Steve Levy, interdisciplinary studies '85, and assistant athletic director for communications, chairs the selection committee. The nominees themselves all must hold a degree from UMBC, demonstrate excellence of performance and meet a five-year grace period. "In the Hall of Fame, you look for that one thing that sets that player apart from the rest," says Levy.

Described by Levy as "one of the best volleyball players ever," Hoch excelled both on the court and in the area of child and adolescent psychology. She was the 18th player in the history of the National Collegiate Athletic Association to record 2000 "kills" (which in volleyball lingo stands for the winning move), establishing her as one of the strongest players in the history of the game. Now, as the mother of 16-month-old daughter Riley, Hoch is using her psychology degree to be a strong parent.

When Shugars tried out for the UMBC baseball team in 1990, he never dreamed of becoming a hall-of-famer. "It's a great honor, definitely the pinnacle of any career and my final accolade," says Shugars. He played first base position with a .426 batting average, 10 home runs and 62 runs batted in, earning him the title of NCAA Division I, First Team All-American his graduating year. Shugars went on to earn a master's degree in athletic administration from Georgia State and now works for a pharmaceutical company.

Miller put his personal goals aside for the good of the soccer team when he was asked to switch from offense to defense his final year. "It wasn't a tough decision for me," Miller claims. “I said if that's the best thing for the team, that's what I need to do." He scored 30 goals in four years making him fifth in the ranking of most goals earned by a soccer player at UMBC, was on the first UMBC team to make the East Coast Conference in 1991 and was voted Outstanding Senior Athlete the year he graduated. As president of Miller Public Affairs, a lobbying group for the Oregon State legislature, Miller does what's best for his clients because, he says "UMBC taught me how to win."