A total of 1,574 degrees will be awarded at Towson University's 146th Commencement on Sunday, January 9th. Twenty of those degrees will go to Tiger student-athletes.
"The goal of our athletics department is to help every one of our student-athletes to reach their personal and professional goals and that all revolves around receiving a diploma from Towson University," said Director of Athletics, Mike Waddell. "I am very proud of each one of our mid-year graduates and look forward to watching them go forward and do great things as alumni of TU."
The Commencement exercises will be streamed live on the Towson University Commencement website. Viewers can tune in beginning at 9:50 a.m. and 1:50 p.m. to watch the ceremonies. There are a limited number of connections.
The College of Business and Economics, the College of Education and the College of Health Professions will hold their commencements at 10:00 a.m., followed by the College of Fine Arts and Communication, the College of Liberal Arts, and The Jess and Mildred Fisher College of Science and Mathematics at 2 p.m.
Alex Avolo (Football) Richboro, Pa/Council Rock North H.S.: Valuable reserve on the defensive line for two seasons ... transferred from California University (Pa.) prior to junior year ... after appearing in five games in 2008, he played in seven games as a senior ... made six tackles in senior season, including three at Northeastern ... finished his career with nine tackles, including one for lost yardage ... an Economics Major.
Brian Conley (Baseball) Gaithersburg, Md./Quince Orchards H.S.: Two-time All-Colonial Athletic Association outfielder who was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 17th round of the 2008 amateur draft ... has played in the Orioles' minor league system the last three years ... led Delmarva Shorebirds in hitting in 2010 and earned a spot on the South Atlantic League All-Star team ... one of the Tigers' all-time batting leaders with a .319 career mark ... Belted 36 home runs in career, third on Towson's all-time list ... had 153 career runs batted in, third highest mark in program history ... led Tigers to second place in CAA as a senior, batting .352 with 12 homers and 65 RBI's ... named to all-tournament team at CAA Tournament ... a Business Administration Major.
Jalan Dudley (Football) Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytechnic: Versatile player who played a number of positions during his career ... ultimate team player who transferred from Glenville State prior to junior year ... saw action at defensive end, linebacker, tight end and fullback ... appeared in four games in career and made one start ... a Sociology/Anthropology Major.
Tyler Farley (Men's Swimming) Westminster, Md./Westminster H.S.: Finished 12th in 200-yard breaststroke as a senior at CAA Championships ... also earned 15th place in 100-yard breaststroke ... placed 26th in preliminaries of 500-yard freestyle at 2010 CAA Meet ... finished 12th in 200-yard breaststroke at 2009 CAA Championships ... also placed 13th in 100-yard breaststroke at CAA Meet ... earned 11th place in 200-yard breaststroke as a freshman at CAA Meet ... a Communication Studies Major.
Molly Frantz (Women's Swimming) Medford, N.J./Atholton H.S.: Serving as team manager for the second straight season ... helped Tigers place seventh at ECAC Championships in 400-yard medley relay as a sophomore ... member of 200-yard free relay team which placed 14th at ECAC Meet along with 10th place finish in 200-yard medley relay ... swam second leg of Tigers' 400-yard free relay at ECAC Meet that placed 14th ... also competed in 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke events at ECAC Meet ... earned CAA Commissioner's List honors as a sophomore and junior ... an Accounting Major.
Phillip Greatwich (Men's Soccer) Lewes, England/Lewes Primary: Four-year starter on defense ... played in 63 games and started 60 times ... tallied eight assists in career ... had four assists as a senior ... contributed two assists in win over Longwood as a senior ... posted three assists as a sophomore ... a Communication Studies Major.
Ryan Hanley (Football) West Orange, N.J./West Orange H.S.: Three-year performer who transferred from Montclair State prior to sophomore season ... versatile player who saw action at offensive guard, fullback and tight end during his career ... excellent blocker who started nine games at tight end as a senior ... appeared in 17 games in career and made 10 starts ... caught one pass for nine yards ... a Communications Studies Major.
Gary Helmick III (Baseball) Pasadena, Md./Northeast H.S.: Four-year starter in the Tiger infield who earned second team All-American honors as a senior shortstop ... batted .430 as a senior, tenth in NCAA Division I ... also ranked second in the nation with nine triples ... set Towson single season records with 98 base hits, 72 runs scored and nine triples ... named first team All-Colonial Athletic Association ... led CAA in batting, base hits, runs scored and triples ... two-time CAA Player of the Week ... finished career with a .324 batting average ... also finished career with 248 base hits, third on Towson's all-time list ... honored as Towson University's Male Athlete of the Year in 2009 ... signed free agent contract with Baltimore Orioles after senior year and has spent last two years playing in the Orioles' minor league system ... a Sport Management Major.
Steve Jordan (Football) York, Pa./Central York H.S.: Three-year starter on the offensive line ...played in 26 games in career as Tigers' offensive center and started 25 of them ... very smart offensive lineman whose career was hindered by injuries ... missed final five games of 2009 season due to injury ... sidelined for last six games of senior season due to injury ... started 20 consecutive games from 2007 to 2009 ... a Sport Management Major.
