Feb. 8, 2010
More than 50,000 student-athletes have competed in the Colonial Athletic Association in the conference's history and to celebrate its 25th anniversary, the CAA put together a list of 25 "Silver Stars" - the 25 student-athletes who have had the greatest impact on the conference over the past 25 years. Four former Patriots were selected to the team by a committee of administrators from each of the CAA's 12 member institutions.
Istvan Bagyula (men's track and field), George Evans (men's basketball), Diane Guthrie-Gresham (women's track and field) and Aline Pereira (women's volleyball) were the four former Patriots honored by the CAA. Only Old Dominion, with five, had more former student-athletes selected and the only other school to match Mason's four was William & Mary. Hofstra, James Madison, Richmond and VCU each had two while Delaware, Drexel, Navy and UNC Wilmington each had one.
Bagyula competed at Mason from 1989-92 and was a four-time All-American and three-time NCAA champion (1990-92) in the pole vault. In 1991 at the World Championships, he won the silver medal and he finished ninth in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics competing for Hungry.
Evans (1997-2001) was named the CAA Men's Basketball Player of the Year three times (1999-2001), was All-CAA four times and was twice named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year. He led the Patriots to two appearances in the NCAA Tournament and he's among the top five in school history in points, rebounds and blocks.
Guthrie-Gresham (1991-95) was the national champion in the long jump three times and she twice was the national champion in the heptathlon. An eight-time Outdoor All-American who received the Honda Award in 1995, she was named CAA Athlete of the Year three times and she placed 7th in the 400 meters at the 1996 Olympics.
Pereira (2000-03) was named CAA Women's Volleyball Player of the Year three times (2001-03) and was twice named the CAA Tournament MVP. A four-time All-CAA selection, she was honorable mention All-American in 2003. She twice led the nation in kills per game and she is Mason's all-time leader in kills.
"The process of selecting the Silver Stars was an ominous task for our committee with the incredible accomplishments of not only those selected, but also the final nominees who were not selected," CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager said. "The synopsis speaks for itself. Millions of fans have witnessed some of the nation's greatest athletic accomplishments by this outstanding group of individuals who have set the bar for those that follow."
