General 12/18/2025 12:00:00 AM

Hall of Fame Inductee: Deb Andress

On Oct. 11, Penn State Abington (formerly Penn State Ogontz) announced the inaugural class of its new Athletics Hall of Fame in conjunction with the 75^th anniversary of the university honoring 10 legendary inductees. The announcement was made at halftime of the men's soccer game at Memorial Field with Abington Chancellor Dr. Gary Liguori and Director of Athletics, Intramurals & Recreation Erin Foley. Click here for official announcement.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026 from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. at the Philmont Country Club. Registration and cocktail hour begins at 2 p.m. with the ceremony beginning at 3 p.m. The event is open to the public. Ticket sales will end on Jan. 1, 2026. To purchase tickets, click here.

We'll be featuring each inductee leading up to the induction ceremony in January. Today, we highlight the inspirational career of Deb Andress, who first stepped foot on the campus of Penn State Ogontz in 1976 as a student-athlete.

Our next Hall of Fame feature highlights the amazing career of Deb Andress who first stepped foot on the campus of Penn State Ogontz in 1976 as a student-athlete. Andress was a two-sport student-athlete competing on the field hockey team as well as the swimming and diving team.

Andress spent two years at Ogontz before transferring up to University Park. She spent two seasons playing for fellow Hall of Fame inductee Jeanne Bradley on the field hockey team as well as competing on the swimming and diving team for another Hall of Famer in Jim McGettigan. Andress earned Commonwealth Campus Athletic Conference (CCAC) all-conference honors in both the 200-medley relay and 200-freestyle relay during the 1976-77 and 1977-78 CCAC Championships. She was named the Penn State Ogontz Outstanding Female Athlete in 1978. The award is one of the oldest and most prestigious in the department's history.

At University Park, Andress was part of the 1979 and 1980 AIAW National Championship women's lacrosse teams. She helped the Nittany Lions complete a three-peat winning national titles from 1978-1980. The team went undefeated in 1979 with a 17-0 record. Andress also played field hockey while at University Park and was a member of the 1979 team that finished second in the AIAW Championship.

Andress returned to Ogontz to coach the field hockey team during the 1980-81 academic year and then again from 1984-1992. Andress accumulated a program record 55 victories and had three second place finishes in the PAIAW. The team won a record nine games twice in 1988-89 and 1990-91.

In addition to field hockey, Andress had a big impact in the lacrosse community and was a pioneer for women's lacrosse in the Philadelphia area and beyond. She was a member of the US national team from 1980-1984 and played for the Philly I and II club teams, which she also coached for eight years. She founded and directed the Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Lady Bulldogs youth lacrosse programs as well as the D and D Sports Camps with Dee Cross and the Five Star Lacrosse Camps.

When Penn State Abington added women's lacrosse as a varsity sport in 2008, it only made sense to have Andress, who was already a full-time instructor in Kinesiology, build and grow the new program as the first-ever head coach. After a year hiatus, Andress returned to the sidelines in 2010 and guided the Nittany Lions for two more seasons before resigning after the 2012 campaign. Andress led the team to its first appearance in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) tournament that year and had six players earn All-NEAC honors.

Andress is a member of the City All-Star Chapter of the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame (2001) as well as the Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame (2015).

Andress passed away in 2014 and left a lasting legacy on the Penn State community since her arrival in 1976 as a student-athlete. She spent over 30 years as a Nittany Lion impacting the lives of many as a teammate, coach, instructor and friend.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026 from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. at the Philmont Country Club. Registration and cocktail hour begins at 2 p.m. with the ceremony beginning at 3 p.m. The event is open to the public. Ticket sales will end on Jan. 1, 2026. To purchase tickets, click here.

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