WATERLOO, Ont. (September 30, 2011) - On a night filled with laughs, tears and memories, six new members were enshrined into the Golden Hawk Hall of Fame as a part of Wilfrid Laurier's 100th Homecoming celebrations Friday night at the Senate and Board Chamber on the campus of Wilfrid Laurier University.

Four athletes, one builder and one team were inducted as members of the historic class. Football's Jesse Alexander and Yannick Carter, basketball's Meaghan McGrath and hockey's Ashley Stephenson were inducted in the athletes category and former Vice-President: University Advancement Arthur Stephen was inducted in the builders category. Rounding out the evening was the 1961 football team in the team category, 50 years after they won the university's first provincial championship.

Alexander was inducted for an oustanding five year career (2002 to 2006) with the Golden Hawks. He made a name for himself in 2004 when he set then-career highs in total tackles, solo tackles, assisted tackled, sacks and interceptions en route to helping Laurier win the Yates Cup. Following the season, he was named an OUA First Team All-Star and CIS Second Team All-Canadian. In 2005, Alexander was once again a key member of the Golden Hawks defence that shutdown opponents week in and week out as Laurier won their first Vanier Cup since 1991. Returning for his fifth and final season, Alexander finished fourth in the nation in tackles, earning OUA First Team All-Star and CIS First Team All-Canadian honours. As an added bonus, Alexander was named the recipient of the President's Trophy as the top male athlete at Laurier following the season.

Carter, who was teammates with Alexander, joins the hall of fame thanks to his role as an integral member of the Golden Hawks championship teams in 2004 and 2005. In his second season with the team, Carter recorded 24.5 total tackles, three forced fumbles, one sack and one interception as Laurier posted their first 8-0 season in team history and captured their first Yates Cup in 13 years. In 2005, the linebacker was named an OUA Second Team All-Star as the Golden Hawks captured both the Yates Cup and the Vanier Cup, only the second the school history. Carter would finish his career by posting career-highs in total tackles, solo tackles and assisted tackles while leading the nation in sacks, earning OUA First Team All-Star and CIS First Team All-Canadian honours in 2006.

McGrath was inducted after enjoying an outstanding four year career as a guard with the women's basketball team from 2002-03 to 2005-06. In her rookie season with the Hawks, McGrath led the team in scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game, earning her OUA West Rookie of the Year honours and a spot on the CIS All-Rookie Team. She also led her team to their first-ever appearance at the CIS Championship after helping Laurier to an OUA Bronze Medal. The three-time OUA First Team All-Star would also guide her team back to the national championships in her second season. 

However, it was in her third and fourth seasons with the team where she established herself as one of the top players in the country. McGrath averaged 16.6 and 19.3 points per game respectively in her last two seasons, and in 2005-06, she was named the OUA West Player of the Year, a CIS Second Team All-Canadian and the winner of the Presidents Trophy. She currently ranks sixth all-time in the OUA in scoring with 1,369 career points. 

Stephenson, the fourth and final athlete to enter the Golden Hawk Hall of Fame in 2011, played defence for the women's hockey team between 2001-02 and 2005-06.  During her five year career at Laurier, Stephenson was a four-time OUA All-Star who guided the Golden Hawks to four OUA Championships, including two as team captain in her final two seasons. She burst onto the stage in 2002-03 when she led all Golden Hawks defencemen in scoring with 21 points, earning her first OUA All-Star nod. During the 2004-05 season, her most impressive at Laurier, Stephenson led the Golden Hawks to the team's first CIS women's hockey championship where she was not only named a tournament all-star but the tournament MVP as well. In her final year with Laurier, her strong play on the blue line earned her OUA First Team All-Star, CIS First Team All-Canadian and CIS tournament all-star honours. 

Stephen, entering the Golden Hawk Hall of Fame as a builder, retired from his position of Vice-President: University Advancement in 2008. Stephen originally joined the university as an employee in 1974, one year after graduating from the school. He would go on to serve in numerous senior administrative positions but it was his time as Vice-President: University Advancement for which he will be best remembered. Stephen is widely credited for developing one of the most accomplished university advancement programs in Canada, recognized for its innovation and leadership in institutional identity, fundraising and student recruitment. In 2008-09, he was first honoured by the Department of Athletics and Recreation as the recipient of the Tuffy Knight Award for his work in making athletics a key part of the Laurier experience. Through his tenure he has been a key contributor to Golden Hawk athletic facilities and teams. He supported the development of Alumni Field and the University Stadium renewal and through the 1980's, was a volunteer head coach for the squash team. Stephen can still often be seen at many Golden Hawk events with a camera capturing the purple and gold highlights.

The 1961 football team enters the hall of fame 50 years after they captured their provincial title in the first year of competitive football at Wilfrid Laurier, then known as Waterloo Lutheran. Coached by Bob Celeri, the team competed in the Ontario Intercollegiate Athletic Association against Ryerson Institute of Technology (RIT), Royal Military College (RMC) and Hamilton Institute of Technology (HIT). From their opening contest, the team showed themselves to be the class of the conference, winning their first five contests by a combined score of 199-25. In their final game of the season, the team tied RIT 14-14 but their previous success was more than enough to help them earn the title of champions.