Rockville Centre, N.Y. – The Department of Athletics has announced the 2023 class that will be inducted into the Molloy University Athletic Hall of Fame. The class features three alumni that had truly standout impacts on their respective sports during their time sporting the Lions uniform. The induction ceremony will take place on Friday, February 10, 2023 on the campus of Molloy University in Rockville Centre, N.Y. Tickets are available here.
 
 
Tracey Balinskas, softball (2013-16)
Tracey Balinskas encompassed the full picture of what it meant to be a Molloy student-athlete: excelling on the field as a four-year member of the softball team, performing at the highest level in the classroom as a multi-year Scholar-Athlete, and dedicating her time to being an involved member of the community in various service projects.
 
While donning the maroon and white, Balinskas took home an East Coast Conference Championship as a freshman in 2013, appeared in two NCAA Tournaments, was named an All-Conference First Team selection all four seasons, earned the league's Player of the Year distinction as a junior, tabbed to All-Region squad four times by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and the Conference Commissioners Association and was an All-America Honorable Mention.
 
Off the field, she was a three-time NFCA Scholar-Athlete, the 2016 ECC Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, an Academic All-District and All-American selection by the College Sports Information Directors of America, and was a Top-30 honoree for the annual NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
 
Her name is etched in the softball record books as the all-time doubles leader while ranking second in hits, runs, and total bases, third in home runs and slugging percentage, and fourth in walks. She also holds the single-game record for hits, walks, and home runs.
 
Conor Gallagher, men's cross country/track and field (2012-16)
Conor Gallagher was an integral member of the men's indoor track and field program that won back-to-back East Coast Conference Championships in 2012-13 and 2013-14. At the 2012-13 Championship, the record that was set in the 4 x 800 meter relay is a time that still stands today. In total, Gallagher's name appears in the record books in four events for track and holds three of the top-10 times in the cross country records.
 
Throughout his time as a Lion, Gallagher ran to four All-Conference performances on the cross country fields, including the 2012 ECC Rookie of the Year as well as 15 All-Conference performances during track and field season.
 
In his final race with Molloy, the distance runner earned the Most Outstanding Athlete of the ECC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, winning the 1500 meter race before placing second in both the 800 meter and 5000 meter, where he ran to a new personal-best time.
Gallagher's time with the Lions did not come to an end after exhausting his eligibility, spending four years as an assistant with the cross country and track and field program.
 
Joe Leonard, men's lacrosse (2013-15)
Joe Leonard is arguably one of the most effective offensive players in the history of the Molloy men's lacrosse program.
 
The attackman made an immediate impact upon arrival to Molloy as a sophomore, leading the conference in assists and ranking second in points. Leonard would go on to earn three All-Conference selections, one Offensive Player of the Year award, one All-American selection, and two NCAA Statistical Championships for leading the country in points per game (5.6, 2015) and assists per game (3.1, 2013).
 
He would graduate as the program's all-time leader in points and shots on goal per game as well as the single-game record holder in assists and points, records that still hold today. Leonard's name can also be found in the record books in all-time goals, assists, goals per game, assists per game, points per game, shots, shots per game, and shots on goal.