5-15-2024 4:02am

TU'S 60TH HOF

TIGERS ANNOUNCE 2024 HALL OF FAME

Towson University's Athletics Hall of Fame is announcing its Class of 2024 headlined by four record-setting student-athletes, two coaches and a longtime radio announcer, spanning more than 40 years of Tiger sports history.

Jerrelle Benimon (basketball), Kacy Catanzaro (gymnastics), Mike Garner (track), voice of the Tigers Spiro Morekas, Frank Olszewski (soccer coach), Bobby Poist (football) and Brian Yaniger (golf coach) will be inducted on Friday, October 18 at the Hall of Fame's 60th Annual Induction Banquet. The 2012-13 men's basketball team will be honored as a Team of Distinction.

"This is another diverse class as the Hall of Fame continues to recognize the participation of those who, by their achievements contributed to the history and legacy of Towson athletics," said Tiger Hall of Fame president, Rich Bader.

The banquet will be held on campus at the University Union. Ticket information is forthcoming. For additional information contact Matt Death of the Tiger Athletic Fund mdeath@towson.edu.
Here's a look of each inductee:

JERRELLE BENIMON - Basketball (2012-14) – A starter in all 67 games of his career, Jerrelle led Towson to a pair of significant season records. In 2012-13, the Tigers posted an 18-13 record to complete the largest turnaround in NCAA men's basketball history after finishing 1-31 the year before. In 2013-14 the Tigers went 25-11 to set a Division I program record for most wins in a single season. The honors and accolades kept piling up for Jerrelle over his two-year career at Towson. He was named CAA Player of the Year both years becoming just the eighth player in conference history to win that honor consecutively and the only Tiger to be so honored POY by the league. An Associated Press honorable mention All-American, he was a two-time first team NABC All-District selection. He was named to the Lou Henson Mid-Major All-American team. Towson's Athlete of the Year in 2013, he was selected MVP of the 2014 Reese's College All-Star Game in the Final Four. He holds the single season rebounding record with 404 rebounds which still ranks as second most to any player in CAA history behind NBA Hall of Famer David Robinson. He is the only player in program history to grab more than 400 rebounds in a single season. His senior season 11.2 rebounds per game ranked him second nationally. He registered 21 double-doubles to rank third best in the country. He recorded the first triple-double in program history with 17 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists. He was the 5th player at Towson to score over 1,000 career points (1,203) in just two years. Professionally Jerrelle had a brief NBA stint with the Utah Jazz in 2015 with the bulk of his career overseas.

KACY CATANZARO - Gymnastics (2009-12) – Highly decorated gymnast who garnered numerous awards as a senior, Kacy was the 2012 ECAC Gymnast of the Year after winning the vault and bars titles. She was the NCAA Southeast Regional Gymnast of the Year. A four-time All-ECAC selection, she finished her career with 1,414 points. In 2012 she was the only Towson gymnast to earn ECAC First Team honors in four events (vault, bars, floor and all-around). Her six meet titles on the balance beam were a school record. She was named Towson's Female Athlete of the Year and the Strength/Conditioning Athlete of the Year in 2012. After graduation she vaulted into the national spotlight when she became the first female obstacle racer to scale the perilous Warped Wall obstacle on NBC's "American Ninja Warrior." After retiring from American Ninja Warrior she embarked on a career as a professional wrestler with the WWE. She is also a two-time designee in Sports Illustrated's Fitted 50 list, which celebrates the world's fittest athletes.

MIKE GARNER - Track (2000-04) - A record-setting sprinter, Mike holds the program's outdoor record for the 100-meter dash, 10.46 seconds set at the 2004 Colonial Athletic Association Championships where he placed first and earned a spot at the NCAA East Regional meet where he finished 19th. He was runner up in 200-meter dash in the same meet. He also won the 100m dash as a freshman at the America East Championships. In his freshman year he was named ECAC Division I Track Athlete of the Week twice, for his performances in the Spider Relays and at the Millersville Metrics. He was the 2001 East Coast Conference 100-meter dash champion, the only first place for Towson in the meet, and finished second in the 200-meter dash. He qualified for All-IC4A honors in the 100m and 200m sprints. He holds Towson's records for the 55m, 60m and 200m indoor events.

SPIRO MOREKAS - Broadcaster (1991-present) – The play-by-play voice for Tiger football, men's basketball and men's lacrosse for the past 34 years, Spiro is a 1983 graduate. As an undergraduate he was the sports director of Towson's student radio station, WCVT. Before returning to Towson, he served as sports director of WSBY radio in Salisbury where he launched his play-by-play career, calling football and basketball games at Salisbury State. In 1988 he came back to Baltimore as sports director at WGRX radio followed by stints in sports talk radio hosting shows on WCBM, WITH, WWLG and WNST. After two years as the play-by-play announcer for Loyola College he returned to his alma mater where he averages calling 50 games per year. The 2005 Doc Minnegan Award recipient, Spiro simultaneously served as the Tigers' golf coach (1989-94) and an adjunct faculty member for two years, teaching sports broadcasting.

