Winthrop recognizes four Hall of Fame inductees

Winthrop’s athletic hall of fame added four more members Friday night during a ceremony at the DiGiorgio Center attended by hundreds.

Athletes Chris Gaynor (men’s basketball) and Shannon Sitzmann (volleyball) were joined by former men’s soccer coach Rich Posipanko and longtime former athletic director Tom Hickman in making speeches before the sizable crowd. Gaynor was the starting point guard on the 2006-07 Winthrop men’s basketball team that upset Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA tournament. That team was also recognized for its 10-year anniversary.

“I’d argue that was one of the most impactful days in the history of the university,” said Winthrop athletic director Ken Halpin in his opening remarks.

Shannon Sitzmann - formerly Shannon Reid, Sitzmann began her career as the Big South volleyball freshman of the year in 2004 and ended it in 2007 as the conference player of the year. She was named All-Big South first team four straight years and also made the 2006 and 2007 All-Tournament teams. Sitzmann was integral in three straight Big South championships and NCAA tournament appearances and finished her career with a 0.318 hitting percentage, sixth-best all-time in conference history. In 2010, she was named a member of the Big South’s All-Decade team for 2000-09.

Chris Gaynor - the Winston-Salem native was the engine behind Winthrop’s four straight NCAA men’s basketball tournament appearances from 2004 to 2008. Gaynor started a school record 129 games and is second all-time in assists and steals. He helped the Eagles knock off Notre Dame in the first round of the 2007 NCAA tournament, the school’s only tournament win to date. Gaynor is one of four players in Big South Conference history with 1,000 point, 500 assists and 200 steals.

Rich Posipanko - Posipanko took charge of the Winthrop men’s soccer program in 1989. He retired last year as the Big South’s all-time leader in wins (275) after guiding the Eagles to six NCAA tournaments and five conference championships. Posipanko was named the league’s coach of the year four times and his teams were also awarded the league’s Kallander Cup for community service four times. He’s remained in the Rock Hill community as director of operations for Discoveries Soccer Club and is still active in fund-raising for cancer awareness and research.

Tom Hickman - before retiring last June, Hickman oversaw the biggest chunk of athletic expansion and accomplishment in Winthrop’s history. He took over as athletic director in 1996 after six years as associate A.D. Eagles teams won 50 Big South championships over the next 20 years, making as many NCAA tournament appearances, while 15 individual student-athletes also qualified for NCAA tournaments or meets. During Hickman’s lengthy tenure, the school spent over $20 millon on new facility construction and facility improvements.

This story was originally published January 27, 2017 at 8:10 PM with the headline "Winthrop recognizes four Hall of Fame inductees."