St. Mary’s City, Md. – The 10-member St. Mary’s College of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2018 was revealed Tuesday afternoon by Director of Athletics & Recreation Scott Devine. This year’s class is the largest-ever in the 28-year history of the Hall of Fame, surpassing the eight-person contingent for the Class of 2016.

Devine expressed, “This year, we will be inducting the largest Hall of Fame class in school history. A total of 10 former student-athletes have been voted into the Hall of Fame by our selection committee. All of our inductees not only had outstanding athletic careers, but they also made meaningful contributions to the St. Mary’s College community. I look forward to welcoming these decorated former student-athletes back to campus, along with their families and friends, to recognize their distinguished accomplishments and to formally induct them into the Hall of Fame.”

Six of the newest members – Lauren Carrier ’09 (Crownsville, Md./Old Mill), Sophia Esparza ’10 (Silver Spring, Md./Montgomery Blair), Alex Franz ’11 (Catonsville, Md./Cardinal Gibbons), Rachel Hotchko ’10 (Yakima, Wash./A.C. Davis), Steven Mull ’78(Parkville, Md./Parkville), and Emily (Richards) Rolen ’08 (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) – will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Friday, October 19, as part of the 2018 Hawktoberfest festivities — St. Mary’s version of homecoming.

Three other inductees – sailors Elizabeth Graves ’95 (Milwaukee, Wis.), Liza (Hughes) Hall ’98 (Annapolis, Md.), and James Thieler ’91 (Northfield, N.J.) – will be recognized on November 30 at the annual SMCM Varsity Sailing Team Alumni Regatta for the Stephen P. Sparkman Trophy, more familiarly known as the Possum Bowl.

Jamie L. Roberts ’11 (Rockville, Md./The Barrie School) – the final member of this year’s class – will be honored as a Hall of Fame Legend on April 13, 2019 as part of the dedication of the Jamie L. Roberts Stadium Complex.

The Hall of Fame used to be celebrated every year starting with the inaugural class in 1990 but following the Class of 2000 induction, the Hall of Fame is now recognized every two years. A brief description of this year’s inductees follows. For more detailed information, please contact Nairem Moran, director of athletic communications, at 240-895-4482 or nmoran@smcm.edu.

Steven Mull ’78 is one of three inductees who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year as a Legend, recognizing both his outstanding athletic career and his exemplary support and contributions to the men’s lacrosse program. Mull graduated as the school’s all-time scoring leader with 101 goals, 82 assists, and 183 points, records he held for over 20 years until C.J. Lauer ’99broke the goals mark with 119 and Andrew Toussaint ’02 broke the assists and points record with 118 and 208, respectively.

Our second Legend is James Thieler ’91. Thieler was instrumental in the developing the Seahawk sailing program, working with head coach Adam Werblow to lay down the foundations for the College’s nationally-ranked sailing teams. He served as team captain and picked up the Coach’s Award in 1988. Thieler currently ranks fourth in the 2019 International DN Ice Yacht Racing Association rank list, notching four Top 10 finishes in North American, European, and World championships.

Elizabeth Graves ’95 led the St. Mary’s women’s sailing team to their first-ever ICSA Women’s National Championship, skippering the Seahawks to the first-place Gerald C. Miller Trophy in 1995. Over the course of her four-year career, St. Mary’s reached the podium every year at the women’s nationals (3rd in 1992 and 1993, 2nd in 1994, and 1st in 1995). Graves was named an All-American skipper in 1995.

A three-time All-American crew, Liza (Hughes) Hall ’98 helped the Seahawks to a pair of podium finishes at the ICSA Team Race National Championship. Hall set the standard for excellence in the front of the boat and helped to train the next group of sailors who went on to win national championships in 1999 and 2000.

Emily (Richards) Rolen ’08 is one of only three Seahawk field hockey players to ever earn All-America honors in the history of the program. Rolen was a three-time NFHCA All-South Region selection as well, earning a first team nod in 2007. She graduated as the program leader in save percentage (.836), goals against average (1.58), wins (36), and shutouts (16.5).

Lauren Carrier ’09 was a dominant player in both soccer and women’s lacrosse during her four-year career. Carrier was named the Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Year in both sports. A two-time All-America selection in lacrosse, she is currently the program’s all-time leader in goals (246) and points (311). Between both sports, Carrier picked up five first team All-CAC awards.

Sophia Esparza ’10 starred for the Seahawks on the women’s soccer pitch. Esparza finished her career as a four-time first All-CAC selection – twice as a defender and twice as a midfielder. A two-year team captain, she was voted the 2006 CAC Rookie of the Year and named an NSCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Region pick in 2008.

A three-time NCAA Division III Women’s Swimming Championships qualifier, Rachel Hotchko ’10 finished her career with 21 All-CAC awards and still holds five school records. Hotchko captured 11 conference championships, including three straight in the 100 butterfly between 2008 and 2010. She was named the 2010 St. Mary’s Female Athlete of the Year.

Alex Franz ’11 was one of the most decorated players to come through the St. Mary’s men’s basketball program. Franz led the Seahawks to four NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament appearances, three CAC Tournament Championship titles, and three straight CAC regular-season championships. He graduated as the all-time leader in assists (587) and steals (326) while ranking fourth all-time with 1,485 points.

Our final Legend in the Class of 2018, Jamie Roberts ’11 was a three-sport standout for the Seahawks in women’s soccer (2009, 2010), women’s basketball (2007-2011), and women’s lacrosse (2009, 2010, 2011). Roberts, who was tragically killed in June 2014 while riding her bicycle across the country in a 4K for Cancer event, garnered all-conference honors in both basketball and lacrosse. 

 By Nairem Moran · nmoran@smcm.edu