BOBBY POIST - Football (1980-83) – In 1983 Towson's defensive unit was number one in the NCAA Division II, allowing 7.3 points per game, shutting out four opponents and posting a plus-34 turnover ratio. Bobby led that effort with 65 tackles and a then program record 17 sacks on the season. Those 17 sacks stood as the single season record for 17 years. At the end of his career, he ranked third on the all-time tackle list with 252 and first in sacks with 31. Those 31 sacks remain second on the all-time list. He set a then single game record with 4 sacks in a 10-3 victory over James Madison in the 1983 regular season finale earning ECAC Division II Defensive Player of the Week honors. He was named Towson's Big Play Award winner for 1983. He was second on the team with 106 tackles his junior year and a then-school record 10 sacks that season, including three in a victory over I-AA Bucknell. He was third on the team in tackles as a sophomore with 75 and had 5 sacks. Bobby played one season for TSU baseball team as a pitcher. He later signed as a free agent with the then Washington Redskins but was let go in the preseason.

FRANK OLSZEWSKI - Men's Soccer Coach (1982-2012) – The longest serving head coach in the history of Tiger Athletics, Frank directed the Towson men's soccer program through 31 of the program's 84 seasons, all at college soccer's highest level, NCAA Division I, after a three-year stint as a Tiger assistant. He accounted for almost half of the 574 all-time wins with his 283-227-51 record. Under his leadership the Tigers captured three East Coast Conference titles (1989, 1990, 1991), one America East Championship (2001) plus that league's regular season championship (1998) and a regular season championship (2006) with an unbeaten, once-tied 10-0-1 mark in the highly competitive Colonial Athletic Association. He took two of his teams (2001 and 2006) to the NCAA Tournament.. The 2006 Tigers reached the round of 16 before falling to 3rd-ranked Wake Forest. In 1995, Towson's first year in America East, with a 14-4-0 record, he guided the Tigers to their first-ever national ranking, closing out the year ranked 20th in the nation, followed by national rankings in 2001 (25th) and 2006 (15th). Frank was honored as coach of the year four times; ECC once, America East twice and CAA once. He was named South Atlantic Region Coach of the Year in 2006. He was Towson's Coach of the Year three times. During his tenure Tiger soccer teams earned 11 Academic Achievement Awards from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. He coached five All-Americans, four conference Players of the Year, and All-Conference selections in the CAA (20), America East (21), Big South (5) and ECC (25). Counted among his former players, 51 were domestic professionals, 10 were international professionals and nearly 40 joined the coaching ranks at both the collegiate and high school levels. A 1978 graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Frank was inducted into the Maryland Soccer Hall of Fame in 2004. From 1998 to 2002 he served as the NCAA's Regional Committee chairman.

BRIAN YANIGER – Golf (1998-2017) – One of the most decorated coaches in Towson's athletics history, Brian directed the golf program though glory years during his 21-year coaching career. Under his tutelage the Tigers won three conference titles (two America East, one CAA), captured 12 tournament championships and earned four NCAA tournament berths. He was recognized as Coach of the Year twice by America East and three times by the CAA. He was twice named Towson's Coach of the Year. In 2005 he was selected Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. Eleven of his players earned First Team All-Conference honors, of those four were conference tournament medalists. Two players were named CAA Golfer of the Year, two others were selected as CAA Rookie of the Year. Brian's players excelled academically as well. His squads consistently achieved the highest term GPA among Towson men's squads. One of his players, current Tiger golf coach Mike Larkin, was the CAA's Scholar-Athlete for Golf. Another player, Nyasha Mauchaza, was honored as a first team Arthur Ashe Scholar All-American. Two of his players, Billy Wingerd and Jeff Castle, were named to the CAA's 25th Anniversary Team. In 2006 Towson initiated a women's program. Brian directed both teams until 2010. One of his recruits, Airielle Dawson, won the 2011 PGA of America Minority Collegiate Golf Championship, becoming the first student-athlete at Towson to win an individual national title.

TEAM OF DISTINCTION: 2012-13 Men's Basketball – Towson posted the biggest basketball turnaround in NCAA history at 17.5 games after improving from 1-31 in 2011-12 to 18-13 in 2012-13. The Tigers clinched the record with a 67-64 win over Hofstra in front of a near sellout crowd in the final game ever played inside the Towson Center, the year before moving into TU Arena. The Tigers reached the 18-win mark for the first time since 1993-94 and won 13 CAA games, their most since joining the conference. Honorable Mention AP All-American Jerrelle Benimon showed the way with a 17.1 scoring average and an 11.2 clip off the boards. He was named CAA Player of the Year, joining skipper Pat Skerry who was selected CAA Coach of the Year. Marcus Damas, who hit the game winner in an upset overtime victory against Oregon State, added 11.4 ppg. Mike Burwell started all 31 games finishing with a 9.0 scoring average. Rafriel Guthrie was the top scorer off the bench with an 8.1 clip. Jerome Hairston, who averaged 9.9 points and posted a team high 35 steals, was named to the CAA's All-Rookie Team.