Charlotte, NC - Eight former student-athletes have been selected to join the NJCAA Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association Hall of Fame class of 2022, as announced by the NJCAA Thursday. See below for more on each of the inductees' successes on and off the field.
Lou Zinser | Nassau Community College (NY) 
Looking back a half-century, many different student-athletes and teams reached their peak within the organization as NJCAA All-Americans and national champions. Lou Zinser was the one who gave the Nassau men's lacrosse program its start as a legitimate program during the beginning years of the late 1960s.
Zinser elected to attend Nassau during the school's first varsity season in 1967. A local player, many other high school student-athletes took notice of his decision to stay home and quickly followed suit. He was an outstanding defender and was able to guard, and regularly shut out many opponents' top players while leading the Lions to its first NJCAA Men's Lacrosse National Championship in 1968.
It has been 55 years since Zinser took the field for the Lions, but those who saw him play continuously speak highly of his ability. Zinser's quickness helped trigger Nassau's signature fastbreak attack that helped the Lions earn a 28-2 record during his career. His decision to stay home led to the arrival of future Hall of Famers David Devine, Artie Seekamp, and Nick Palonco. Each went on to become NJCAA All-Americans and create the Nassau lacrosse dynasty.
Bruce Bruno | Nassau Community College (NY)
Bruce Bruno spent two seasons as a member of the Lions squad, where he would play in back-to-back NJCAA Men's Lacrosse National Championship Games and helped bring home the championship in 1980. In 1980, he was a first-team NJCAA All-America member and in 1981 he was named a NJCAA Second-Team All-American.
After graduating from Nassau, Bruno moved on to play for Cornell (NY). As a member of the Big Red, he was a two-time All-American and a member of the National Runner-Up team in 1987.
Don Thompson | Nassau Community College (NY)
Nassau men's lacrosse program historically has a long list of great midfielders and Don Thompson would be in the conversation for the best in program history. Thompson was known as a fantastic stickhandler and an incredible scorer. His quickness on the field and outstanding ability in clearing situation is what allowed him to be a dominant midfielder.
Thompson helped lead the Lions to their first and second NJCAA Men's Lacrosse National Championship in 1968 and 1969. In 1968, Nassau fell behind 2-1 early in the game, but Thompson changed the tide of the match and helped the Lions win over Baltimore (MD) 15-3. During the contest, Thompson scored five goals and also picked up two assists. In the following year, he scored four goals in the national championship game.
Bill Hughes | Nassau Community College (NY)
Nassau won five-straight titles during the 1980s and Bill Hughes was a part of two of those teams during the historic run. As a member of the 1983 and 1984 NJCAA Men's Lacrosse National Championship teams, Hughes was a key figure in the Lions success. In addition to his national title in 1984, he was named a 1984 NJCAA First-Team All-American.
Hughes went on the play lacrosse at Cornell following Nassau, where he was an All-American during the 1985 season and the Big Red finished with an 8-4 record.
John Niven | Herkimer County Community College (NY)
John Niven has been around the game of lacrosse his entire life, but first made his mark on the sport for the Herkimer program by leading the school to many firsts. He was a two-time regional champion in 1984 and 1985, which were the school's first two all-time appearances at the NJCAA Men's Lacrosse National Tournament. The 1985 season proved to be his best, as he was named a member of the NJCAA 1985 All-Tournament team as well as an NJCAA First-Team All-America member.
Niven moved on to play for Ithaca College (NY) where he was named a team captain in 1986 and 1987. Since graduating, he has been a part of many different lacrosse clubs and schools as a coach. Currently, Niven has served as the director of athletics for Sewanhaka High School in New York and has been in this position since 2002.
Keith Owens | SUNY Farmingdale, Nassau Community College (NY)
Keith Owens was a strong midfielder for both Farmingdale and Nassau during his tenure as an NJCAA student-athlete. Owens began his lacrosse career at Farmingdale for a sole season in 1984. Owens was also a part of the 1986 Nassau NJCAA Men's Lacrosse National Championship team and was named an NJCAA All-American for his efforts during the season. His abilities were recognized by nearby NCAA school Syracuse (NY) who recruited him to be a part of their men's lacrosse program. He became a key contributor to the 1988 team that would win the 1988 NCAA National Championship. That Orange team would become the eighth team in NCAA men's lacrosse history to go undefeated and win the national championship.
Joe Brock | SUNY Farmingdale
Before Farmingdale transitioned into a four-year institution, they were a member of the NJCAA and housed a strong lacrosse program that won three NJCAA NJCAA Men's Lacrosse National titles. Brock was a part of the 1994 team and was named an NJCAA First-Team All-American and helped lead the program to its 20th national tournament appearance.
Brock earned many All-American honors post-transition for Farmingdale, including a two-time NYIT First-Team selection in 1996 and 1997. He was named the USILA National DII Player of the Year in 1997, where he was second in both assists and points during the season. One of his biggest achievements was winning the NCAA DII Championship in the 97 season, where he was a team captain.
Kyle Kernan | Nassau Community College (NY)
Considered one of the best defensemen in the history of the Nassau program, Kyle Kernan made his mark for the Lions. Kernan was a Co-Captain during both of his seasons and was selected as a two-time NJCAA First-Team All-America selection. He was a part of the 1989 NJCAA Men's Lacrosse Runners-Up Championship team and the 1990 National Championship squad, which gave the Lions its 15th title in school history. Kernan continued his playing career at national powerhouse Towson State (MD).