Hall of Fame Class of 2015 for CMS announced

CLAREMONT, Calif. – A group of five Claremont-Mudd-Scripps standout alumni have been selected as inductees into the CMS Alumni Association Athletics Hall of Fame, announced Michael Sutton ’76, the CMS Director of Athletics and William B. Arce Professor and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College.

The Class of 2015 includes three Claremont McKenna College graduates (Geoff Russell ’84 – Men’s Golf; Wendy Cole ’92 – Women’s Soccer; John Shipp ’95 – Football/Baseball), one inductee from Harvey Mudd College (Brian Zinda ’97 – Baseball) and one inductee from Scripps College (Brett Eppich Beal ’82 – Swimming). Accolades for this class include All-Conference selections and Conference MVPs, along with All-Region and All-America award recognition.

“The Hall of Fame Banquet is always a highlight of our year here with CMS Athletics,” said Sutton. “I look forward to welcoming the Class of 2015 back on campus in November so we can honor the Hall of Famer’s incredible, wide-ranging accomplishments during their time here in Claremont.”

The 2015 inductees will be honored at the Hall of Fame Banquet on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Claremont McKenna College’s Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum.

Inductees are in alphabetical order by last name

Brett Eppich Beal ’82 (SCR-Women’s Swimming): As a senior in 1982, she became the first CMS swimmer to earn NCAA Division III All-America status and that year, she also was named Team MVP. She was the first Athena swimmer ever to score individually at the NCAA Championships and she also led the Athenas to the program’s first-ever top-20 finish at nationals. Eppich Beal swam for the Athenas in each of her four years at Scripps.

Wendy Cole (now Wendy Pratt) ’92 (CMC-Women’s Soccer): A four-time All-Conference selection including three seasons in a row (1989-1991) as a first team All-SCIAC recipient. Known as a tough player who was always well prepared to compete, Cole served as co-captain of the team during her junior and senior years. Most Inspirational Player, Co-MVP and the Coaches Award were the team awards that she earned during her career on the pitch for the Athenas.

Geoff Russell ’84 (CMC-Men’s Golf): He twice went to the NCAA Division III Championships (1981 and 1984). In 1984 at the NCAA Championships, Russell had a hole-in-one. Over his career, he racked up four first team All-SCIAC awards and three Team MVPs. He also served as team captain during his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, was a second place finisher at the SCIAC Championships in 1984 and twice won the Jesse Clark Award for sportsmanship in the conference. As a senior in 1984, he was selected as CMC’s Bill Dickinson Award recipient which goes to a student-athlete who exemplifies leadership, self-discipline, determination and conscientiousness.

John Shipp ’96 (CMC-Football and Baseball): A two-sport athlete who excelled in both sports, particularly football. On the gridiron, he was a two-time team captain and team MVP. On the conference level, he twice was selected first team All-SCIAC and was the Offensive Player of the Year twice as well. As a senior in 1995, he was chosen as CMC’s Male Athlete of the Year. In 1994, he finished third in the country in total yards from scrimmage (2,871). After graduation, he also served a coach with the CMS football program for several years. For the Stags on the diamond, he started for two season in center field.

Brian Zinda ’97 (HMC-Baseball): An All-American (1996), two-time All-Region selection (1996 and 1997) and two-time first team All-SCIAC recipient (1996 and 1997), Zinda had a dominant career for the Stags on the mound. He posted 27 wins for CMS including a 1996 campaign that saw him go 12-1 on the year with 11 complete games. Over his career which included 47 starts, he threw 23 complete games. Zinda once pitched 14 1/3 innings in one game against Redlands. He also led the Stags to a pair of wins over Cal Lutheran in a playoff series. From 1996-1997, he won a CMS record 14-straight decisions.

Please check back at a later date for Hall of Fame Banquet event details which will be posted and announced as they become available on CMS’ Hall of Fame webpage and on CMC’s alumni events webpage.

Become a fan of CMS Athletics on Facebook: AthleticsCMS
Follows CMS Athletics on Twitter: @AthleticsCMS
CMS Athletics on Instagram: cmsathletics
Watch CMS Athletics videos on YouTube: ClaremontMuddScripps
#gostags
#goathenas
#cmstrong