Utica, N.Y. - Alison Lesher '08 will join five other inductees being honored at a brunch at noon on Sunday, October 6, at Club Monarch in Yorkville, as they are being inducted into the Class of 2024 Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame.

The first individual national champion in the College's history, Lesher is the first member of the women's swimming and diving program to be elected to the Le Moyne College Hall of Fame. In March 2008, she captured the national championship in the 200-yard butterfly with a school-record time of 2:01.66. In addition to being the only Le Moyne athlete to win a national championship, she became just the second student-athlete in the Northeast-10 Conference's history to win a national championship in the sport of swimming.

The most decorated women's swimmer in the program's history, Lesher was a five-time All-American. To go along with her gold medal at the 2008 NCAA Championships, she placed seventh in the 1000-yard freestyle and the 1650-yard freestyle at her final collegiate event. As a sophomore, she placed fifth in the 200-yard butterfly and received the silver medal in the event as a junior. For her efforts during the season, she was named the 2006-07 Northeast-10 Conference Women's Swimming Athlete of the Year.

In her career, she was selected as the Most Valuable Swimmer at the 2006-07 and 2007-08 Northeast-10 Conference Championships and won 10 conference championships as a Dolphin. At the time of her graduation, she held eight different school records and still holds five of them, including the time from her national championship race. She also holds four Rev. Vincent B. Ryan, S.J. Pool records.

In addition to her accolades in the pool, she was named the 2007-08 Rev. J.J. O'Brien, S.J. Female Senior Athlete Achievement Award recipient, the 2007-2008 Northeast-10 Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the 2007-08 Northeast-10 Woman of the Year. From her NE-10 Woman of the Year recognition, Lesher was selected as a Division II top-10 finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.

During her time at Le Moyne, Lesher was named to the Dean's list for eight semesters and was a Presidential Scholar recipient all four years. She was also a three-time Northeast-10 All-Academic selection and was named to the Commissioners Honor Roll on four occasions.

Alison joins her sister Emily Lesher, a graduate of Nazareth College, in being inducted into the Class of 2024 Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame. Emily won a Division III national championship in the 400 individual medley, breaking a 10-year-old NCAA record, and was a nine-time All-American.

Tickets to the event are $50 for adults, $25 for those under 18, and are available at CNY Awards behind the New Hartford Shopping Center and from board members.