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he played professional baseball.
Following his professional career, he returned to Cecil College as an assistant coach to Coach Dick Brockell for four seasons. During that time, he was responsible for working with catchers and helping them develop their skills. Two of these athletes were all-conference and all-region performers.
Don Feldscher began his 26-year career at Cecil Community College in 1972. During this time, he was the athletic director, basketball coach, and baseball coach, and the College was just developing its athletic programs. His full-time position was to teach physical education courses at the College.
Under Feldscher’s guidance, Cecil added the women’s basketball, volleyball, softball, men’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s bowling programs. He also convinced the Board of Trustees to offer six $250 scholarships to assist the student-athletes.
He served as president of the Region 20 basketball tournament for five years, during which time he was president for a year. He was instrumental in the planning stages for the physical education building, which provided a place for the student-athletes to compete. In 1998, he retired from Cecil Community College and accepted a position at Delaware Valley University as the special assistant to the president. He served in that position for 16 years until fully retiring in 2014.
Katie (Ferguson) Giffing was a two-year softball player (2008-2010) who pitched a record 12-5 with a 2.29 ERA during her freshman year, striking out 136 batters in 131 innings. At the plate, she batted .489, with six home runs and 30 RBIs. She was selected First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Region 20.
She built on her success during her sophomore year with a 17-3 record with 209 strikeouts in 130 innings. She batted .457 with nine home runs and 57 RBIs. She was named Cecil College’s Team MVP, First Team All-Conference, First Team All-Region 20, and Third Team All-American. Giffing led the Seahawks to an NJCAA Softball World Series appearance.
She went on to play for the University of Maryland – Baltimore County, winning numerous honors. Upon graduating from UMBC, she returned to Cecil College, where she was accepted into and completed her nursing degree.
Eric Schmieder came to Cecil College in 1999 and played one season for the Seahawks before being offered a full scholarship to Drexel University. Starting in every game of the 1999-2000 season, the Seahawks went 24-7 to the NJCAA Region 20 championship game. Schmieder was named First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Region 20. He led the Seahawks in assists and second in scoring behind Jerome Coleman. Upon finishing his career and graduating from Drexel, Schmieder played 13 years professionally in the European league.