Three former Vulcans have been selected for Cal U's Athletic Hall of Fame.
Three individuals will comprise California University of Pennsylvania's 23rd Athletic Hall of Fame class.
The 2018 inductees are Inga Chilingaryan-Babakhanyan ´07, ´08, ´09 (women's tennis),
Joe Ruggiero (football), and Ishmieal Kamara (men's basketball).
These former Vulcan standouts will be inducted officially at the Cal U Athletic Hall
of Fame dinner, set for 6 p.m. April 21 in the Performance Center of the Natali Student
Center, on the University's main campus in California, Pa.
Tickets for the Hall of Fame dinner are $30 each, or $10 for children 10 and younger.
The public may attend.
For reservations, contact the Office of Alumni Relations, 724-938-4418, or email Staci
Tedrow at tedrow@calu.edu. Proceeds from the dinner will be used to establish a Hall of Fame athletic scholarship.
Brief biographies of the 2018 Hall of Fame inductees follow.
California University of Pennsylvania Athletic Hall of Fame
2018 Inductees
Inga Chilingaryan-Babakhanyan (Yerevan, Armenia) played for the women's team from 2005-2006 through 2007-2008.
She was a three-time Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American selection and was the 2008 ITA Senior Regional Player of the Year.
Also a three-time first-team all-conference selection in both singles and doubles
competition, Babakhanyan was the 2006 and 2007 PSAC-West Women's Tennis Athlete of
the Year and compiled a 29-1 overall singles record and 26-5 doubles record in 2006.
During her 2007 junior season, she helped Cal U compile a 28-2 overall record and
win its first PSAC team championship since 1993. The Vulcans also won the NCAA Division
II East
Regional title and reached the national quarterfinals for the first time in program
history.
Babakhanyan compiled a 33-5 overall singles record and went 33-4 in doubles play with teammate Yumi Matsuto.
Babakhanyan led the Vulcans to a 26-3 overall record her senior season with another
PSAC championship and NCAA East Regional title. She and teammate Helen VanEysendeyk,
compiled a 21-1 overall mark in doubles competition.
Babakhanyan compiled a 23-3 overall record in singles competition in 2008 to finish
with an 85-9 singles career mark. Her doubles career record was 80-10.
Ishmieal Kamara (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Scioto High School) was a three-year starting guard for the men's basketball team from 1999-2000 through
2002-2003.
Kamara was a three-time all-conference selection which included first-team honors
his junior and senior seasons. He was also the 2003 PSAC-West Men's Basketball Athlete
of the Year after leading the Vulcans to 25 victories. Kamara's 538 points that season
remains 12th best in school history and his 82.2% free-throw percentage (139-169)
was fifth-best in the conference.
He finished his stellar career with 1,421 points, which ranks 11th in school history.
Kamara also shot 78.4% from the foul line (326-416) and produced 354 rebounds 213
assists, and 80 steals.
Kamara helped the Vulcans compile an 88-31 cumulative overall record and 35-13 PSAC-West
mark during his playing career. Cal U won the PSAC-West title in 2003, were co-division
leaders in 2000 and 2002, and PSAC tournament finalists in 2002 and 2003.
Joe Ruggiero (Livonia, Mich./Franklin High School) was a four-year starting and three-time all-conference quarterback for the football
team from 2004 through 2007.
After suffering a season-ending injury during the fourth game of 2004, Ruggiero led the Vulcans to three consecutive PSAC-West championships with a 16-2 divisional mark and 29-6 overall record from 2005-2007.
Ruggiero was a Harlon Hill Trophy regional finalist in 2006 for the award given to
the top player in NCAA Division II.
In 2007, Ruggiero passed for 2,365 yards and a-then school record 25 touchdowns leading
the Vulcans to a 13-1 overall record and the team's first-ever NCAA Division II playoff
appearance. After achieving the program's first undefeated regular season in 49 years,
Cal won two playoff games and advanced to their first of three straight national semifinal
appearances.
He finished his career with 7,462 passing yards and 67 touchdown passes, which both
still rank second in school history. Those figures along with his career 63.4 completion
percentage, 611 completions and 963 attempts still rank among the conference's top
20.