"Something inside me just felt like this was going to be the right school," says Inga Chilingaryan-Babakhanyan, one of three former Vulcans who will be honored April 21.
Cal U will hold its 23rd annual Athletic Hall of Fame luncheon at 5 p.m. April 21 in the Performance Center, inside the Natali Student Center. For reservations, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 724-938-4418.
The airline lost Inga Chilingaryan-Babakhanyan's luggage on her first trip from Armenia to Cal U. But once she settled in, she quickly found a winning academic and athletic formula in southwestern Pennsylvania.
A native of Yerevan, Armenia, Babakhanyan was a three-time Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American selection for Cal U's women's tennis program from 2005-2006 through 2007-2008.
After attending California State University Northridge for a year at age 16, Babakhanyan returned home to Armenia for two years. Always adventurous and wanting to experience the East Coast, she seized the opportunity when former Vulcans tennis coach Pablo Montana offered her a scholarship.
"I had no idea where I was going to go, but something inside of me just felt like this was going to be the right school to finish my education, play tennis and hopefully benefit the school," she said.
"Pablo told me about all of the good academic programs Cal U offered, and said that when I joined the team we are going to take off and I would do amazing things."
Not only did she become Cal U's first of nine women's tennis All-Americans, Babakhanyan was also the 2006 and 2007 PSAC-West Women's Tennis Athlete of the Year and the 2008 ITA Senior Regional Player of the Year.
She helped the Vulcans win their first two of an unprecedented 10 straight PSAC team championships, from 2007-2016, along with two NCAA Division II East Regional titles and a national quarterfinal appearance.
Babakhanyan finished with an 85-9 singles career mark. Her doubles career record was
80-10.
During her three years, Cal U compiled a 71-14 cumulative record, including a 54-5
mark over her junior and senior seasons.
A Dean's List student, she earned her bachelor's degree from Cal U in fine arts in 2006 and then master's degrees in health science and business management in 2007 and 2008, respectively.
"I didn't have anything but my hand luggage for several weeks," Babakhanyan said,
laughing as she recalled that initial flight to Pittsburgh. "I had never experienced
the small-town setting before, but within a week I fell in love with Cal, the school
and the people."
Today, Babakhanyan is a private tennis coach and the director of agent development
at JohnHart Real Estate, headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif.
She and her husband, Mike, also a licensed real estate agent with JohnHart, live in Burbank, Calif. The couple has two children: Alexander, 3, and Bella, 1.
Montana calls Babakhanyan "the cornerstone" of the winning tennis program.
"Her accomplishments on the court are well documented, but Inga's success in the corporate world while raising a family shows what a talented, quality person she is.
"She's the consummate student-athlete."
Babakhanyan credits Cal U with helping her to achieve a successful career.
"Those were definitely some of the best years of my life. Cal U taught me all of my independence, how to set goals and work hard to accomplish what you want to in life. "
Babakhanyan becomes the third women's tennis player to earn Cal U Hall of Fame honors.
"To be honest, it was a very emotional moment for me when I was notified," she said. "At first I could not process it, because it's been 10 years ago since I played. But then I must say it brought a tear to my eye, and all those Cal U moments flashed before my eyes.
"This is amazing."