October 3, 2005

Eight To Be Inducted Saturday Into UVM Athletic Hall of Fame

Tickets Available For 37th Annual Dinner On Saturday

BURLINGTON, Vt. -- A pair of NCAA champion alpine skiers, two baseball record
holders, two former top lacrosse scorers, a nationally-recognized soccer goalie
and one of the school's all-time greats in swimming make up the eight former
University of Vermont student-athletes who will be inducted into UVM's Athletic
Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 8th.

The inductees will be lauded at the 37th annual Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner at
the Sheraton Burlington Hotel on Saturday, October 8, 2005. The celebration
will begin with a reception at 6:00pm and the dinner beginning at 7:00pm. Prior
to the events at the Sheraton will be portrait-hanging ceremony at 4:30pm in
the Hall of Fame Room in Patrick Gym.

Tickets to the dinner are $35.00 and may be purchased through the UVM Athletic
Ticket Office in Patrick Gym (802-656-4410 or 1-866-4 CAT-TIX) prior to
Thursday, October 6th. You can also access the Ticket Office through UVM's
Athletic web site, www.uvmathletics.com <http://www.uvmathletics.com/> .

The UVM Athletic Hall of Fame class of 2005:

Betsy Amos-Jonas '95: One of the top swimmers in school history, Betsy
Amos-Jonas '95 was a two-time North Atlantic Conference (now America East)
champion in the 100 butterfly (1993, 1995) and won an ECAC Championship in that
event in 1994. During her time at UVM, she held three individual records, three
pool records, three freshmen records, one NAC record and one ECAC record.

In May of 1995, Amos-Jonas received the Semans Trophy as the top female senior
athlete in regard to leadership, loyalty and service to athletics at UVM. A
quiet leader who served as captain her junior and senior years she set school
records in the 100 butterfly (57.62), 50 freestyle (24.39) and the 100
freestyle (52.67), in addition to retiring as the NAC and ECAC record holder in
the 100 fly.

Amos-Jonas also won UVM's prestigious team awards. She was a two-time Les
Leggett Award winner and was selected the Vermont swimming female athlete of
the year in 1993 and 1995.

A native of Essex Junction, Vermont, Amos-Jonas currently lives in Raleigh, N.C.

Marc Choiniere '93: A two-time first-team All-New England third baseman, Marc
"Tigger" Choiniere '93 graduated from UVM as the school's all-time leader in
hits with 176. He anchored the infield for some of coach Bill Currier's most
successful teams.

His career hits record stood for seven seasons and he also set a new
single-season record for hits in 1993 that stood for five seasons. A career
.338 hitter, he finished as the UVM all-time leader in total bases (240) and
games played (145). One of the most durable players at UVM, Choiniere missed
just two games in four years, both in his freshman season. He also ended his
career ranked among the UVM career leaders in batting average (sixth), doubles
(fourth), RBI (third) and runs scored (fourth).

As a junior in 1992, the Bristol, Vermont native hit .345 with a school-record
56 hits and a team-high 36 RBI as Vermont won a then-school-record 28 games and
finished third in the ECAC Championship. He was named to the North Atlantic
Conference All-Conference Second Team and the All-New England First Team. He
was a co-captain in 1993 as the Cats went 25-18 overall and 15-13 in the NAC.
He led the team with a .361 average and tied for the team-lead with three
homers and 31 RBI. He repeated on the All-New England First Team and earned NAC
All-Conference First Team honors. In 1993, Choiniere was selected by his
teammates as a co-winner of the Ralph Lapointe Baseball Award for leadership,
dedication and loyalty in making an outstanding contribution to the program.

Earlier this fall, Choiniere returned to UVM to join Currier's staff as an
assistant baseball coach. He lives in Waterford, Vermont.

Gibson LaFountaine '95: The winner of UVM's 1995 J. Edward Donnelly Award as the
top athlete of her class, Gibson LaFountaine '95 was a two-time All-American
and All-East skier for the Catamounts from 1993 to 1995. She was a key member
of Vermont's last NCAA Championship ski team in 1994. LaFountaine was the
top-ranked female collegiate slalom skier in the United States for three
straight seasons. With two NCAA titles in the slalom, she is one of two
Catamounts to win the national slalom crown more than once joining fellow UVM
Hall of Famer Gabriella Hamburg Sutro '90, a three-time winner during her
career.

