RCC Sports Hall of Fame to Induct Three New Members

The three new inductees will be honored at the event, along with the recipient of the Cliff L. Wood Service Award. They join the 49 individuals, five Service Award winners and one team previously enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

The cost per person is $65, and includes hors d’ouevres, dinner, dessert and beverages. For reservations or more information, call the RCC Athletic Department at 845-574-4452 or 845-574-4512. Reserve your place by January 15.

This year’s honorees are:

Pat Carey, Class of 1996, Baseball
A 1994 North Rockland High School graduate, Carey helped the Rams to three consecutive Class A state championships from 1992-94. In his senior year, Carey was selected as the Rockland County Player of the Year and was the runner-up for the Journal News State Player of the Year.

Carey played two seasons at shortstop for Rockland Community College. In 1995, he helped the Hawks win the Region XV title; in 1996, he was named Mid-Hudson Conference Player of the Year. Carey went on to finish his successful college baseball career at Providence College.

Carey returned to RCC to serve as an assistant baseball coach for three years before being named head coach in 2003. The Hawks had a record of 44-28 during his head coaching tenure. Carey was named the Region XV coach of the year in 2003 and 2004 while the team won the Mid-Hudson Conference and Region XV championships. He moved on to serve as an assistant coach at Fordham University for one season before taking over as the head coach at Iona College in 2005. Carey had his most successful season at Iona just last year, leading the Gaels to the Mid-Atlantic Conference championship game

Carey resides in Stony Point with his wife, Diana, who is an Associate Professor at RCC in the Exercise & Human Performance department and serves as the Hawks’ athletic trainer. They have two children, A.J. and Nicole.

John Kolesar, Class of 1989, Lacrosse
In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, RCC fielded a men’s lacrosse team, and one of its greatest players was John Kolesar. In his two seasons, Kolesar established a new standard for lacrosse players in an era where the sport was still growing regionally.

Kolesar set numerous school records, including most points in a game (9), season (73), and career (132). He was selected to the All-Region team, and was named a NJCAA All-American. Following his graduation from RCC, Kolesar earned a scholarship to play at St. John’s University, where he would be named to the NCAA Division I All-Academic team.

A three-sport athlete at North Rockland High School, Kolesar earned varsity letters in football, track, and lacrosse. He was a member of three Section I football championship teams, and was named All-League and All-Section in lacrosse.

Currently, Kolesar serves as an Assistant Principal at North Rockland High School. He has coached at various levels of lacrosse, from youth to college, for over 25 years, and co-founded the Warwick Youth Lacrosse League. Kolesar lives in Nanuet with his wife Debbie and step-daughter Kelly. His two adult sons, John and James, both played lacrosse at the college level.

Nick Volchok, Class of 2002, Basketball
A 1999 graduate of Gorton High School in Yonkers, Volchok was a two-time captain and three-year varsity letterman who started every game of his high school career.  Volchok had a strong freshman season at Cazenovia College in upstate New York before deciding to transfer to RCC.

Playing for the Hawks in 2001-02, Volchok set a school single-season record for three-pointers made in a season (111), and was named 2nd team All-Region and 2nd team All-Conference as RCC reached the Region XV final. After graduating, Volchok accepted a full athletic scholarship to play at Mercy College, where he scored over 1,000 points.

Volchok spent three of the next five years playing professional basketball in Italy and Germany. He scored a career-high 52 points in a German Cup game and connected on 11-of-12 three-pointers against a league rival in Italy. Volchok also had short stints playing semi-pro in the states with the Westchester Phantoms (ABA) and Portland Chinooks (IBL).

When his playing career ended, Volchok spent two years as an assistant coach at Plattsburgh State and Mercy College. He then joined House of Sports as a full-time staff member, and soon took over as Director of Girls’ Basketball, going on to coach the 8th grade girls’ AAU National Champions. In 2015, Volchok created the Empire State Basketball Club, a year-round girls’ AAU organization which currently boasts more than 80 players and has already sent 15 players on to play at the college level.

Dr. Cliff L. Wood Service Award
Kevin Nulty, Class of 1973
In his 42-year career in law enforcement, Nulty rose through the ranks of the Town of Orangetown Police Department, reaching his current position of Chief of Police in 1997. After graduating from RCC with an AAS in Criminal Justice, he earned a BA in Political Science/Government from SUNY Oneonta and a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from LIU/C.W. Post College.

Nulty is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and past President of the Police Chiefs Association of Rockland County. He is also a member of many organizations, including the RCC Alumni Association.

RCC figures prominently in his family’s education with his two brothers, three stepbrothers, wife and sister in-law all having completed their associate degrees at the College. Nulty’s children all took courses at RCC to obtain credits toward their four-year degrees. He has been married to his wife, Ann, for 38 years and has three adult children and two grandchildren.