July 12, 2010
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Six outstanding athletes will join 181 previously honored inductees as members of the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame this fall, athletics department officials announced on Monday.
The Class of 2010 is comprised of soccer star Leo Cullen, field hockey phenom Christine DeBow Mitchell, two-sport sensation Laura Harmon of lacrosse and field hockey, triple jump specialist Marchelle Payne-Gassaway, football all-time leading tackler Eric Wilson, and lacrosse great Peter Worstell. The inductees will be presented at the Campus Marriott Inn & Conference Center on Friday, Oct. 1, 2010.
Tickets for the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will go on sale to the public in mid-August and can be ordered by contacting the M Club Foundation by phone at 301-314-2619 or by email at mclub@umd.edu. Tickets are $75 per person or $700 for a table of 10 and patrons are asked to RSVP by Sept. 20.
Founded in 1982 as a collaborative effort between the athletics department and the M Club, the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame pays tribute to those superior Terrapin athletes, coaches and administrators who have made major contributions to the honor and fame of the University of Maryland, and have continued to demonstrate the positive values learned through competing in intercollegiate sports. Induction into the Hall of Fame represents the highest athletic honor the university can bestow.
"This year's inductees represent the very best of the rich history and tradition of Maryland Athletics," said senior associate athletics director Michael Lipitz, who chaired the selection process. "The Election Committee did a terrific job of selecting this year's class from a strong field of deserving nominees. We look forward to a very special evening and another sold-out event this October."
Summaries of the athletic accomplishments of each member of the Hall of Fame's Class of 2010 follow:
Leo Cullen (Men's Soccer, Class of `98, Hometown: Burnsville, Minnesota)
Named ACC player of the year and first team All-American in 1997 ... Became the first Terp under Coach Sasho Cirovski to earn first team All-America honors ... Earned first team All-ACC honors each of his final three seasons in College Park (1995, '96, '97) ... Helped lead Maryland to its first-ever ACC Tournament Championship in 1996 ... Terps advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of his four seasons ... Miami Fusion made him the first draft pick in team history, taking him first overall in the 1998 MLS College Draft ... Cullen was dealt to the New England Revolution midway through the 2001 season, and played his final MLS season in 2005 with the Colorado Rapids.
CHRISTINE DeBOW MITCHELL (Field Hockey, Class of `97, Hometown: Media, Pennsylvania)
A three-time first team All-American from 1995-97 ... Four-time All-ACC performer ... Member of the NCAA All-Tournament team in 1995 ... Member of the 1997 U.S World Cup Team, member of the U.S. National Team from 1997-2000 and participated in the 2000 Olympic Qualifying Tournament ... Member of the U.S. Under-21 Team from 1995-97 ... Earned a total of 53 caps for the women's national team and helped the team to a bronze medal at the 1997 Junior Pan American Championships ... Four-time member of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association National Academic Squad.
LAURA HARMON (Women's Lacrosse/Field Hockey, Class of '95, Hometown: Haverstown, Pennsylvania)
Field hockey first team All-American in 1994 and second team in 1993 ... Member of the NCAA All-Tournament team in 1993, helping lead the team to a national title ... Two-time All-ACC for field hockey (1993-94) ... Three-time All-American in lacrosse (1993-95) ... Member of the 1992 and '95 lacrosse national championship teams ... Eighth on Maryland's all-time goals list in lacrosse with 150 ... Recorded 150 goals, 34 assists, and 184 points in her four years at Maryland and ranks among the top 15 in career points scored at Maryland in lacrosse ... Member of the U.S. National Team in lacrosse ... Member of the 1997 U.S. World Cup Championship team in lacrosse ... Named to the ACC 50th Anniversary lacrosse team.
MARCHELLE PAYNE-GASSAWAY (Women's Track and Field, Class of '94, Hometown: Richmond, Va.)
Three-time All-American in triple jump in 1990, '92 and `93 ... All-ACC outdoor performer from 1991-93 and All-ACC indoor in 1992-93 ... Won the ACC indoor and outdoor championships in 1992 and '93 ... ACC Indoor Meet MVP in 1992 ... Owns the school's all-time marks in indoor and outdoor triple jump ... Ranked No. 9 in the world in triple jump in 1992 ... completed in Olympic Trials ... Named to the ACC's 50th Anniversary team in both indoor and outdoor track and field ... currently assistant dean in the School of Journalism at the University of Maryland, as well as the executive director of the Maryland-District of Columbia Scholastic Press Association.
ERIC WILSON (Football, Class of '85, Hometown: Charlottesville, Virginia)
First team All-American in 1984 ... Two-time first team All-ACC in 1983 and 1984 ... Ranks first in career tackles at Maryland with 481 ... Led the team in tackles with 178 in 1983 and 160 in 1984 ... Vital part of Maryland's 1983 and 1984 ACC Championship teams ... Selected in the seventh round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers ... Played three seasons in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins ... Currently serves as the junior varsity boys basketball coach at Albemarle High School in Charlottesville, Va.
PETER WORSTELL (Men's Lacrosse, Class of '81, Hometown: Long Island, N.Y.)
Only player in the storied history of Maryland lacrosse to be named All-American at two positions, attack and midfield... Four-time All-American, first team in 1980 and second team in 1977, `78 and `81 ... Four-time All-ACC selection in 1977-78 and 1980-81 ... Named to the ACC's 50th Anniversary team ... Ranks fifth in career goals and 14th in career points in school history ... Led the team in goals with 28 in 1977 and 24 in 1980 while playing from the midfield ... Moved to attack in 1981 and contributed 43 goals while leading the team with 67 points.
