Coast Conference Commissioner Dale Murray among distinguished group to be enshrined in Cabrillo College Athletics Hall of Fame

Cabrillo College athletic trainer Dale Murray works with Cabrillo athlete Judy Durand in 1986. (Courtesy Bill Lovejoy, Santa Cruz Sentinel file)

January 17, 2020

APTOS - Former Cabrillo College stars Dann Bilardello, Mariko Ikehata, Leta Stagnaro and Molly Still-McPherson help make up the Seahawks’ accomplished 2020 Athletics Hall of Fame class.

Successful Seahawks coaches Jan Furman and Steve Cox as well as retired athletic director/trainer Dale Murray will also be inducted at Seascape Beach Resort on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Rounding out the Seahawks’ third induction class is the school’s 1977 state championship men’s tennis team and community contributor Dr. Paul Berman, a team physician from 1975-2002.

“I think the committee did a great job of picking a well-deserved class,” said Mark Ramsey, the Seahawks’ athletics director. “Each inductee excelled at Cabrillo and in life and are outstanding representatives of our athletic department, our college and our community.”

Bilardello, a former catcher who played eight years in MLB and serves as manager of the St, Louis Cardinals’ Advanced Single-A affiliate in Palm Beach, Florida, shined for the Seahawks in 1977-78. The former Marello Prep star played both football and baseball for Cabrillo. He was named a football honorable All-American in 1978 as a punter while also playing cornerback and serving as a special teams returner. In baseball, he was drafted twice by MLB organizations in 1978, going in the third round in the January Regular Phase and first round, seventh overall, in the June Secondary Phase.

Ikehata, a swimmer who set several school records in 2003-04, won the 50 backstroke and was second in the 50 freestyle and 100 back at the 2003 state championships. The All-American also posted top-four finishes in the same events in ’04 before transferring and shining at UC Santa Cruz. She works as a chemist for the Canadian Electric Utility.

Stagnaro played the Cabrillo women’s basketball team in 1977-78 and worked as a trainer with the ’79 state championship team. The former Vice President of Student Affairs and Deputy Superintendent at Ohlone College, Stagnaro has been part of the California Community College athletic system since 1976, including work as an athletic trainer. An avid volunteer, she also fundraises for community non-profit organizations and educational institutions.

Still-McPherson shined for the volleyball team in 1988-’89. A middle blocker and outside hitter out of Harbor High, Still-McPherson earned All-American honors during her time with the Seahawks. She led the Seahawks to a fourth-place finish in the 1990 state tournament and returned as an assistant coach in 1991 and ’92, helping the Seahawks return to the state tournament both years.

Click here to read the full story, courtesy of the Santa Cruz Sentinel