5 to be Honored at 60th LetterWinner of Distinction Event
10/1/2025 2:00:00 PM | General
Syracuse University Athletics will celebrate five LetterWinners of Distinction on Nov. 1, 2025 at the 60th celebration of the award.
Hal Cohen '80 (men's basketball), Halley Griggs (Quillinan) '10 (women's lacrosse), Crystal Kelch (Thune) '08 G'09 (women's soccer), Seamus Lyman '95 G'01 (wrestling and men's lacrosse) and Shannon Taylor '08 (field hockey) will be recognized as a LetterWinner of Distinction, which is one of the highest honors that Syracuse Athletics bestows upon former student-athletes and teams.
The event will be held in the Drumlins Country Club Ballroom, with registration available here.
Hal Cohen '80 (Men's Basketball)
Cohen was a four-year letterwinner for the Syracuse men's basketball program. A member of Jim Boeheim's first recruiting class, he helped the Orange reach the NCAA Tournament in four-straight seasons.
The Orange won at least 22 games each year and finished with a 26-4 mark in three of those seasons. Overall, Syracuse was 100-18 with Cohen on the squad.
His contributions and his games played increased in each of his four campaigns with the Orange. As a junior in 1978-79, Cohen saw action in 29 contests, including 21 as a starter. He averaged a career-high 8.1 points and 3.0 assists per game. Cohen played in 30 outings his final year and finished with 108 games played.
Cohen was the fifth Syracuse men's basketball player to earn CoSIDA Academic All-American recognition, earning second-team honors in 1979.
Prior to enrolling at Syracuse, Cohen was a standout performer at Canton Central High School. The Golden Bears won a Section X title and the X-VII intersectional crown during his time. In 2018, he was inducted into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame.
After receiving his medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University, Cohen went on to a successful career as a diagnostic radiology specialist, primarily in Syracuse.
Halley Griggs (Quillinan) '10 (Women's Lacrosse)
Griggs was the fourth player in program history to cross the 200-point threshold during her standout career in Orange. At the conclusion of her playing career, she was third on the all-time goals list (209), third in points (254) and second in caused turnovers (96) and draw controls (166). She still ranks inside the top-11 in program history of all categories presently.
The first four-time IWLCA All-American in program history, Griggs helped lead Syracuse to its first-two Championship Weekend appearances in program history, reaching the national semifinals in both 2008 and 2010 and helping win two BIG EAST Championships. She'd also participate as a member of the US National Team
After graduating from the David B. Falk School in 2010, Griggs continued to be a presence in the women's lacrosse community. She was the Inside Lacrosse Women's Director until 2021, and still serves as an editor at large. She has also worked as a color analyst and reporter for ESPN and held various roles in coaching and served as a club director.
Crystal Kelch (Thune) '08 G'09 (women's soccer)
A four-year starter on the Syracuse women's soccer team, Thune competed for the Orange when the program was in the BIG EAST Conference.
She earned a 2008 'Cuse Award and the team's Abbie Bigelow Award for Courage in 2007, after returning her senior year from season ending injuries in '04, '05 and '06. During this time, she excelled academically, receiving Athletic Director's Honor Roll 4x, BIG EAST All-Academic team and Academic All-American honors.
Thune received her undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences in 2008 and her master's degree from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 2009.
She embarked on a career in sports media, starting as a programming intern at ESPN. Thune became a production assistant with ESPN's Monday Night Football before moving on to Comcast SportsNet NW as an associate producer and studio host. While in Seattle, she hosted original videos on MSN.com before moving into a full-time position at Microsoft where she spent 10 years in roles across sales, engineering, marketing & operations.
Appointed in 2021 to the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission Advisory Board, she has served on leadership councils and strategic task forces to support technology plans and growth. She mentors young professionals and has been a featured speaker at ESPN Edge Conference, Microsoft Women in Tech, and WISE in leadership seminars.
Thune, now Kelch, currently serves as the Vice President of Go-To-Market and Product Adoption at Lumen Technologies.
Samus Lyman '95 G'01 (men's lacrosse/wrestling)
A dual-sport athlete at Syracuse, Lyman was a four-year starter on the Orange wrestling team, following reconstruction of both his shoulders during his freshman year.
In lacrosse, he was a member of two NCAA Championship teams, as a member of both the 1993 and 1995 title winning squads.
He is a member of the Central New York Wrestling Hall of Fame and is a board member of the Friends of Section III Wrestling.
Following Syracuse University, Lyman earned a law degree from Nova Southeastern University in Florida and two LL.M. degrees in International & Comparative Law and Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. Lyman serves as a Senior Partner and General Counsel for Hart Lyman Companies LLC, which owns, develops and invests in commercial, medical, office and mixed use properties throughout the East Coast, including two upcoming transformational projects in Central New York.
Shannon Taylor '08 (Field Hockey)
Taylor was a First Team All-American, First Team All-BIG EAST and helped lead the Orange to the 2008 BIG EAST Championship in her final season at Syracuse.
A finalist for the Honda Sports Award, Taylor helped lead the Orange to its first NCAA semifinals appearance in program history, following a 22-2 campaign.
Taylor went on to become an Olympian, competing for the United States in the London Olympics in 2012. She also helped lead Team USA to a gold medal at the 2011 PanAmerican Games. She played in 111 international matches in her career.
She has continued to be involved in field hockey, having served as both a collegiate and club coach, as well as an official, including officiating at the NCAA Division II Championship.