Richard Lee (Football) Severn, Md./Old Mill H.S.: Three-year standout on the defensive line who had career shortened by a serious neck injury ... sustained the injury in the Tigers' 31-24 win over Columbia in September, 2008 ... despite successful surgery, he was advised that further injury to his neck could paralyze him ... remained with the program as a senior in the role of Student Assistant ... in three years, he played in 25 games and started 19 times ... made 55 career tackles, 3 sacks and a fumble recovery ... the fact that Richard played football is remarkable considering he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease as a high school senior ... when he recovered, he came to Towson as a "walk-on" and earned a scholarship after one year a ... Sport Management Major.
Hakeem Moore (Football) Fredericksburg, Va./Courtland H.S.: Two-year starter at wide receiver who was a team captain in 2010 ... named second team All-Colonial Athletic Association ... finished second in the CAA with 129.8 all-purpose yards per game in 2010 ... led CAA by averaging 19.3 yards per catch as a senior ... caught six touchdown passes as a senior to lead the team ... finished his career with 3,499 all-purpose yards in 33 games, third on Towson's career list ... also ranks 17th on Towson's all-time receiving list with 106 receptions for 1,397 yards and eight touchdowns ... an Economics Major.
Vivian Nwachukwu (Track) Bowie, Md./Bowie H.S.: A sprinter who posted impressive times in her two years with the program after transferring from Delaware State ... ranked third on Towson's top 10 100 meter dash list with a time of 12.28 ... ranked seventh on the 200 meter dash list with a clocking of 25.72 ... partner to a pair of relay bests including the school record 4x100 and 4x200 ... a Biology Major.
Phyllicia Rosselli (Women's Soccer) Warminster, Pa./William Tennent H.S.: Four-year letter winner who played in 75 career games ... made 37 career starts ... scored seven goals with five assists in career ... had best season as a senior, scoring four goals with an assist ... tallied two goals against Bucknell as a senior ... also had two-goal game against Rider as a freshman in Tigers' 2-0 win ... started all 20 games as a senior ... a Communication Studies Major.
Leon Stevenson (Football) Newark, Del./Howard Tech H.S.: Three-year offensive lineman who saw action at guard and tackle ... played in 24 games and made seven starts ... started the first three games of the 2007 season before suffering a dislocated ankle in game at Massachusetts and missed the rest of the season ... played in all 12 games and made four starts in 2008 ... never fully regained the mobility he had prior to his injury ... a Communication Studies Major.
Ryan Thiele (Men's Golf) Salisbury, Md./Parkside H.S.: Played in eight events during his three-year career in the program ... career low at Towson was a 77 that he shot twice ... best finish in a tournament was a 27th at the Princeton Invitational his sophomore year when he shot a career best 155 for 36 holes ... a Sport Management Major.
Ashley Ventura (Women's Soccer) Lincroft, N.J./Red Bank Catholic H.S.: Four-year starter on defense who appeared in 73 career games ... started 67 games ... scored one goal with three assists in career ... had two assists as a freshman ... tallied an assist as a junior against William & Mary ... scored lone goal of career as a senior in Tigers' 1-0 win over VCU ... an Elementary Education Major.
Lindsay Warfield (Cross Country/Track) Woodbine, Md./South Carroll H.S.: Finished her career with three top 10 places ... ran a career best 18:58 for a second place at the 2009 Delaware Invitational ... that was one of only 4 sub 19-minute 5K's clocked for Towson for the 2009 season ... ran the second fastest 6K of any Tiger that year with a personal record time of 22:26 at the Paul Short ... ran the long distances on both the indoor and outdoor track circuits ... ranks 10th in the 10,000 meter run list with a time of 39:14.80 ... graduating summa cum laude ... a Sport Management Major.
Raymond White (Football) Salisbury, Md./Snow Hill H.S.: Two-year starter in Tiger secondary who played safety ... appeared in 37 games and made 19 starts ... finished career with five interceptions for 113 yards ... made 125 tackles in career and broke up nine passes ... also had three fumble recoveries ... ranked among team leaders with 48 tackles as a junior ... a Psychology Major.
Kaitlyn Zamroz (Women's Soccer) Bethpage, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy: Four-year starter who played in 70 career games ... started 59 games during career ... scored 12 goals with 6 assists in career ... Tigers' leading scorer with eight goals and an assist as a sophomore ... scored two goals against UMBC and American as a freshman ... missed 2006 season with an injury ... an Elementary Education Major.
Leslie Zuknick (Track) Gambrills, Md./Archbishop Spalding H.S.: A high jumper for the Tigers ... ranked 10th on the program's high jump list with a leap of 5'3" ... she accomplished that twice, at the CAA Invitational indoors and at the Paul Kaiser outdoors ... captained the track teams in her senior year ... an Elementary Education Major.
