Debbie (Ireland) Ackerson became the seventh women inducted into Nyack College’s Athletic Hall of Fame during a homecoming ceremony at the college held Oct. 11. Ackerson was recognized for her achievements in basketball, but she also made notable contributions to the softball team. A plaque with her name, picture and accomplishments will be mounted in the Bowman Gymnasium at Nyack College in Nyack, New York.
During three seasons of basketball, Ackerson led the team to a 36-34 overall record. In the 1987-1988 season, her senior year, she helped the team win the Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference (HVWAC) championship. She averaged 14.5 points per game during her college basketball career, and she is currently ranked ninth on Nyack’s all-time scoring list with 1,018 career points.
In softball, Debbie played four seasons for the Parsons. She led the team to a 39-31 overall record during her career, including one HVWAC Championship and two second place finishes. She was named rookie of the year in 1985 after batting .380 with three doubles, three triples, one home run, 26 RBI and 18 runs scored. She followed that season with a .400 batting average with three doubles, two home runs, 22 RBI, and 18 runs scored.
Ackerson received All-Conference selections in both basketball and softball. In 1988, she received the Nyack College four-year sportsmanship award for her contributions to and achievements in women’s basketball and softball and for her service to the Nyack College community.
“This recognition is long overdue,” said Nyack’s Athletic Director Keith Davie at the banquet honoring Hall of Fame inductees.
“I was caught completely off guard when they called to tell me,” Ackerson said. “It’s an honor that I didn’t expect after all these years. It was a real treat to return to Nyack and show my children where I went to college.”
Nyack College is a Christian liberal arts college of the Christian & Missionary Alliance.
Ackerson grew up in Island Falls, the daughter of the late Rev. Ernest and Ethel Ireland, and is a 1984 graduate of Southern Aroostook Community High School. She is currently an Ed Tech at Pine Street Elementary School and coaches girls basketball and is an assistant softball coach at Presque Isle Middle School.
She and her husband, Rev. James Ackerson, pastor at Bethany Baptist Church, reside in Presque Isle with the four children: Nathan, Kristin, Laurin and Erin.
