WEST CHESTER, Pa.- West Chester University and the Athletics Department proudly announce the newest class of the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame, which is to be inducted on Saturday, February 1, 2025.
Similarly to recent years, this year's Hall of Fame ceremony will take place on Carter Drive in West Chester. Individuals interested in attending the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame Induction ceremony can get more information and register to do so by clicking the
WCU Athletics Hall of Fame Online Registration Form. Cocktails begin at 6 p.m. with an array of savory hors d'oeuvres served throughout the season. The event will begin around 7 p.m.
The class includes
Tori Dugan ('13), Theresa Giunta ('13), Joe Gunkel, Eric Jackson ('96), Erin MacNamee ('11), Sarah Oswald ('10), and Brittany Yetter ('08).
All seven inductees brings the West Chester University Athletics Hall of Fame Total number of honorees to 546. The Killinger Foundation held its annual Football Hall of Fame banquet in November, where former gridiron star
Sean McCartney '14, Sam Scott '10, Lou Berman '91, Doug Jacobs '83, and
Dennis Ianovale '75 were honored. The Messikomer Foundation Men's Basketball Hall of Fame inducted
Matt Wiseley ('16) this past October.
West Chester also plans to honor Faculty Athletic Representative, Dr. W. Craig Stevens and longtime Nutrition Faculty Member and the Golden Ram Sports Performance Dietitian Dr. Christine Karpinski, with the Bill Vansant and Addy Kelly Awards, in recognition of their dedication and service to West Chester University Athletics.
The West Chester University Athletics Hall of Fame was created in 2000 when three of the five existing halls of fame (Baseball, Wrestling, Women's Athletics) were merged under one umbrella. The Killinger Foundation (Football) and Messikomer Foundation (Men's Basketball) still operate separately, but inductees into those halls of fame are included in the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame.
The introduction of the Class of 2025 marks the end of a lengthy selection process that began immediately after the Class of 2024 was inducted last April. A six-member selection committee representing athletic administrators, current head coaches, and former West Chester University athletes began the process of developing a workable list from the hundreds of athletes nominated. Only athletes that graduated from WCU are considered and only those 10 years removed from their playing days were eligible.
In addition, the selection committee followed a charter established to support the West Chester University Athletics Hall of Fame that profiled a myriad of strict eligibility requirements for former athletes, coaches, and administrators to be considered. "Primary" consideration for election to the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame was granted to accomplishments during an individual's tenure as an athlete, coach, or administrator at West Chester University. Honors attained or accomplishments that pre- or post-dated a candidate's time at West Chester University were granted "secondary" consideration.
Once the selection committee comprised its recommended list, the names were forwarded to the Director of Athletics, Terry Beattie, for his review and official ratification.
Here is your WCU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025:
TORI DUGAN
Women's Lacrosse
Class of 2013
Tori Dugan, a standout lacrosse player at West Chester University, earned her place among the all-time greats during an extraordinary three-season career spanning just 60 games. A two-time Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) First Team All-American in 2012 and 2013, Dugan's accomplishments cemented her as one of the program's most dominant players. She played a pivotal role in leading the Golden Rams to the 2013 PSAC Championship and guided the team to two NCAA National Championship tournament appearances in 2011 and 2012. In 2013, she was named to the prestigious Tewaaraton Award Watch List, recognizing her as one of the top players in the nation.
Dugan's remarkable on-field success included recording 230 career points, with 138 goals and 92 assists. She also collected 134 ground balls during her career, further highlighting her ability to be a threat all over the field. Dugan remains the program's single-game and single-season record holder for draw controls, collecting 14 in a game against CW Post in April 2012 and amassing 134 during her junior year—still the highest single-season total in school history. In her senior season, she added 122 draw controls, the second-highest single-season mark in program history, bringing her career total to 302, the second-best in West Chester's history.
Her accolades include being a three-time All-PSAC honoree, the 2012 PSAC Women's Lacrosse Athlete of the Year, and the 2013 WCU Female Athlete of the Year.
Beyond her athletic achievements, Dugan left a lasting legacy off the field. While at WCU, she participated in the "Be the Match" Bone Marrow Drive, ultimately donating her bone marrow and saving a life. Her commitment to helping others continues post-graduation as she now serves as a nurse at Chester County Hospital, carrying her life-saving work into her professional career.
THERESA GIUNTA
Women's Lacrosse
Class of 2013
A 2012 and 2013 IWLCA All-American, PSAC Champion, and two-time National Finalist, Theresa Giunta, played alongside Dugan during her time as a Golden Ram and was an integral part of those teams. Giunta, a 2012 and 2013 All-Region honoree and First Team All-PSAC East selection in 2012, ranks fourth all-time in career ground balls with 160, while her 180 draw controls are tied for the sixth most in career history. A force defensively, Giunta, who was also named All-ECAC in 2012 remains tied atop the list for most games played in her career with 81, while her 67 caused turnovers is the 10
th-best in program history. In addition to her defensive prowess, Giunta scored 41 goals and assisted 20 others for 61 points in her career.
Off the field, Giunta, who works at nearby Villa Maria High School, has become a widely regarded voice in Athlete mental performance through her Sport Psychology Consulting Business – TG Performance Mindset. Giunta is not the first member of her family to be enshrined in West Chester University Athletics history as her grandfather Nicholas, a 1943 graduate, was inducted into the Killinger Foundation Football Hall of Fame in its 1993 class.
