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| Courtesy of Delaware Valley University Sports Information |
In addition to the inductees, seniors Tim Ambacher, Kevin Crill, Ryan McMahon and Nick Shendge will be awarded Ned A. Linta Hall of Fame Scholarships.
Kleinle was a key part of the amazing turnaround of the Aggie football program. In his first two years with the team (2001 and 2002), he was a defensive lineman and the squad went a combined 5-15. Kleinle switched to the offensive line (left tackle) in ’03 and he earned all-Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) second-team honors as DelVal went 9-2 and went to the postseason where it captured the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Southeast championship.
Then came the 2004 campaign for Kleinle and the Aggies. Serving as a team captain, he helped DelVal go undefeated in the regular season (10-0) and win the MAC championship. With the conference crown came a trip to the NCAA Division III playoffs, the first such berth for the school in a team-qualifying sport. The Aggies won their first two postseason games at home before falling in the quarterfinals and finishing with a 12-1 record.
The accolades came pouring in for Kleinle following the ’04 campaign. He was selected as an all-MAC first-team lineman and then earned a spot on the first team on the Football Gazette All-Region Team. Kleinle was then named an All-American by the Football Gazette and was selected to play in the Aztec Bowl, a game pitting Division III all-stars against a team from Mexico.
A three-time all-MAC Freedom first-team honoree and the 2005 MAC Freedom Player of the Year, Mecaj was one of the top offensive players in Aggie history. She finished her career second on the all-time list in goals (43), assists (20) and points (106), numbers that still have her in the top four (third in goals, third in points, fourth in assists) to this day.
Mecaj helped DelVal win 31 games from 2002 to 2005. Part of that run were a pair of 10-win seasons in ’02 and ’05. The 2005 campaign saw Mecaj rack up 10 goals and six assists for 26 points. She helped the Aggies reach the MAC Freedom playoffs and became just the second player in program history to be named the conference’s Player of the Year.
Ambacher, Crill, McMahon and Shendge have each worked in the athletic department since they arrived on campus and have gone above and beyond their student employment duties.
The Delaware Valley University Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to honor former outstanding student-athletes who graduated from The National Farm School, National Agricultural College, Delaware Valley College and Delaware Valley University. This year’s class raises the number of members to 124.
