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Â鶹ÊÓƵ honored individuals who have made a lasting contribution to Â鶹ÊÓƵ athletics as it celebrated the 2025 Athletics Hall of Fame inductees this past weekend.

The 2025 Hall of Fame inductees are:

Chris DeMarco ’09, MBA ’11 

Now assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors, Chris DeMarco came to Â鶹ÊÓƵ for his final season of competition and led the team with 15.22 points and 9.87 rebounds per game. His 279 rebounds and 14 double-doubles are still in the top-10 in the CalPac to this day. He was named CalPac Newcomer of the Year and NAIA Honorable Mention All-America. He fell in love with the Bay Area and never left, staying with Â鶹ÊÓƵ to earn a master’s degree before going on to win four NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors while rising through the coaching ranks. He became a full-fledged assistant coach in 2021. DeMarco has served as the head coach of the Bahamas Basketball Men’s National Team since 2019. He led the Bahamians to two upset wins over Argentina in the Olympic Pre-Qualifiers to earn a spot in the 24-team Olympic qualifying round in 2024. DeMarco is frequent visitor to the Conlan Center, where he can be found playing pick-up games with former teammates. 

Watch , , and coverage about Chris DeMarco being inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame. 

Natalie Diaz ’19 

Natalie Diaz is the most decorated women’s basketball player in Â鶹ÊÓƵ history, averaging 24.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game while playing in a combo guard/forward role. Diaz led Â鶹ÊÓƵ past Cal Baptist on their home court in the PacWest quarterfinals while earning PacWest Women’s Basketball Player of the Year and All-America status from both the D2CCA and the WBCA. As a senior Diaz averaged 26 points per game, becoming second nationally. She had 10 30-point games and one 40-point game for the Penguins on the way to becoming the all-time scoring leader in program history, a mark she still holds today. She also ranked in the top-100 in the NCAA Division II in blocked shots, double-doubles, field goal percentage and rebounds per game as a senior leading the team to their first ever appearance in the NCAA West Regionals. Diaz repeated as the PacWest Women’s Basketball Player of the Year and earning All-America honors from the D2CCA and WBCA while adding PacWest Female Athlete of the Year, PacWest Female Scholar Athlete of the Year, Google Cloud Academic All-America honors, and being named as the conference’s nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year. 

Bill Fusco 

The architect of the modern era of college athletics at Â鶹ÊÓƵ, Bill Fusco facilitated some of the largest growth in program history after being hired as athletic director in 1991. Fusco added four intercollegiate teams and more than 100 new student athletes in his first four years. The Penguins saw success follow as several programs grew from single digit wins to 20-win seasons. Fusco spearheaded the creation of the California Pacific Conference (CalPac). He served as the conference’s first commissioner, leading the league for two seasons and earning NAIA Far West Region Administrator of the Year honors for his accomplishments in both the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons. He also served as the NAIA representative on the United States Collegiate Sports Council. After his time as a Penguin, Fusco became the Athletic Director at Sonoma State University, where he served as the President of the Division II Athletic Director Association and helped develop the Division II Model Athletics Department program. In 2020, Fusco was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Hall of Fame. 

Tina Ghirarduzzi ’07 

Tina Ghirarduzzi left Â鶹ÊÓƵ as the top goal scorer in women’s soccer history and second among all soccer athletes. During her career she scored 48 goals and totaled 100 career points over 64 games, both records that stand today. Ghirarduzzi led the Penguins to a 6-7-2 overall record going 4-1-2 in the CalPac. She was named First Team All-CalPac and Co-Female Athlete of the Year. During her career, Ghirarduzzi was a three-time All-Conference Player while being named Player of the Week five times. She went on to compete in the Women’s Premier Soccer League with the San Francisco Nighthawks and internationally with the Blackburn Rovers Women’s Team in England and Höllvikens GIF in Sweden, where she also trained with Malmö FF. 

Dr. Christopher Leeds 

The longtime engine behind 11 of Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s PacWest Academic Achievement Awards, Dr. Christopher Leeds served the campus for over 20 years in the Barowsky School of Business (BSB) and as the Faculty Athletic Representative. Leeds helped oversee the transition of the Penguins from NAIA to NCAA Division II as a key member of the transition committee. Dr. Leeds was awarded the PacWest Faculty Mentor award in both 2018 and 2022 for his exemplary work. Dr. Leeds received many other awards over his career, including the BSB Outstanding Teaching Award, BSB Faculty Service Award in 2012, and the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce 2017 Excellence in Education Award. Upon his retirement in 2023, Dr. Leeds received the Sister M. Aquinas Nimitz, O.P. Award from the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Alumni Association for outstanding service, commitment, and dedication to all members of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ community. 

Willie Long 

No one goes through the halls and sidewalks of Â鶹ÊÓƵ without knowing Willie Long. Since joining Â鶹ÊÓƵ at 18, he has been a beloved source of love, laughter, and support, embodying the Penguin spirit with his ever-positive presence.

Major General Angie Salinas ’76  

Upon her arrival on campus in 1972, General Salinas went to work building a women’s basketball team as a freshman with no coach, no uniforms, and no budget. In just a few short years, the team gained both coaches and support while joining the Athletic Conference of American College Women. She led her team to a 9-3 regular season and an invite to the Muni Bus Classic in 1973. In 1974, the Penguins were back in the Muni Bus Classic as the No. 1 overall seed. General Salinas enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps between her sophomore and junior years. She rose through the ranks to become the first woman of Latina descent and the sixth women overall to become a general officer in the USMC. She also became the only woman to command the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, retiring in 2013 after 39 years of distinguished service to her country. In 2021, General Salinas was awarded the NCAA Legacy Award at the Women’s Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, for her service both nationally and locally.  

1996-97 Women’s Volleyball 

The 1996-97 women’s volleyball team is the first team to be inducted into the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Hall of Fame. Under the guidance of head coach Susan Huffman and assistant coaches Brigitte Moran, Naomi Tinkler, Jared Huffman, and player/coach Jennifer Woodall, the Penguins finished with a record of 25-3. After being selected to participate in the National Small College Athletic Association (NSCAA) Tournament, the Penguins only dropped single game (against York College). The Penguins rode the momentum all the way to the championship game in a rematch with York. The teams continued to go back and forth until Â鶹ÊÓƵ finally dropped a 3-2 match to the Panthers. The Â鶹ÊÓƵ team featured a roster of three NSCAA All-Americans and six All-Conference players, with Huffman being named as CalPac Coach of the Year. The 11 players are: Amy Rahne, Angie Garcia, Jeanne Custodio, Jennifer Woodall, Jennifer Sturdy, Jeri Jones, Michele Burner, Nora Encinas, Rachel Manning, Tara Lynch, and the late Erika Riedel.