Hall of Fame
Joe Pruckno was the type of athlete that you can build a championship program around, and when the Utica College men's track & field team earned its first Empire 8 Conference Championship last Spring, it's no secret that the culture of hard work that was established by Pruckno played a major role.
His workmanlike attitude and effort towards honing his craft certainly paid off as he became the program's first national qualifier and first All-American in the hurdles, setting the stage for all future Pioneers. When it was all said and done, he finished his career as arguably the most decorated athlete to ever step foot on campus.
In two years he was a three-time All-American hurdler and a four time NCAA qualifier. He was the 2011-2012 Empire 8 Conference Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year. He was a three-time Empire 8 Conference Champion and a four-time New York State Collegiate Track Conference Champion.
He's the current school-record holder in the indoor 55 and 60 meter hurdles and the outdoor 110 meter hurdles. He was also on the school-record 4x100 meter relay team (41.85). During his time he set Empire 8 Conference Championship records in the 55 meter and 60 meter hurdles.
Pruckno was a standout athlete at nearby Rome Free Academy and also was a highly decorated track & field athlete at Mohawk Valley Community College.
While his athletic accomplishments are certainly impressive, it is his service to our country that makes his achievements stand out even more. Pruckno was active-duty Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 21 from 2006 to 2008 in California. In 2008 he switched over to the Naval reserves and enrolled into nearby Mohawk Valley Community College. His Naval Mobile Construction Battalion was then sent to active duty to Kuwait in 2009 and Afghanistan in 2010. Upon his return he enrolled into Utica College.
Joe is still enlisted with the United States Air Force as a military police member and he is currently on active duty orders at the eastern air defense squadron in Rome, NY while working for the Rome Police Department.
He was named Officer of the Month in May 2016 after saving the life of an opioid overdose victim.
Joe earned an associate's degree in chemical dependency from MVCC before coming to UC to study sociology/anthropology.
