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WEST SENECA -- Section VI will induct 11 new members to its Hall of Fame later this year and one of them is a Chautauqua County native who made a name for herself during a long and successful career as an NCAA women's volleyball coach.
Jolene Nagel, who graduated from Panama Central School, spent four years at Cornell, seven years at Georgetown and 27 at Duke where she established herself as the winningest coach in Blue Devil volleyball history.
During her tenure at Duke, Nagel led the program to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances and 20 or more wins in 14 seasons. Under her leadership, Duke recorded an ACC-record seven consecutive NCAA postseason appearances (2005-11) and captured Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season titles in 2001, 2006, 2010 and 2013. In 2010, the Blue Devils advanced to the NCAA Regional Final for the first time in program history.
A four-time ACC Coach of the Year, she reached her 600th career win in 2017, becoming just the 22nd active NCAA Division I head coach at the time to do so. Her Duke teams consistently ranked among the ACC leaders in overall and conference wins, while producing All-America selections, ACC Players of the Year, and multiple ACC All-Academic honorees.
Before arriving at Duke, Nagel led Georgetown to its first NCAA Tournament appearance and Big East title. At Cornell -- her first college coaching stop -- she guided the Big Red to their first Ivy League championship (1991) and three consecutive league titles.
A 1997 inductee into the Edinboro Hall of Fame, Nagel was a three-time All-PSAC selection as a student-athlete and later earned a master's degree in sport administration from Kent State. In 2007, she was inducted into the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame.
Nagel headlines the 2026 Section VI class that also includes Ronnetta Alexander Norwood (Williamsville South), Brett A. Banker (Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda), Jenepher Banker (Grand Island), Michael T. Binkowski, James Kwitchoff (Sweet Home), Stephen Piece (Eden), Loren Rataczak (John F. Kennedy), Susan Schaefer Morgan (Clarence), David Schraven (Kenmore East) and Reggie Witherspoon (Sweet Home).
The Section VI Hall of Fame was established to honor and recognize those, within its organization, who excelled in their roles as athletes, administrators, coaches, officials or contributors who have provided meritorious service.
The Class of 2026 induction ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 3 at The Columns Banquets, 2221 Transit Road, Elma, 14059. The evening will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a cash bar and dinner, followed by the induction ceremony. Dinner reservations are $45 per person and $25 for children ages 4-12. Reservation/ticket purchase deadline is noon on Nov. 24.