RICHARDSON, TX (10.28.09) – The UT Dallas Department of Intercollegiate Athletics inducted its largest class ever Wednesday night, adding two administrators and three former soccer standouts to the UT Dallas Athletics Hall of Honors.
Dr. Darrelene Rachavong, UTD's Vice President for Student Affairs; and
Dr. Michael J. Coleman, Dean of Undergraduate Education at UTD, were inducted as administrators for their role in the formation of the intercollegiate athletic program back in the mid-1990's.
James D. Pomposelli, an award-winning men's soccer standout, and two members of UTD's 2002 women's soccer championship team –
Katy Turner Moen and
Serena Griffin Santana – were added as student-athletes.
The five-member Class of 2009 is the largest yet in the three-year old Hall of Honors. The inaugural Class of 2007 included four members, while two others were added in 2008. The honored individuals are selected by a 10-member Selection Committee. Administrators, coaches and outside supporters are selected based on their contribution to the program while student-athletes must be UTD graduates who have earned their degree at least five or more years prior to induction.
Members of the Class of 2009 were:
>>DR. DARRELENE RACHAVONG (Administrator), who began her career at UT Dallas in 1983, was the university’s Dean of Students and Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs in the mid-1990’s when UTD first began exploring the possibility of adding an intercollegiate athletic program. She and others were originally trying to initiate a new club sports program for the university, but those discussions eventually evolved into a full intercollegiate athletics program that included membership in the NCAA and the American Southwest Conference.
Dr. Rachavong continued as the supervisor of the athletic program when she was appointed UTD’s Vice President for Student Affairs in 2004. She has always been a strong advocate for the intercollegiate athletic program throughout the university, and in working with the student body in securing the necessary funding for the program. With her help and direction, the department has continued to build and enhance its programming with the addition of new sports, staffing, facilities and equipment throughout the last decade.
Dr. Rachavong joined the UTD administration in 1983 as Assistant to the Executive Director of Student Services, then later was promoted to Director of Student Life. She became Dean of Students and Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs in 1994. A social sciences graduate of West Virginia Institute of Technology, she earned a Master of Arts in reading education from the West Virginia College of Graduate Studies, then an Ed.D. degree from the University of North Texas.
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DR. J. MICHAEL COLEMAN (Administrator), Associate Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education, has been a strong advocate and supporter of the UTD intercollegiate athletics program and its scholar-athletes since the program’s beginning.
When UTD first began exploring the possibility of creating an athletics program back in the mid-1990’s, Dr. Coleman was sent as an informal faculty representative to the NCAA National Conference to get an idea of what adding athletics to UTD’s campus life might involve. There, he found himself sitting next to the faculty athletic representative from a large Midwest university and noticed an impressive, diamond-encrusted national championship ring this individual was wearing.
A week later, however, Dr. Coleman was back in front of the UTD faculty, trying to calm fears about where funding for the program was going to come from, and whether professors were going to need to offer special classes and tutoring for student-athletes. He addressed those concerns then and has continued to serve as a strong liaison between the department and the UTD faculty. Today, Dr. Coleman proudly boasts of dozens of scholar-athletes each year who continue to perform at high levels both on the field and in the classroom.
A graduate of Vanderbilt University, Dr. Coleman earned a doctorate from the University of Virginia and joined the UTD faculty in 1978 in what is now the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. He was appointed full professor in 1993 and became Dean of Undergraduate Education in 1997. He became Associate Provost in 1999.
>>J.D. POMPOSELLI (Men’s Soccer 2000-2003) was an offensive force for the UTD men’s soccer team during one of the program’s most successful eras from 2000-2003. Though the university’s athletic program was young and UTD was still an NCAA provisional member during the first two years of his career, Pomposelli was a four-time All-American Southwest Conference performer on teams that went 57-19-3 during those four seasons.
In addition, he won numerous academic awards during his career, including first-team honors with the prestigious Verizon Academic All-American team in 2002.
Pomposelli was co-winner of the ASC West Division Freshman of the Year award in 2000, then was chosen the conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2002 when he scored 12 goals and had six assists on a team that did not lose a conference game. Before his career ended, he had scored 31 goals and had 26 assists, finishing in the top 10 in several career statistical categories. His 88 career points still ranks as third on UTD’s all-time list.
A native of Carrollton, Pomposelli played six years for UTD Coach Jack Peel with the Texas Longhorn Soccer Club. After graduating from The Colony High School, he signed a Division I scholarship to the University of Central Florida, but was redshirted his freshman year. Seeking a smaller college environment, Pomposelli returned to the area and found his old coach at UTD. He earned both his undergraduate and MBA from UTD and has worked as a senior consultant for PricewaterhouseCooper’s Human Resources Effectiveness Practice since.
>>KATY TURNER MOEN (Women’s Soccer 1999-2002) was a tenacious defender who helped lead the UT Dallas women’s soccer team to an American Southwest Conference championship in 2002 and an appearance in the “Sweet 16” of the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament..
During her four-year career from 1999 to 2002, Turner and the Comets lost just 13 of 75 games and were a remarkable 39-4-2 against ASC competition. Turner was recognized with all-conference honors each season, including first-team recognition in 2001 and 2002, when she also served as a team captain. She was selected for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas All-South Region team in 2002.
Turner, who started 54 games in her career, was also a three-time selection for the American Southwest Conference Academic All-Conference team.
Turner was recruited out of Pflugerville High School near Austin, and earned an accounting degree from UTD in 2003. She added an MBA degree in 2005 and has worked in the accounting industry since. She is currently a Senior Auditor for BKD L.L.P.
>>SERENA GRIFFIN SANTANA (UTD Women’s Soccer 1999-2002) was an aggressive, prolific offensive player in the middle of the Comet attack who helped lead the UT Dallas women’s soccer team to its first American Southwest Conference championship in 2002 and an appearance in the “Sweet 16” of the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.
During her four-year career from 1999 to 2002, Griffin was a force for the Comet offense, scoring 21 goals, including 12 game-winners. She also assisted on 19 other goals and ranks in UTD’s career recordbook, averaging 1.11 points per game. Griffin accomplished all this despite missing much of her sophomore season caring for a seriously-ill child.
Griffin was part of a UTD team that went 55-13-7 during her career and lost just four conference matches. She won All-ASC honors three times and was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Region team in 2002. During her senior season, she was named Most Valuable Player in the ASC Championship Tournament after scoring the winning goal in the title game.
An honor student at Lockart High School in Austin, Griffin came to UT Dallas on a full academic scholarship. She earned a B.A in Psychology and her teaching certification in 2003, and spent four years teaching and coaching. She later earned a master’s degree from the University of Texas in Austin, where she currently resides.