The Blair Athletic Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 has helped shape the landscape and legacy of athletics at the School, bringing distinction to Blair both on and beyond campus. Colin Kilrain ’77, Nicole Helmstetter ’89, Zack Esposito ’02, Paula Hong ’16, and former Assistant Athletic Director and Coach Rick Stowell garnered individual recognition on the hilltop and beyond, while championing the team and sport they loved. For all of their success and passion, Blair Academy is proud to honor them in the Athletic Hall of Fame.

To recognize and celebrate the outstanding athletic achievements of its alumni and coaches, Blair established an Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016. In order to be considered for Hall of Fame membership, nominees must have exhibited the highest caliber of athletic accomplishment during their time at Blair and have been outstanding members of the School community in the areas of scholastic achievement, citizenship, integrity and moral character. Selection is based primarily on athletic accomplishments while a Blair student or coach, although subsequent achievement in athletics or other areas may be considered. Finally, alumni nominees become Hall-of-Fame eligible in the 10th year following their graduation, while coaches become eligible after their retirement from Blair.

Colin J. Kilrain ’77

Vice Admiral Colin Kilrain ’77 spent just one impactful year at Blair as a postgraduate wrestler, but it proved successful in elevating him to national prominence. In 1977, he was the national prep champion in the 189 lb. weight class. After the hilltop, Colin wrestled at Lehigh University, where he was a three-time All American. Colin was ranked number one in the country his last two years at Lehigh and placed third at the NCAAs three times, from 1980 to 1982. He is one of only nine four-time champions in the 110-plus year history of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association and one of just three wrestlers to win a championship at three different weight classes (167, 177 and 190). Colin was a two-time captain at Lehigh and won 90 percent of his matches with a 87-8 record, securing a place among the top 10 wrestlers in the school’s history. Colin also wrestled internationally, earning the opportunity to represent the U.S. on two separate international teams. 

Colin was inducted into the Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007 for his legacy at the school and his career of service as a Naval Special Warfare SEAL officer in the U.S. Navy. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame awarded him the Outstanding American Award at the state level in 2011 and national level in 2014. The award “is presented to those individuals who have used the disciplines of wrestling to launch notable careers in other walks of life.” Colin is the proud father of Sean ’20 and Liam ’23, who continued the family’s wrestling legacy at Blair.

Nicole Helmstetter ’89

A four-year Buc, Nicole Helmstetter ’89 distinguished herself as a three-sport athlete on the hilltop, playing on the field hockey, basketball and softball teams. In the fall of 1987, Nicole assisted the field hockey team in capturing the New Jersey prep “B” state championship. In basketball, she helped the team reach the state finals for the first time since 1977 in her sophomore year and served as captain as a senior, earning all-state honors from the NJ Star Ledger.

However, it was on the softball field where Nicole truly shined. She was Blair’s Most Valuable Player during her first season and again as a junior, leading the team in batting and fielding percentages, and elected captain as both a junior and senior. In the spring of 1988, Nicole captained the New Jersey prep “B” champion team, leading them to a perfect 15-0 record. In recognition of that impressive run, the team was inducted into the Blair Athletic Hall of Fame in 2021. Through all four softball seasons, Nicole was named to the NJ All-State Prep team. She was also honored with All-Area, Northwestern New Jersey, First Team designation. During her junior and senior years, Nicole won the Rick Stowell Prize for softball, and she won the William Zester Memorial Award as a senior, given to the female athlete who best represents Blair in competition.

Zachary Esposito ’02

During his four years at Blair Academy, Zack Esposito ’02 established himself as one of the most accomplished wrestlers in school history. He earned three individual national prep championship titles and helped the team to a first-place finish each year. A fierce competitor, he was a two-time Ironman champion, two-time ASICS High School All-American and three-time Beast of the East champion. Along with his national recognition, Zack earned Blair’s Stephen Curry Prize for marked improvement during his first year at the School, Robert Dalling Prize for the student who best represented the School in athletic competition at graduation and the Jamieson Wrestling Prize.

