Newspaper clippings, medals, plaques, photos and two pairs of brightly colored trousers adorned eight tables at the?Westin Hotel in?Waltham last Sunday, one table for each of the former athletes inducted into the Brandeis University Joseph M. Linsey Athletic Hall of Fame. The 13th induction ceremony and accompanying brunch were run by the Brandeis University Department of Athletics, and the Friends of Brandeis Athletics commemorated the occasion.

The honorees for the Class of 2009 included Arthur "Bud" Collins, a Brandeis tennis coach; Theresa Ceriello '03, a former member of the volleyball team; Kevin Curtin '84, a former member of the men's track and field and cross country teams; Marc Eisenstock '72, a former member of the baseball and men's basketball teams; Virginia Lypscon Richburg '81, a former member of the women's track and field and cross country teams; Tim Morehouse '00, a former member of the men's fencing team; Michael Novaria '91, a former member of the men's soccer team; and Donald Soffer '54, a former member of the football team.

Collins, who coached the tennis squad to a 7-0 record in its debut season and a 30-3 record in its first three seasons, was the first to speak at the ceremony. Before discussing his tenure at Brandeis, Collins, an International Hall of Fame tennis inductee and storied professional tennis commentator, spoke lightheartedly of his signature brightly colored trousers.

"Somebody asked me, 'Why do you wear those crazy trousers?' and I said, 'For occasions like this; if I spill the food, who would know the difference?'" Collins joked.

Collins said he had never coached prior to his arrival at Brandeis, "But I learned along the way, and the players did the heavy lifting, or at least the heavy hitting."

Novaria, who tallied the third-highest number of points and goals in Brandeis soccer history, with 123 and 50, respectively, focused his acceptance speech on the academic and athletic opportunities to succeed that his family, coaches and teammates provided him.

"I am forever grateful for having had the opportunity to come [to Brandeis]," he said.

Novaria said that he hopes to provide such opportunities to his own children and other student athletes.

Soffer, who earned the Morris Sepinuck Sportsmanship Award during his junior year as a lineman on the Judges' first football team, highlighted the special nature of Brandeis as an institution, regardless of its small size.

Eisenstock also discussed the impact that Brandeis had on him as both a student and an athlete. During his tenure on the basketball team, Eisenstock shot 78 percent from the foul line. He also played all nine positions as a baseball player and participated in the club football program.

"My years at Brandeis were four of the most transformative years of my life," Eisenstock said in his speech.

Richburg, currently a mathematics teacher at Randolph Union High School in Randolph, Vt., ran track and cross country for four years at Brandeis.

Richburg was the first female athlete at Brandeis to qualify for the NCAA Track and Field Championships.

As the founder of the track program at Randolph Union High School, Richburg said she has continued to pursue the sport that she loves.

Curtin, also a runner, finished 15th at the 1983 NCAA Cross Country National Championships and garnered All-American honors as a senior.

Curtin, who also ran track and field, holds a Judges record in the 3,000-meter run.

Morehouse, the first Brandeis alumnus to ever reach the Olympic Games and earn a medal, captured four University Athletic Association titles and traveled to three NCAA Championships.

He also earned the silver medal as a member of the United States Men's Fencing team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"So much of what I [accomplished] started here at [Brandeis] with coach [Bill] Shipman," Morehouse said.

Ceriello, the first-ever volleyball inductee, rounded out the acceptance speeches.

"My experience at Brandeis is something that I keep very near and dear to me," said Ceriello, who has tallied the most assists, aces and matches played of Brandeis volleyball players to date.

Overall, the eight members of the Brandeis athletic family that returned for the ceremony expressed appreciation for their time spent with the University.

Director of Athletics Sheryl Sousa '90 best summed up the significance of the event and the inductees' contribution to the?University over the years in her opening remarks at the start of the ceremony, saying, "You have truly shown us how to strive for excellence [and] how to be the best at what you do.