Photo courtesy of the Corning-Painted Post Hall of Fame

CORNING, N.Y. (WENY) - The Corning-Painted Post Sports Hall of Fame added 11 new members to its prestigious ranks Saturday afternoon, honoring athletes and contributors whose achievements, records and dedication have left a lasting impact on the local sports community. 

This year marked the 49th annual C-PP Sports Hall of Fame Banquet, a celebration of excellence that recognizes standout athletes across multiple sports. The Class of 2025 features:

• Zack Sullivan - Baseball
• Mike Speroni - Baseball
• Tim DeGraw - Bowling
• Brad Comfort - Lacrosse
• Conor Flynn - Lacrosse
• Joe Rossettie - Lacrosse
• Bill Hopkins - Contributor
• Timothy Shaddock - Contributor
• Taylor Jubilee - Track & Field
• Seth Spicer - Track & Field
• John Hartman - Football

Among those honored was Joe Rossettie, a former lacrosse standout at Corning East High School, where he graduated in 1994. Regarded as one of the best one-on-one defensemen in Trojans history, Rossettie continued his career at Cornell University under legendary coach Rich Moran, starting three years for the Big Red. 

"It's an incredible honor", Rossettie said. "It's definitely  one part of me. What's most important to me obviously is my family, my faith, and you know, this is just kind of the icing on the cake. So it's, like I said, an incredible honor."

Another inductee, Taylor Jubilee, graduated from Corning-Painted Post in 2016 as a decorated track and field athlete. She holds both the indoor and outdoor school records in long jump, as well as the indoor and outdoor records in triple jump. 

"It means a lot to me", Jubilee said. "Sports were really like a foundation for me. They really made me the person who I am today and really created my discipline and work ethic, so I'm really really proud to be get to be inducted into this Hall of Fame today."

In addition to the 2025 inductees, the banquet also recognized the recipients of the George Bacalles Award, which is given annually to four C-PP senior student-athletes who excel both on and off the field. These individuals exemplify strong character, academic success, and leadership within their teams and community. 

George Bacalles, a former member of the C-PP Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors, was a dedicated supporter of youth athletics. This year's recipients were Lilia Mack, Gracee Work, Brenden Jardin-Reed, and Zuri Ruffin. 

Gracee Work reflected on what it meant to receive the honor. "It means so much to be around everyone and have the support from my coaches, my family, my teammates and everyone, and to see his legacy that's been left on for 50 years now and to see this award keep going so far and see everyone come back. It's just amazing."

Brenden Jardin-Reed spoke about the significance of the award. "I know that the Bacalles Award it's a great honor to receive it. It means you're doing a lot of right things, being good in your community and also excelling athletically, which it's great to have that reassurance that I'm doing good."

For Lilia Mack, the recognition was a surprise but an exciting one. ". I was really excited. I had heard about the award and I knew people who had gotten it before, so it was a cool thing that I didn't really think of for myself."

As another Hall of Fame class is cemented in Corning sports history, the banquet served as a reminder of the rich athletic tradition in the community, one that continues to inspire future generations.