Five former standout athletes will be added to the Elmira Express Hall of Fame before the school's season-opening varsity football game at the school's Thomas J. Hurley Athletic Complex .
This year's inductees are Luke Baldwin, Zach Nierstedt, Allaah Sessions, Zaria Thomas and Lindsey (Seymour) Weaver.
The ceremony will take place at halftime of Elmira's 6 p.m. Sept. 13 game against St. Peter's, a Staten Island school.
Luke Baldwin
Baldwin, a 2019 Elmira High graduate, played four seasons of varsity soccer for the Express and was part of Elmira's Southern Tier Athletic Conference West Division champions as a senior after helping the Express reach the Class AA sectional final as a junior. He excelled at goalie, defender and midfielder throughout his career.
He was a two-time STAC West all-star and received honorable mention to the all-state team.
Baldwin was a key part of Elmira's Section 4 Class AA boys basketball champions in 2019.
He played college soccer at Le Moyne College.
Zach Nierstedt
Nierstedt, a 2014 Elmira High graduate, was a STAC West Division all-star in boys basketball and a four-year varsity player.
He battled back from hip surgery his senior season to help the Express reach the Section 4 Class AA championship game after repeating as STAC West titlist.
Nierstedt was a STAC Metro/West all-conference pick at shortstop in baseball. He played a significant role as Elmira won its first sectional baseball championship in 2014.
Allaah Sessions
Sessions, a 2016 Elmira graduate, was a part of Section 4 titles and 10-win seasons for the Express in 2013 and 2015.
He was a force at linebacker for the 2013 team that advanced to the Class AA state semifinals.
As a junior, Sessions ran for 902 yards and seven touchdowns. He was a New York State Sports Writers Association fourth-team Class AA all-state selection at linebacker.
Sessions' senior season produced 1,538 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on 157 carries. He was a first-team Class AA all-state pick and won the Ernie Davis Award as the top player among Chemung County schools.
Sessions played college football at Wagner College and the University of New Haven. He has played professionally in the Indoor Football League.
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Lindsey (Seymour) Weaver
Weaver graduated from Elmira Southside in 2011, where she earned all-state honors in girls soccer and excelled in track.
In 2010, she won the 200-meter dash and 400 dash at the Section 4 outdoor track & field state qualifier, where she helped the Green Hornets to a title in the 400 relay. Weaver finished seventh in Division I in the 200 dash and second overall in the 400 at the New York state championship meet. At the 2010 indoor state meet, she finished ninth in the 55-meter dash.
Weaver placed 11th in the 55 dash at the 2011 indoor state meet. After again sweeping the 200, 400 and 400 relay at the state qualifier, she finished third in the Division I and federation races at the outdoor state championships. Seymour took 10th in Division I in the 200 dash at that meet.
She competed collegiately at Michigan State.
Zaria Thomas
The 2017 Elmira High graduate was a two-time all-state selection in girls basketball and spearheaded the first of four consecutive Section 4 titles for the program as a senior. She was chosen to Gannett's Elite 10 team as a junior and senior.
She averaged 19.5 points and 3.2 steals her senior season to finish her prep career with 1,157 points, which at the time was a program record.
Thomas played collegiately at St. Thomas Aquinas College.
Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare . You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com . To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Elmira Express Hall of Fame to add 5 members. Take a look at this year's inductees
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