UMass athletics announces four-member hall of fame Class of 2023

The Hixon household better have room for two hall of famers.

Longtime UMass diving coach Mandy Hixon will be a part of the UMass Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023, the school announced Monday. Her husband Dave Hixon, the Amherst College men’s basketball coach of more than 40 years, will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this August.

Mandy Hixon coached Diving at UMass for 16 years from 2002-19 and is part of a four-member class that includes baseball player Muchie Dagliere, women’s soccer player Rebecca Myers and softball player Sara Plourde. The ceremony will take place Friday, Sept. 29 at the Campus Center Auditorium.

Hixon was named the Atlantic 10 diving coach of the year 16 times between her men’s and women’s coaching. She coached 11 Minutewomen to Atlantic 10 Most Outstanding Diver honors and helped Minutemen earn the award six times.

Her tutelage helped Jason Cook become the first UMass diver to qualify for the NCAA meet. Her pupil Michaela Butler became a three-time All-American and finished fourth on the one-meter board in 2013.

Hixon’s career also saw her coach at Amherst College and Williams College, and she was an all-American at Ohio State that competed at the 1984 Olympic diving trials.

Dagliere led the Minutemen to four A-10 division championship and two conference tournament title as a second baseman. He’s the only three-time all-American in program history. The North Haven, Conn., native set the UMass single-season record for hits with 81 as a sophomore. His .444 batting average as a senior is still the highest ever for a Minuteman.

Myers led the Minutewomen to a Final Four in 1993 and three Sweet 16 appearances after that in the midfield. UMass won three conference titles during her tenure. She ranks third in program history with 101 career points and second with 38 goals.

Myers was a three-time All-American and named All-Region four times. She made the 1993 NCAA All-Tournament Team and was the A-10 Tournament MVP in 1994.

Plourde pitched two perfect games and threw 16 no-hitters leading UMass to three NCAA Regional appearances and three A-10 titles. She won 109 games and still holds the program record with 1,662 strikeouts. A two-time All-American, Plourde earned three A-10 Pitcher of the Year Awards and was the 2012 A-10 Player of the Year.

Plourde holds the top three single-season strikeout numbers in UMass history and punched out a record 556 in 2010. She played for the Canadian national team from 2013-19.