She currently works for Hagan Sports as an apparel and equipment manager for field hockey, as well as serving as the membership director for the Boys & Girls Club of Central New Hampshire.
Hal Cohen '80 (men's basketball), Halley Griggs (Quillinan) '10 (women's lacrosse), Crystal Kelch (Thune) '08 G'09 (women's soccer), Seamus Lyman '95 G'01 (wrestling and men's lacrosse) and Shannon Taylor '08 (field hockey) will be recognized as a LetterWinner of Distinction, which is one of the highest honors that Syracuse Athletics bestows upon former student-athletes and teams.
The event will be held in the Drumlins Country Club Ballroom, with registration available here.
Hal Cohen '80 (Men's Basketball)
Cohen was a four-year letterwinner for the Syracuse men's basketball program. A member of Jim Boeheim's first recruiting class, he helped the Orange reach the NCAA Tournament in four-straight seasons.
The Orange won at least 22 games each year and finished with a 26-4 mark in three of those seasons. Overall, Syracuse was 100-18 with Cohen on the squad.
His contributions and his games played increased in each of his four campaigns with the Orange. As a junior in 1978-79, Cohen saw action in 29 contests, including 21 as a starter. He averaged a career-high 8.1 points and 3.0 assists per game. Cohen played in 30 outings his final year and finished with 108 games played.
Cohen was the fifth Syracuse men's basketball player to earn CoSIDA Academic All-American recognition, earning second-team honors in 1979.
Prior to enrolling at Syracuse, Cohen was a standout performer at Canton Central High School. The Golden Bears won a Section X title and the X-VII intersectional crown during his time. In 2018, he was inducted into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame.
After receiving his medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University, Cohen went on to a successful career as a diagnostic radiology specialist, primarily in Syracuse.
Halley Griggs (Quillinan) '10 (Women's Lacrosse)
Griggs was the fourth player in program history to cross the 200-point threshold during her standout career in Orange. At the conclusion of her playing career, she was third on the all-time goals list (209), third in points (254) and second in caused turnovers (96) and draw controls (166). She still ranks inside the top-11 in program history of all categories presently.
The first four-time IWLCA All-American in program history, Griggs helped lead Syracuse to its first-two Championship Weekend appearances in program history, reaching the national semifinals in both 2008 and 2010 and helping win two BIG EAST Championships. She'd also participate as a member of the US National Team
After graduating from the David B. Falk School in 2010, Griggs continued to be a presence in the women's lacrosse community. She was the Inside Lacrosse Women's Director until 2021, and still serves as an editor at large. She has also worked as a color analyst and reporter for ESPN and held various roles in coaching and served as a club director.
Crystal Kelch (Thune) '08 G'09 (women's soccer)
A four-year starter on the Syracuse women's soccer team, Thune competed for the Orange when the program was in the BIG EAST Conference.
She earned a 2008 'Cuse Award and the team's Abbie Bigelow Award for Courage in 2007, after returning her senior year from season ending injuries in '04, '05 and '06. During this time, she excelled academically, receiving Athletic Director's Honor Roll 4x, BIG EAST All-Academic team and Academic All-American honors.
Thune received her undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences in 2008 and her master's degree from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 2009.
She embarked on a career in sports media, starting as a programming intern at ESPN. Thune became a production assistant with ESPN's Monday Night Football before moving on to Comcast SportsNet NW as an associate producer and studio host. While in Seattle, she hosted original videos on MSN.com before moving into a full-time position at Microsoft where she spent 10 years in roles across sales, engineering, marketing & operations.
Appointed in 2021 to the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission Advisory Board, she has served on leadership councils and strategic task forces to support technology plans and growth. She mentors young professionals and has been a featured speaker at ESPN Edge Conference, Microsoft Women in Tech, and WISE in leadership seminars.
Thune, now Kelch, currently serves as the Vice President of Go-To-Market and Product Adoption at Lumen Technologies.
Samus Lyman '95 G'01 (men's lacrosse/wrestling)
A dual-sport athlete at Syracuse, Lyman was a four-year starter on the Orange wrestling team, following reconstruction of both his shoulders during his freshman year.
In lacrosse, he was a member of two NCAA Championship teams, as a member of both the 1993 and 1995 title winning squads.
He is a member of the Central New York Wrestling Hall of Fame and is a board member of the Friends of Section III Wrestling.
Following Syracuse University, Lyman earned a law degree from Nova Southeastern University in Florida and two LL.M. degrees in International & Comparative Law and Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. Lyman serves as a Senior Partner and General Counsel for Hart Lyman Companies LLC, which owns, develops and invests in commercial, medical, office and mixed use properties throughout the East Coast, including two upcoming transformational projects in Central New York.
Shannon Taylor '08 (Field Hockey)
Taylor was a First Team All-American, First Team All-BIG EAST and helped lead the Orange to the 2008 BIG EAST Championship in her final season at Syracuse.
A finalist for the Honda Sports Award, Taylor helped lead the Orange to its first NCAA semifinals appearance in program history, following a 22-2 campaign.
Taylor went on to become an Olympian, competing for the United States in the London Olympics in 2012. She also helped lead Team USA to a gold medal at the 2011 PanAmerican Games. She played in 111 international matches in her career.
She has continued to be involved in field hockey, having served as both a collegiate and club coach, as well as an official, including officiating at the NCAA Division II Championship.
She currently works for Hagan Sports as an apparel and equipment manager for field hockey, as well as serving as the membership director for the Boys & Girls Club of Central New Hampshire.
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