Zack continued his impressive wrestling career at Oklahoma State University (OSU) as a three-time NCAA All-American and three-time Big 12 Conference Champion, winning four-straight NCAA Team Championships. Zack captured the 2005 NCAA Championship and became one of the most accomplished wrestlers in OSU history. He is tied for 10th at OSU with 120 career victories, and his 32 career major decisions stands sixth on the Cowboys’ all-time list. He proudly represented the United States on the international stage at the 2008 World Cup.

After college, he remained on the Oklahoma State University coaching staff for 14 years, coaching 44 All-Americans and helping the Cowboys to six team Big 12 championships and 48 individual Big 12 titles. His coaching resume extends internationally, where he has coached the U.S. winning teams at the 2018 World Cup and the 2017 Junior Freestyle Worlds. Today, he continues to shape the sport of wrestling as the associate head coach at North Carolina State University, continuing to produce NCAA champions and multiple All-Americans. In his first year at NC State, Zack helped lead the Wolfpack to an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. 

Paula Hong ’16

As a ninth grader in 2013, Paula Hong ’16 notably blazed her way onto the golf course as the overall champion in the Swing Against Cancer Tournament at Peddie School, defeating both boys’ and girls’ fields with a final score of 71. Her dominance on the course only grew from there. A four-time All-MAPL and three-time NJ prep “A” state champion, she maintained an impressive average career score of 39 and is the only girl in program history to win multiple individual state championships. Paula captained not only the golf team, but also the volleyball team, which she played on for all four years. In recognition of her achievements, she received the golf award twice and the 2016 William Zester Memorial Award, given to the female athlete who best represents Blair in competition.

Paula matriculated to Georgetown University as a government major with a minor in journalism. While there, she completed many internships, including a stint at ESPN as a multimedia intern for the renowned Pardon the Interruption show. After graduating Georgetown, she followed her passion with golf as a tour media official with the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), promoting the LPGA Tour brand by elevating player stories and events through daily tournament coverage, press materials and feature writing, while comanaging LPGA Korea social media and coordinating with PR agencies and tournament directors to ensure strong media coverage. Today, she covers all verticals, including sports, for her clients who invest in digital programmatic advertising at StackAdapt and recently obtained her MBA from UMass Amherst.

Coach Rick Stowell Sr.

Assistant Director of Athletics and Coach Rick Stowell dedicated 23 years to Blair athletics and the generation of young athletes he mentored in football, basketball and baseball. Coach Stowell was named the New Jersey Herald Basketball Coach of the Year in 1973, and he helped lead the 1974 football team to an undefeated season. In 1978, he coached the baseball team to a first-place ranking by the New Jersey Herald. The Classes of 1965 and 1971 dedicated the ACTA yearbook to Coach Stowell as a testament to his leadership and impact, and he was inducted into the Sussex County Sports Hall of Fame in 1977. The dedication in the 1971 ACTA reads “To Rick Stowell, for your whole and earnest giving of yourself to us all.”

Beyond the championships and team titles, Coach Stowell’s greatest legacy may be the athletes he helped shape. He mentored several future Blair Athletic Hall of Fame inductees, including Craig Scott ’68, Mike ’71 and Mark ’74 Lieberman, Thomas McLean ’73, Skip Waddell ’73 and David “Moochie” Waddell ’76. After Blair, he went on to coach baseball at Boca Raton Academy, where he continued to make his mark with a regional championship in 1982. Coach Stowell and his wife, Teresa, proudly raised three sons, Rich Jr. ’76, Randy ’79 and Ronnie, before he passed away in 2001.

The annual selection process is overseen by Director of Athletics Paul Clavel ’88, and members of the School community are invited to suggest nominees for the Hall’s Class of 2027. Nominations for the Class of 2027 must be made by December 31, 2026.