Former Youngstown State standouts Jason Perry, Brad Samsa and Mychal Savage will be part of a eight-member 2019-20 YSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class which will be honored on Feb. 8.
The eight new inductees will be honored at a ceremony at 3:30 p.m. in the DeBartolo Stadium Club. The game preceeds the YSU men's basketball contest against Cleveland State which tips off at 6 p.m. The group will be introduced at halftime of the basketball contest as well.
The complete class of 2019 includes: Ruth Boscaljon (volleyball), Erich Diedrich (baseball), Phil Gaston (men's basketball), Yandeh Joh (track and field), Perry (football), Samsa (football), Pauline Saternow (contributor) and Savage (football).
Boscaljon, who was a middle blocker on the volleyball team from 2005-09, was an All-Horizon League selection in 2006 and 2009, named the 2006 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year, and selected to the All-Newcomer Team in 2006. She finished her career as the school's all-time leader in career hitting percentage (.301), second in total blocks (490), and third in kills (1,340).
Diedrich, who starred on the baseball team from 2005-08, was an All-Horizon League pick in 2006 and 2007 and an All-Newcomer Team selection in 2005. He ended his career as the school's all-time leader in runs batted in (168), home runs (27) and total bases (390), second in hits (252) and runs scored (146).
Gaston, who was four-year letterwinner for the men's basketball team from 1971-75, posted 1,081 career points and grabbed 560 rebounds in his career. He finished his career as the 11th leading scoring in program history and now ranks 25th all-time. He scored 481 points for an average of 17.8 points per game as a senior in 1974-75, and owned a career scoring average of 11.8 points per game.
Joh, an eight-time Horizon League champion, ran track and field for the Penguins from 2005-09. She held the school records in the outdoor 400-meter hurdles, long jump and heptathlon, as well as the indoor pentathlon when her career ended. She was a four-time Horizon League champion in outdoor seasons and a four-time champion in indoor.
Perry, a two-time All-American, was a standout on the YSU football team from 2003-06. He was named Second-Team All-American by the AP in 2006, and was a First-Team All-Gateway Football Conference pick in 2006 and second-team selection in 2005. He had nine career interceptions, was a member of the 2005 and 2006 Gateway Football Conference Championship teams and 2006 FCS National Semifinals team.
Samsa, who starred for the football team from 2006-09, was a 2007 AP Second-Team All-American, a 2008 AP Third-Team All-American and a 2008 AFCA All-American. A two-time All-MVFC First-Team selection (2007-08), he was a second-team All-MVFC pick (2006) and was named a National Football Foundation National Scholar Athlete in 2008.
Saternow was a head coach and associate athletics director at Youngstown State from 1976-2002, serving Penguins athletics for 26 years. She served as an assistant athletics director in charge of women's athletics from 1976-80 while also serving as head softball coach (1978-79) and head volleyball coach (1977-78). Saternow was the associate executive athletics director/senior woman administrator from 1994-2002, and served on several NCAA committees during her tenure.
Savage, who played for the Penguins football team from 2006-09, was a Sports Network First-Team All-American in 2009, an AP Third-Team All-America Team selection in 2009, and a Sports Network Third-Team All-American in 2007. A four-year letterwinner, Savage was also a two-time First-Team All-MVFC selection in 2007 and 2009.
