NEW HAVEN, Conn. (September 1, 2026) – The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference has elected four individuals into its Hall of Fame, CACC Commissioner Dan Mara announced today. The conference will recognize the honorees throughout the 2026-27 academic year with various on-campus events.
The CACC Hall of Fame Class of 2026 consists of Rob Albano, men’s cross country student-athlete from Felician University; Rosa’Lynn Burton, softball student-athlete from Wilmington University; Demond Cowins, men’s basketball student-athlete from New Jersey Institute of Technology; and Sandra Michael; former director of athletics at Holy Family University.
“The 2026 Hall of Fame class is exceptional and truly reflects the breadth and excellence of the CACC,” Mara said. “Each inductee brought regional and national attention to the CACC through their exploits. From record-setting student-athletes to a visionary administrator who helped shape the conference itself, this group represents the very best of the CACC. They will go down as some of the most historic figures in conference history and it is fitting that we recognize them with induction into the conference’s Hall of Fame.”
ROB ALBANO (Felician Men’s Cross Country)
The first men’s cross country runner elected to the CACC Hall of Fame, Rob Albano was the sport’s first male to win the conference Runner of the Year Award twice (2011, 2012). He was the frontrunner for Felician’s CACC team championship squads in 2010 and 2011. As a senior in 2012, he won all four of his regular-season races before repeating as the conference champion.
Albano is a three-time All-CACC honoree and two-time All-East Region selection. A two-time Academic All-American®, he was chosen as the 2012-13 CACC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He still owns Felician’s top four 8,000-meter times, the 10,000-meter record, and 12 school course records. Since graduating from Felician in 2014, Albano has won 176 road races. He was inducted into the Felician Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021. Albano is a science teacher at Valley Middle School in Oakland, N.J., and was recently named the cross country coach at Saddle River Day School.
ROSA’LYNN BURTON (Wilmington Softball)
Rosa’Lynn Burton was named an All-American following all three of her complete seasons for the Wildcats. The 2017 CACC Rookie of the Year and the 2019 Player of the Year, she helped lead the Wildcats to the 2019 conference championship. During that junior season, she batted .517 (fifth in Division II) and won the NFCA Golden Shoe Award after stealing 60 bases in 60 attempts. Wilmington made two NCAA Regional appearances during her career.
Despite her senior 2020 campaign being cut short after 10 games due to COVID-19, Burton accumulated career totals of 282 hits, 179 runs scored, 19 triples, and 154 stolen bases with a .483 batting average, all program records. She owns a B.S. degree in environmental science & policy (2020) and an M.Ed. in special education (2023) from Wilmington. Burton teaches special education in her hometown of Dover, Del., and has stayed involved with softball by giving private lessons.
DEMOND COWINS (NJIT Men’s Basketball)
Demond Cowins was one of the premier student-athletes of NJIT’s Division-II era, playing for the Highlanders from 2000-04. A two-time First-Team All-CACC selection, he helped lead NJIT to the CACC regular-season title as a junior in 2002-03. The following season, he averaged 21.4 points with league highs of 10.9 rebounds and 2.00 blocks per game and was chosen to the D2CCA All-Region Second Team and as the Met Writers D-II Men’s Player of the Year. Cowins graduated as the NJIT’s second all-time leading scorer (1,909 points) and fourth in career rebounds (959).
Following his graduation from NJIT in 2004, he played professionally in four countries. Cowins, who was inducted into the NJIT Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020, is a teacher and the former boys’ basketball coach at West Orange (N.J.) High School. He was named Division Coach of the Year following his final season of 2022-23. Cowins is the founder of the basketball consulting business Hoop Navigation and the director of the West Orange Elite Huskies Basketball Club. He is also being inducted into the Newark Athletic Hall of Fame in October.
SANDRA MICHAEL (Holy Family Director of Athletics)
Sandra Michael was the first Director of Athletics at then-Holy Family College, beginning her tenure in 1985. She played a pivotal role in the growth and development of the institution’s athletics program and student-athletes. When she was appointed, the Philadelphia school sponsored just three club sports. By the time she concluded her 32-year tenure, Tiger Athletics had grown to 15 varsity intercollegiate programs with more than 3,000 student-athletes competing on a national level. Under Michael’s leadership, Holy Family joined the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in 1986 and later completed its transition to NCAA Division II in 2003. After the construction of the Campus Center gave the program its first facilities in 1989, she spearheaded an extensive fundraising campaign to create the state-of-the-art Holy Family Fitness Center, which opened in 2003.
Michael took great pride in mentoring student-athletes, emphasizing the importance of earning their college degree while representing themselves as model citizens. She also encouraged them to give back to their communities and spearheaded the creation of the Build the Library Initiative, through which student-athletes collected new books and donated them to local elementary school libraries.
Michael’s influence extended well beyond the Holy Family campus. She took pride in the growth and development of the CACC, actively participating in various community service initiatives and playing a key role in recruiting new members. She served a four-year term on the NCAA Division II Management Council (2009-14) and chaired the Committee from 2010-14. Additionally, she held leadership positions with the D-II Women’s Basketball Committee (2004-08, 2017), chairing it in 2006-08, and as president of the CACC Director’s Council.
Her accomplishments have earned her numerous honors. Michael is a two-time recipient of the NAIA Female Athletics Administrator of the Year Award and was twice recognized as Athletics Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (2002, 2009). In 2009 she was inducted into the inaugural class of the Holy Family University Athletics Hall of Fame in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to Tiger Athletics. A Philadelphia native, Michael earned a Bachelor of Science degree in health, physical education, recreation and dance from Temple University, and a Master of Education degree from Holy Family. Her career and leadership helped establish the foundation for the continued growth and success of Holy Family Athletics.
Founded in 1961, the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference has been affiliated with NCAA Division II for 21 years. Conference institutions compete for championships in 18 sports – seven for men, 10 for women, and one co-ed. The CACC contains 11 full members in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Membership includes the University of Bridgeport, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Dominican University New York, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Post University, Thomas Jefferson University, and Wilmington University.