TOWSON, Md. - Former gymnast Wendy Chalmers, '95, former All-American lacrosse midfielder Tim Langton, '96 and former Academic All-American baseball player James Vallillo, '96 were inducted into the Towson University Athletic Hall of Fame at the organization's 45th annual induction dinner at the University Union on Friday evening.
In addition, the 1990 Tiger gymnastics team was honored as a Team of Distinction while senior track captain Alea Murphy was named as the winner of the Doc Minnegan Scholarship Award.
A three-time All-ECAC selection, Chalmers finished her career with more 1300 points although she competed for only three seasons after transferring from the University of Alabama. A former elite gymnast, she owned the school record on floor exercise when she graduated and had the third highest all-around score.
Chalmers, who has been a Kindergarten teacher for nearly 15 years, told the audience, "Being selected to the Hall of Fame means the world to me. In Kindergarten words, it's like having a big smiley face stamp to commemorate my career."
A three-year starter at midfield for the Tiger lacrosse team, Langton became only the second Tiger lacrosse player to be named first team All-American at the NCAA Division I. He earned the honor in 1996 after scoring 27 goals while leading Towson to a 9-5 record and a berth in the NCAA quarter-finals. He gave credit to his late mother, who passed away prior to his senior year, for inspiring him to play so well.
A two-time all-conference outfielder, Vallillo was named as the America East Player of the Year as a senior in 1996. A .337 hitter in his college career, Vallillo became the first Towson baseball player to earn Academic All-American honors when he earned second team notice as a senior.
"It was an honor and a priviledge to play baseball at Towson," Vallillo recalls. "My time at Towson was tremendous. I got a great education, I got to play baseball for a terrific coach, I had a great time and I met my wife. What more could you want?"
Highlighting the evening was the tribute to the 1990 Tiger gymnastics team which qualified for Nationals and finished ninth in the nation. With 10 of the 12 gymnasts attending the event, there was an impressive video presentation that was created by Anne Sugden Wolf, '91, a junior on the 1990 Tigers. Lori Salindong Greis, '90, Stephanie St. Angelo Mason, '90, Tandy Knight, '91, Julie Heilman Dixon, '92, Leslie Robinson Quillan, '92, Wendy Weaver Kwiatowski, '92, Janine Spezio Eikenberg, '93, Gabby Linarducci Frezza, '94 and Maureen Greim Colt, '93 were the other team members in attendance, along with Coach Dick Filbert and Assistant Coach Lynda Filbert.
Speaking on behalf of her teammates, Knight told the tale of how the 1990 Tigers earned a spot on the gymnastics map. She recalled, "When we first got to Oregon, everyone looked at us like we were lost. None of the other schools could figure out how we got there. Schools like Utah, UCLA, LSU, Alabama were all gymnastics powers. At first, we were polite and answered the questions but then we were annoyed.
"So, we went out and hit on 23 of 24 routines and competed with pride, determination and confidence - just like we had all year," she added. "When the final standings were announced, the Towson Tigers had surprised everyone and finished ninth. From that point on, when we were asked, 'Where's Towson?' We had an answer - ahead of Florida, Arizona and Ohio State."
Brent Harris, '95 of Comcast SportsNet served as the Master of Ceremonies for the event.
