Click Here For Release In PDF Format
Click Here For Video Announcement of All Three Inductees
Click Here For NEC Hall of Fame Webpage

Somerset, NJ – Rick Sarille, the leading rusher in Wagner football history with 5,290 yards in a career that spanned from 1995-1999, has been named to the 2017 Northeast Conference (NEC) Hall of Fame Class, the league office announced today. Joining Sarille in the three-person 2017 class is Fairleigh Dickinson jumper/sprinter Sharline White and Edgar Cartotto, former longtime NEC Coordinator of Men's Basketball Officials.
 
The NEC Hall of Fame was established in 2010 to honor those individuals considered to be the "best of the best" to have competed in the league. The seventh NEC induction class brings membership in the prestigious circle to 26 former student-athletes, coaches and administrators.
 
Sarille, a member of Wagner's 2014 Hall of Fame Class, becomes the third Seahawk to be enshrined in the NEC Hall, joining men's basketball player Terrance Bailey, who was a part of the NEC's inaugural class in 2010, and the late Bob Balut, a former administrator at Wagner and the NEC, who was inducted in 2014.
 
"We are so proud of our latest class of NEC Hall of Fame inductees," said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris. "Rick Sarille of Wagner helped put NEC football on the map and set the stage for the conference's exponential growth in the sport over the last 15 years. Sharline White was a national caliber jumper and one of the elite student-athletes in a golden era of track and field at Fairleigh Dickinson. Both inductees represented their institutions with pride, inspired those who followed and set an example of what we hope our current student-athletes will strive to become. We're also thrilled to induct one of our own in Edgar Cartotto, who left a lasting impression in his two plus decades serving as the NEC's Men's Basketball Officiating Coordinator. Congratulations to Rick, Sharline and the Cartotto family!"
 
A threat to take it to the house every time he took a handoff, Sarille was a two-time AP All-American. He earned third team recognition as a junior in 1997, and after red-shirting in 1998 due to an injury, collected first team honors as a senior the following year.
 
Sarille's array of Northeast Conference accolades was highlighted by his selection as the 1999 NEC Player of the Year. He was a three-time All-NEC honoree at running back and a first team all-star as a kick returner in his final season. The Key Biscayne, FL native also garnered 12 NEC Offensive Player of the Week honors throughout his time on Grymes Hill.
 
Sarille's NEC legacy was cemented in 2015 when he was named to the league's 20th Anniversary All-Time Football Team. He was also inducted into the Wagner Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.
 
Sarille remains Wagner's all-time leader with 5,290 rushing yards and 334 career points and owns three of the top-10 rushing seasons in school history, including a personal-best 1,479 yards as a sophomore in 1996. He rushed for 100+ yards 28 times in his illustrious career, including eight 200+ yard outings.
 
Sarille, whose freshman year came one prior to the launch of NEC football in 1996, graduated as the holder of nine NEC career records, including rushing yards (4,460), all-purpose yards (6,253) and scoring (300). Now, 17 years later, he still ranks third in rushing and all-purpose offense, and second in career points.
 
"Rick Sarille was as fine a running back as I've ever coached and we've had a lot of really good ones at Wagner," said Wagner Director of Athletics Walt Hameline. "He was outstanding in all areas - fast, elusive, tough, smart, you name it. In addition to being a tremendous back, he was also terrific on kickoff returns. Rick was the total package. A very special player."