Eight selected for induction Oct. 31

The Youngstown State Athletic Department is accepting reservations for the athletics hall of fame induction brunch. The cost for one person to attend the brunch is $25 while a table of eight is $200. For table information contact Emily Haynam at (330) 941-7208. The brunch will be held in the Chestnut Room of YSU’s Kilcawley Center at 10:45 a.m. on Oct. 31. Following are this year’s inductees:

Ian Dominelli (football, 1998-99) — A linebacker, Dominelli was a one-man wrecking crew as a senior earning numerous All-America honors while setting a single-season school record for tackles with 224 in 15 games. Dominelli reaped all kinds of accolades, being named to the Walter Camp All-America squad, the Teamlink.com first team, a second-team pick by the Sports Network, the Football Gazette and The Associated Press. A first-team All-Gateway Football Conference selection, he was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, honoring the nation’s top FCS defensive player. Dominelli was fourth in the voting. He was also named YSU’s top defensive player for the season.

Matt Folk (cross country/track and field, 1994-99) — Folk had a very successful running career at YSU and is the only male cross country runner to participate at the NCAA Championships. Folk also served as an assistant coach with the track and field/cross country program for nine years following his career. He has qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trails in the marathon twice. Folk reached the NCAA Championships in 1998 where he finished 77th with a time of 31:48.69. He is one of just six men from the Mid-Continent Conference to participate in the NCAA Championships. He was named The Vindicator’s YSU Male Athlete of the Year in 1999.

Vickie Robinson (volleyball, 1996-99) — A three-time all-conference selection, Robinson established school career records for kills, kills per set and at the time hitting percentage. For her career she had 1,408 kills for a hitting percentage of .277. He number of kills along with her 3.33 kills per set are still school records. She had 1,193 digs, 119 service aces, 103 assists, 110 solo blocks and 295 assists in 423 career games played. Her block assists set a school mark while her total digs were second in school history at the time her career ended. Her 405 total blocks also ranked second.

Ian Shirey (football, 1996-99) — A center, Shirey helped anchor an offensive line that led the Penguins to the 1999 national championship. As a senior, he was named to the Walter Camp Foundation, SportsNetwork and Teamlink.com (third team) All-America squads. At 6-feet-2, 270 pounds, Shirey was a four-year starter and his final two years he was an All-Gateway Football Conference pick. For his career, he started 51 games. Shirey had a streak of 37 consecutive starts before missing one against his hometown school — Slippery Rock — early in the 1999 campaign.

Cathy Sipka (swimming, 1982-86) — Sipka is just the third women’s swimmer to be inducted into the hall of fame. Sipka was a seven-time All-American for the Penguins on their record-setting relay teams. Set the school record in the 500-yard freestyle in March 1984 and the 1,000-yard freestyle in January 1984. She set the school standard in the 1,650-yard freestyle in February 1986. She held the 500 record for 25 years, the 1,000 record for 22 years and the 1,650 record for 19 years. The relay records remained for 25 years in the 800 free, 24 years in the 400 free and 21 years in the 200 free.

Ronald Smith (basketball, 1968-72) — The 19th 1,000-point scorer to be enshrined in the hall of fame. In his career, Smith, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound forward, played in 86 games averaging 12.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. He scored 1,187 career points while grabbing 718 rebounds. For his career he was 518 of 1,166 from the field (44.4 percent) and 151 of 246 at the free throw line (61.4 percent). He scored in double figures in 62 of his 86 games. His finest offensive season was his junior campaign in 1970-71 when he scored 421 points, a 16.8 average. He also led the team that campaign with 238 rebounds (9.5 per game).

Helen Stambaugh (contributor) — Stambaugh has served the Mahoning Valley as a true symbol of philanthropy throughout the past half century and has been a key contributor to Youngstown State University and the athletic department for many decades. For Youngstown State, Stambaugh, along with her husband, Arnold, will forever be linked to the athletic department by the naming of Arnold D. Stambaugh Stadium. The stadium opened in 1982 and gave the football program its first on-campus home facility. Nearly 30 years later, it remains one of the top complexes in FCS. She underwrites a scholarship endowment in the athletic department and contributed $150,000 for the YSU marching band to get new uniforms in 2007. Stambaugh also provided the lead gift for the university’s Wellness and Recreation Center which opened in 2005.

Laura Thomas (cross country/track and field, 1994-99) — Is the only women’s runner in the Youngstown State cross country program’s history to compete at the NCAA Championships. Thomas advanced to the 1997 Championships where she finished 124th with a time of 18 minutes, 16 seconds. In indoor competition, Thomas still holds the school record in the 5,000-meter run (17:25.57), while ranking in the top six in the mile and 3,000 meters. In outdoors, she is still the school-record holder in the 3,000-meter run (10:01.55) and the 10,000-meter run (35:29.01). She also ranks fifth in the 5,000 meters. During her career she established seven new school records.