A native of Lake Placid, N.Y., LaFountaine was away with the U.S. Ski Team much
of her freshman year and she did not ski for the Catamounts. She came on strong
at midseason of her sophomore campaign finishing second in the slalom at the
UVM and Dartmouth Carnivals. She capped her rise to the top with her first NCAA
slalom title at Steamboat Springs, Colorado. LaFountaine also finished a solid
19th in the giant slalom as the Catamounts finished as the national runner-up.

Her junior year was her best as she captured three carnival slaloms along with
another national title. At the EISAs (Eastern Championships), she was second in
the slalom and eighth in the giant slalom. She wrapped up the season with her
second straight individual national title in the slalom as Vermont won the NCAA
Ski Championship at Sugarloaf, Maine. In her senior season she won four more
carnival slalom races and had three top-three finishes in the giant slalom. She
earned All-East honors in both events at the EISAs.

Still active in the sporting goods industry, LaFountaine currently resides in
Watertown, Mass.

George Plender '55: A four-year letterwinning pitcher for coach Ralph Lapointe's
baseball teams, George Plender '55 hurled an amazing 60 1/3 consecutive innings
of scoreless ball through the 1954 season to the start of 1955. He finished his
career with 16 victories (16-6) in 37 appearances (21 starts, 16 relief) that
included seven shutouts. Not overpowering - he struck out less than 100 hitters
in 187 innings pitched -he used his great control to walk fewer than two
hitters per game.

The Catamounts in his four years went 12-9 in 1952 (Lapointe's first season as
head coach), 12-7 in 1953, 10-7 in 1954 and 13-9 in 1955, his senior year when
he was the team captain. The Catamounts won the state title each year with
Plender going 8-0 in his career against Vermont rivals.

After pitching in relief as a freshman and a solid sophomore season, the
Tenafly, N.J. native was outstanding in 1954 as a junior. He went 6-2 hurling
six straight shutouts to close out the season. He started slow on the
Catamounts southern swing but finished the campaign strong going his last 57
2/3 innings without allowing a run. This string broke the previous UVM record
of 44 scoreless innings set by Walter Sargent over the 1930 and 1931 seasons.

His scoreless string was stopped in the third inning of his first start as a
senior, a 5-4 loss at Villanova. He bounced back with a win in relief at
Hofstra and then hurled a four-hit shutout at Adelphi. He finished the season
with a 5-3 record. Plender was just 21 years old as a senior as many
student-athletes of the day were much older after serving in the armed forces.

Following his UVM career he was signed by the Milwaukee Braves but had already
accepted a spot in the U.S. Air Force through ROTC. Now retired after a career
in the municipal bond industry, Plender is now retired and living on the coast
of Maine.

Tim Shannehan '91: The winner of the 1991 Sunderland Trophy for leadership and
overcoming obstacles, Tim Shannehan '91 was a member of some of the most
successful men's lacrosse teams in school history. An All-New England selection
at attack, he finished his career at UVM second all-time in goals (117) and
third in points (182). He accomplished this after twice suffering serious knee
injuries that threatened his career.

Shannehan led the team in scoring as a junior and senior, and finished his
senior year among the nation's scoring leaders. In 1991, he scored 43 goals and
added 22 assists for 65 points playing in only 14 games. It was the second-most
goals in a single season in school history (now seventh) and the sixth highest
in total points (now seventh).

In each of his freshman and sophomore seasons, Shannehan was third on the team
in scoring. As a junior in 1990, he led the team in goals and assists as the
Catamounts went 9-5 and were nationally ranked for the first time ever. That
year, he tallied 37 goals and added 20 assists for 57 points, and he scored
five goals in a game five different times. Selected to play in the prestigious
East-West All-Star game in 1991, Shannehan was also named All-New England as a
senior. Following graduation, Shannehan participated at the training camp of
the Major Indoor Lacrosse League's Boston Blazers but had to retire due to his
injuries. He now lives in Fairfield, Connecticut and currently is a director
with the United States Tennis Association.

Andy Shaw '86: A two-time All-American alpine skier, Andy Shaw '86 was the 1984
NCAA champion in the giant slalom. In three of his four seasons with the
Catamounts, Vermont finished second in the NCAA Ski Championship.

A native of Stowe, Vermont, Shaw came to UVM from one of the top skiing families
from the state of Vermont. His father, Gail, was a standout skier at Middlebury
College and his mother, M.J., is a longtime director of the Mt. Mansfield Ski
Club in Stowe.  His brother, Tiger, was one of the top U.S. alpine racers in
the 1980s, and his sister, Dani, was an All-American skier at Middlebury. His
aunt, Ann Shaw Savela '53, was a mainstay of the national ski teams and she was
inducted into the UVM Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984.