Joe Gunkel – (Did not graduate – drafted into MLB; 2013 last season)
Baseball
A two-time All-PSAC and All-Region honoree, Joe Gunkel is the latest 2012 National Championship team member to add his name to the West Chester University Athletics Hall of Fame ledger. An ABCA Second Team All-American in 2012, Gunkel was named the Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA DII Championships after pitching a pair of Complete-game shutouts in game one and the National Championship game in Cary, North Carolina to help guide West Chester to its first Division II Baseball National Championship. In the first game of the finals, Gunkel carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning of a 4-0 victory over Chico State. Gunkel, who was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 18
th round of the 2013 MLB Entry Draft at the end of his junior season, remains second in WCU history in both complete games (20) and shutouts (8) while ranking eighth in career wins with 21. He tossed nine complete games in 2012 and 2013, which remains the school record, and his five shutouts in 2013 are also tied for the program record.
After being drafted by the Red Sox, Gunkel pitched in the minor leagues from 2013-19 with four different organizations, authoring a career record of 45-44 with a 3.84 ERA in 745 innings of work. Gunkel reached the Triple-A level with the Baltimore Orioles, Miami Marlins, and Minnesota Twins. Before his most recent stint with the St. Paul Saints last Spring, Gunkel spent four seasons in Japan playing for the Hanshin Tigers and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Nippon Professional Baseball League and compiled a record of 84-69 with a 3.51 ERA in over 1300 innings of work with 980 strikeouts across all minor league and NPB games.
ERIC JACKSON
Men's Lacrosse
Class of 1996
A two-time All-American and a team captain in 1995, Eric Jackson was a defensive standout on the West Chester University men's lacrosse team. He was the first All-American out of WCU and was an important part of the 1994 squad, which won the ECAC Championship and finished third in the Nation. Jackson was a Second Team All-American in 1994 and Honorable Mention selection in 1995. He owns the West Chester University record for the most ground balls in a game with 25 while also scoring a pair of goals and assisting on eight others during his four-year career as a defensive player.
After graduating from WCU, Jackson remained involved in the sport as a coach throughout the Philadelphia area. He started the youth and high school programs in nearby Avon Grove where he served as high school head coach from 2001-2019. During this time, he was recognized with many accolades, winning league and district titles and a PIAA State Championship in 2017. Jackson retired from head coaching in 2019 and ranked 13th in wins in PA high school boys' lacrosse history with 225. He saw his teams ranked among the top 10 programs in the state eight times between 2008 and 2019, as well as several top 20 national rankings. Avon Grove ran off a 44-game winning streak in conference play between 2015 and 2019.
ERIN MACNAMEE
Softball
Class of 2011
A four-time First Team All-PSAC selection, three-time All-Region honoree, and an NFCA Second Team All-American in 2009, Erin MacNamee was a significant part of the transformation of the Golden Ram softball program during her time on South Campus. MacNamee helped West Chester make its first NCAA Regional Tournament appearances in 2008 and 2009 while also helping lead the Golden Rams to their first PSAC Tournament appearances in 2010 and 2011. During the Golden Rams appearance in May 2008, West Chester also won its first NCAA Tournament game in team history, triumphing over Bowie State by a 4-0 final.
MacNamee can be found throughout the Golden Ram record book as she remains in the top-five all-time in 10 categories in WCU career history, including second in triples (20), second in total bases (376), fourth in runs (178), third in hits (244), tied for third in doubles (47), fourth in stolen bases (76), and fifth in on-base percentage (.448), slugging percentage (.588), and batting average (.382). She also ranks sixth in at-bats (639), sixth in walks (71), and ninth in RBI (129). MacNamee also ranks in the top-10 in nine single-season categories at WCU including fourth in slugging and on-base percentage (.722, .522; 2009), sixth in stolen bases (27; 2011), sixth in batting average (.430; 2009), seventh in runs (55; 2009), seventh in total bases (109; 2009), eighth in extra-base hits (26; 2009), and ninth in walks (28; 2009). At the conference level, MacNamee remains eighth in PSAC history in career triples, 12
th in RBI, and 21st in hits while remaining in a tie for 10th in triples in a single season with eight in 2009.
The speedy outfielder also remains the Golden Rams record holder for RBI in a single game with eight vs. Mercyhurst in April 2010, while her five hits against ESU in April 2009 remain tied for the most in a single game in team history. She remains tied for the most walks in a single game after working four against Holy Family in March 2009.
SARAH OSWALD
Women's Soccer
Class of 2010
A three-time United Soccer All-American and two-time PSAC Tournament MVP, Sarah Oswald helped lead West Chester to three PSAC Tournament Championships and two Atlantic Regional crowns during her career with the Golden Rams. A four-time First Team All-PSAC selection, Oswald was voted the PSAC Rookie of the Year in 2007 and finished her career as the PSAC Player of the Year in 2010 after leading West Chester to its third PSAC Tournament crown and second Regional Title in four years. Entering 2024, Oswald remains the only player in program history to be recognized as an All-American three times in her career. Oswald remains first in single-season points with 46 in 2010 and is also first in career assists (32), second in career points (150), and third in career goals (59). She also remains in a tie for third in single-season assists with 10 during the 2010 season, while her 18 goals in 2007 and 2010 remain the fifth-best single-season goal-scoring effort in program history.
BRITTANY YETTER
Women's Soccer
Class of 2008
A four-time First Team All-PSAC East selection and 2008 First Team All-American, Brittany Yetter, helped lead West Chester to its first National Semifinal appearance in program history in 2006 as part of her illustrious Golden Ram career. Until the Golden Rams run to the National Championship game in 2022, Yetter and company remained the only group to advance to the National Semifinals and remain one of just two teams. Yetter, who remains in the top five in team history in all three major offensive categories, ranking fourth in assists, fifth in points, and fifth in goals, also ranks first in single-season assists with 13 in 2006 while also ranking ninth in single-season points with 33 during that campaign. The midfielder was also a two-time First Team All-Region pick, recognized at the end of the 2006 and 2008 seasons.
