Greencastle, Ind. - Six DePauw alumni will be inducted into the DePauw Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 6. The ceremony for the 2020 induction class is scheduled for 10 a.m. in Kresge Auditorium in DePauw's Judson and Joyce Green Center for the Performing Arts.
Inductees include Sara Sabin Alger '98 (women's soccer), David Blackburn II '04 (football), Katie Reis Bonomo '03 (women's swimming and diving), Jay Pettigrew '97 (football), Steve Ray '79 (baseball) and Megan Soultz '10 (softball).
This group joins the more than 200 student-athletes, coaches and administrators who have earned induction since 1986. Links to video interview are available here and the complete bios on each inductee are listed below.
Sara Sabin Alger (Women's Soccer)
Sara Sabin Alger '98 earned four varsity letters as a member of the women's soccer team while playing in all 73 games and starting 67. She earned all-Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference honors as a junior and senior and helped lead the Tigers to three ICAC titles and an 11-0 conference record. As a senior, Alger was the team and conference MVP and named the team's most valuable defender. During her junior season she was recognized with the Tiger Award selected by the coaches. A third team all-Great Lakes Region choice in 1996, Alger was a first team honoree in 1997. During her senior season, the Tigers earned the program's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship. In her four seasons DePauw recorded a 50-20-3 record.
Alger has more than 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector, predominantly in healthcare. Since late 2020, Alger has served as President of University Health Foundation in San Antonio, Texas, which supports University Health - South Texas' only public health system. In her short tenure, she has worked with her team to raise significant dollars, reaching first-time ever milestones for the 35-year foundation. Previously, Alger served as the Vice President of Development for Advocate Aurora Health (Wisconsin), American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and Second Harvest Food Bank of Wisconsin (now Feeding America). Alger and her husband Jay reside in Boerne, Texas, and are parents to three daughters including twins Abigail and Avery, and Cassidy.
David Blackburn (Football)
David Blackburn II '04 was a four-year starter in the defensive secondary for the Tigers. A four-time All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference selection, Blackburn earned first-team honors in 2001 and 2003 and was a second-team choice in 2000 and 2002. He still holds the program's career record for passes defended (interceptions and breakups) with 50 and is tied for 11th in school history with 11 career interceptions. In 2005, he was named to the SCAC's 15th Anniversary Football Team.
Blackburn attended graduate school at Butler University where he was a graduate assistant football coach for the Bulldogs. He joined the Baltimore Ravens staff in 2007 where he served in various player personnel roles and is now a national scout in the college scouting department. The 2018 DePauw Young Alumni Award recipient, Blackburn has served on both the DePauw Alumni Association Board of Directors and the DePauw Board of Visitors. He and his wife, Kishia, are parents to David III, Aubree and Khyris.
Katie Reis Bonomo (Women's Swimming and Diving)
Katie Reis Bonomo '03 competed four seasons on the women's swimming and diving team where she was a five-time All-American (top eight finish) in individual events and one honorable mention (9th -16th finish). In the 100-yard backstroke, Reis finished fourth at the 2001 NCAA Division III Championships, seventh in 2002 and 10th in 2003. She also was seventh in 2003 in the 200 back and eighth in 2001 and 2002. Reis was also part of two honorable mention All-America 200 medley relays. She still holds Erdmann Natatorium records in the 50 and 100 back which remain two of the three oldest facility records. Reis was a four-time Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference champion in the 100 back and won one title each in the 200 back and 200 individual medley and led the Tigers to the SCAC team title as a senior. She later was named to the SCAC's 15th Anniversary Women's Swimming and Diving Team. Reis graduated with school records in three individual events and as part of two relays. She was the team MVP as a senior and earned the program's Tiger Award as a sophomore for her work ethic. The 2003 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient was a second team CoSIDA Academic All-America® honoree as a senior.
Bonomo earned a master's in mathematics from John Carroll University and has worked as a mathematics teacher at Western Reserve Academy in Cleveland, Ohio for 19 years. She also has been in charge of the dormitories, the swim team and assisted with the varsity volleyball team. Bonomo and her husband, Michael, are parents to Ryan and Molly.