He had a solid freshman season ending with an 11th place finish in the giant
slalom in the 1983 NCAA Championships. Shaw was the top eastern skier in the
giant slalom throughout the carnival season winning the EISA title while
posting top four finishes in five giant slalom events. He capped an excellent
sophomore season winning the NCAA title in the giant slalom at Attitash, N.H.
He added a team-best ninth place finish in the slalom as the Catamounts
finished second to Utah. During the season, he was Vermont?s top alpine skier
as the top finisher in four of the six carnivals.

In 1985, his success went beyond UVM as he finished fifth in the slalom at the
World University Games in Belluno, Italy, the highest for any American at the
games. He earned All-American honors at the NCAAs coming in seventh in the
slalom and sixth in the giant slalom. During the carnival circuit he won four
races and finished second in 10 others. His senior year ended with a severe
knee injury while competing at the UVM Winter Carnival at his home hill in
Stowe.

After UVM he had a stint on the U.S. National Ski Team. Still active in the ski
industry in equipment sales, he now resides in South Burlington.

Jen Starr '90:  One of the top goalkeepers in Vermont women's soccer history,
Jen Starr '90 was named National Goalkeeper of the Year as a senior in 1989. A
native of Shelburne, Vermont, she was a four-year starter for coach John
Carter. She holds school records for most saves in a season (177 in 1988) and
career (572); shutouts in a season (9, in 1987 and 1989) and career (31); and
career wins (36). In her four years, Vermont was 38-22-9.

As a freshman in 1986, Starr played in 17 of the 18 games, recording seven
shutouts and a goals-against average of 0.58. She allowed just 10 goals while
posting 148 saves (a .936 save percentage) as the Cats recorded a 7-6-5 record.
In 1987, Starr played in all 17 games and registered nine shutouts. She
recorded a 1.16 GAA and had 146 saves as Vermont went 10-6-1. As a junior,
Starr started all 16 games as the Cats went 10-4-2. She recorded a
school-record 177 saves, allowing only 16 goals while recording a 0.96 GAA and
six shutouts. She also was named UVM's Most Valuable Player after the seaspn.

In Starr's senior year, along with fellow UVM Athletic Hall of Famer Katree
Hodgdon, she anchored the Catamounts defense en route to an 11-6-1 mark that
culminated with the ECAC Championship. In the ECACs, hosted by Vermont, Starr
shut out Boston College, 2-0, in the semifinals and then blanked Rutgers in the
1-0 title game win. She recorded 10 shutouts that season, including four in
Vermont's last four games. In 15 games she stopped 101 shots while giving up
nine goals, and had a sharp 0.63 GAA. She also was named to the All-New England
and All-Northeast Region First Teams. At the annual soccer coaches' convention
after the 1989 season, Starr was awarded the ISAAA/adidas National Goalkeeper
of the Year Award by the nation?s coaches.

A native of Shelburne, Vermont, Starr now lives in Sarasota, Florida. Until this
past year she played competitive club soccer throughout the east coast.

Carrie Towers '94: A prolific scorer who helped the Catamount women's lacrosse
team to an ECAC Championship in 1993, Carrie Towers '94 finished her career
second all-time at UVM in scoring. She was twice named All-New England and was
an All-American in 1993.

The team Most Valuable Player in 1994, Towers tallied 137 points in four
seasons. She ranked third all-time at UVM in career goals (98) and third in
career assists (39). She also set two of the top 10 single-season scoring
records in school history.

A native of Huntington, N.Y., she was second on the team in scoring as a
freshman and led the team as a sophomore. Her junior year, 1993, was when
Towers, and the Catamounts, began to shine. She scored 28 goals and added 15
assists for 43 points, leading the team in scoring and propelling Vermont to
its lone ECAC Championship. Named a third team, All-American and to the All-New
England First Team, Towers was a key factor in UVM's ECAC title run. In an 8-7
semifinal win over Cornell, she scored the game-winning goal with 30 seconds
left. She followed that with four goals in Vermont's 7-6 comeback win over
top-seeded UNH in the title game.

In 1994, her senior season, Towers scored a career-best 33 goals and added 15
assists for 48 points, the fifth-highest total in a single season in school
history as the team went 7-4 in 1994 and advanced again to the ECAC
Championship.

An accomplished distance runner and tri-athlete, Towers now resides in Lake
Tahoe, California.

--30?

Vermont Athletic Communications
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