Jay Pettigrew (Football)
Jay Pettigrew '97 was a four-year starter at tight end for the football team and earned first team all-Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference honors all four years. He finished his career with a then NCAA Division III record 38 consecutive games with at least one reception. His 156 career receptions still rank eighth in school history and are the most by a Tiger tight end, while his 1,757 receiving yards are 11th in school history and also tops among tight ends. As a senior he was a captain and led DePauw to a 9-1 record which tied the school record for wins in a season. He was a consensus all-America selection in 1996, earning first team honors from the American Football Coaches Association and third team on both the Hewlett-Packard and Football Gazette squads. The 1993 Edwin C. Boswell Freshman of the Year Award recipient, Pettigrew was the team's co-MVP of the 1994 Monon Bell Game. He signed a free agent contract with the Green Bay Packers and was in their preseason camp in the spring of 1997.
Pettigrew held positions in retail management before serving as executive enrollment advisor at University of Phoenix from where he earned an MBA in 2009. He then was assistant director of admissions at The Art Institutes before serving in managerial positions with Orbis Education and most recently as an account executive with OneCause. Pettigrew and his wife of 20 years, Nataki '96, are parents to Ashley, Deja and Jason, Jr. Pettigrew continues to stay connected to the sports community in his area through coaching and volunteering in youth soccer and boys and girls basketball.
Steve Ray (Baseball)
Steve Ray '79 earned two varsity letters as a pitcher for the Tigers baseball team after transferring to DePauw in 1977. In those two seasons he posted a 12-5 career record including a 9-2 mark in 1979 with a 1.99 earned run average and 65 strikeouts in 68 innings. At the plate that year, Ray had a batting average of .321 and led the team in doubles with 6. As a senior, he earned DePauw's first baseball All-American honor when he was a third team selection by the American Association of Baseball College Coaches. Earlier that season Ray garnered first team All-Region accolades and team MVP honors. His .706 winning percentage still ranks in a tie for 11th in school history, while his 2.37 earned run average is third. Ray's nine wins in 1979 remain the third-highest single-season total in program history, while his 65 strikeouts are tied for 11th and the 1.99 ERA is 15th. As a senior, he tossed two no-hitters including the program's only perfect game after a five-inning, rain-shortened win against Franklin with 11 strikeouts. A month earlier he hurled a no-hitter against Rose-Hulman with 11 strikeouts in the seven-inning contest.
Ray has over 40 years of experience in the aerospace and defense industry in sales and marketing including 33 years with LPI Corporation (a HEICO Company) as vice president of sales and marketing. He also has worked in a consulting role with the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association 2004-2005 as well as scouting for the Philadelphia Phillies MLB Team 1982-1984. Ray and his wife, Karen, reside in Cape Coral, Florida, are the parents of two adult children and have four grandchildren.
Megan Soultz (Softball)
Megan Soultz '10, the 2010 Amy Hasbrook Award co-recipient and three-time All-American selection, led the Tigers to the first four NCAA postseason appearances in softball program history. As a pitcher she posted a 113-25 career record and a 1.22 earned run average. Soultz, a 2010 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship honoree, still holds top 10 NCAA Division III rankings with 113 wins (tie-sixth), 48 shutouts (tie-ninth), 115 complete games (tie-sixth), 898 innings pitched (fourth), 148 pitching starts (second) and151 games pitched (fourth).
Soultz was a four-time all-Central Region and all-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference selection and three-time SCAC Pitcher of the Year. A first team All-America choice in 2008, she earned third team accolades in 2007 and 2010. During the 2008 season, she finished with a Division III-best 36 wins against just four losses including 32 consecutive wins which ranks fourth in Division III history. During that season she pitched 52 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings. She posted a 17-9 record in NCAA postseason play and helped the Tigers to regional championships and fifth-place Division III ties in 2007 and 2010. In her four seasons, DePauw had a 149-29 overall record.
Soultz earned a master's degree in biology from IUPUI-Purdue School of Science. She has served as a paramedic for Indianapolis EMS and EMS Educator for Eskenazi Hospital/IU School of Medicine before joining the Carmel (Ind.) Police Department as an officer and later as a SWAT Team member and field training officer. Soultz was a volunteer EMT for Putnam County Operation Life while a DePauw student and, while on a Winter Term internship with the New York City Fire Department was part of the rescue effort of US Airways Flight 1549 that safely landed in the Hudson River shortly after takeoff on Jan. 15, 2009.
