Miami Ohio University Athletics
MAC Hall of Famers Szczerbiak, Womack Recognized
5/23/2022 11:15:00 AM | Field Hockey, General, Men's Basketball, Women's Soccer, Track & Field, Cross Country
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference celebrated its Hall of Fame inductees from the Class of 2020 and Class of 2022 during the MAC Honors Dinner Wednesday, May 18 at the Cleveland Renaissance Hotel.
Former Miami men's basketball standout Wally Szczerbiak was one of six members of the Class of 2020 recognized, while longtime Miami administrator Karen Womack was enshrined as part of the 12-member Class of 2022.
The 2022 class included one individual from each member institution that has contributed to the advancement of women's athletics, in recognition of the 50-year anniversary of Title IX.
"It's tremendous to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and to share that experience with Karen at the dinner was just great," said Szczerbiak.
"It was a pretty special night for the conference overall as a whole, and I enjoyed being back in Cleveland," he continued. Szczerbiak, the sixth overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft, played two of his pro seasons for the Cavaliers.
The former first-team All-American helped lead Miami to the Sweet 16 in 1999, winning MAC Player of the Year that season and graduating as the program's second all-time leading scorer.
"I'm honored, and I'm touched," Szczerbiak said of his induction and the opportunity to represent Miami University in the MAC Hall of Fame. "That was the foundation of my career in college…The coaching I got, the experience I got: It was the perfect school for not only my athletics, but also my college experience.
"I had a wonderful four years. I have great friends still and also great teammates that I still stay in touch with from those four years on campus playing Miami Basketball. It was just awesome; the experience couldn't have been better."
Although Szczerbiak and Womack were part of different Hall of Fame classes, COVID caused the 2020 induction ceremony to be delayed and combined with the 2022 recognition. Szczerbiak didn't mind one bit. "She was always around our team, always supporting Miami Basketball," he said of Womack. "She was a big influence on the basketball program."
Womack was a senior-level administrator at Miami from 1980-2007, including roles as interim athletic director, executive associate athletic director, assistant athletic director, senior woman administrator and NCAA compliance coordinator over that period. She was the sport administrator for volleyball, women's tennis, women's soccer, women's and men's basketball. Womack served on several MAC committees at various times, and was known throughout her career as a champion for women in sport.
Szczerbiak said he enjoyed spending time at Wednesday's dinner with the Miami group, which included Director of Athletics David Sayler, several current Miami student-athletes (MAC Council of Student-Athlete representatives Keara Kerr and Emily Sexton along with MAC Medal of Excellence winners Charlie Harders and Lexie Nugent), Faculty Athletics Representative Dr. Michael Crowder and RedHawk men's basketball coaches including Travis Steele and assistant Rob Summers.
"It was a lot of fun! It was great to connect with Travis Steele and get to know him," said Szczerbiak, now a television analyst for MSG and CBS Sports. "I've seen Travis coach at the associate head coach level under great coaches and then at the head coach level in the Big East, one of the best conferences in the country.
"He's a great recruiter. Getting to know him as a person, he seemed like a great guy. I'm excited to support him in any way I can as he takes over Miami Basketball and hopefully gets it back to the place it used to be."
For more information about 2020 MAC Hall of Fame inductee Wally Szczerbiak, click here.
For more information about 2022 MAC Hall of Fame inductee Karen Womack, click here.
Former Miami men's basketball standout Wally Szczerbiak was one of six members of the Class of 2020 recognized, while longtime Miami administrator Karen Womack was enshrined as part of the 12-member Class of 2022.
The 2022 class included one individual from each member institution that has contributed to the advancement of women's athletics, in recognition of the 50-year anniversary of Title IX.
"It's tremendous to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and to share that experience with Karen at the dinner was just great," said Szczerbiak.
"It was a pretty special night for the conference overall as a whole, and I enjoyed being back in Cleveland," he continued. Szczerbiak, the sixth overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft, played two of his pro seasons for the Cavaliers.
The former first-team All-American helped lead Miami to the Sweet 16 in 1999, winning MAC Player of the Year that season and graduating as the program's second all-time leading scorer.
"I'm honored, and I'm touched," Szczerbiak said of his induction and the opportunity to represent Miami University in the MAC Hall of Fame. "That was the foundation of my career in college…The coaching I got, the experience I got: It was the perfect school for not only my athletics, but also my college experience.
"I had a wonderful four years. I have great friends still and also great teammates that I still stay in touch with from those four years on campus playing Miami Basketball. It was just awesome; the experience couldn't have been better."
Although Szczerbiak and Womack were part of different Hall of Fame classes, COVID caused the 2020 induction ceremony to be delayed and combined with the 2022 recognition. Szczerbiak didn't mind one bit. "She was always around our team, always supporting Miami Basketball," he said of Womack. "She was a big influence on the basketball program."
Womack was a senior-level administrator at Miami from 1980-2007, including roles as interim athletic director, executive associate athletic director, assistant athletic director, senior woman administrator and NCAA compliance coordinator over that period. She was the sport administrator for volleyball, women's tennis, women's soccer, women's and men's basketball. Womack served on several MAC committees at various times, and was known throughout her career as a champion for women in sport.
Szczerbiak said he enjoyed spending time at Wednesday's dinner with the Miami group, which included Director of Athletics David Sayler, several current Miami student-athletes (MAC Council of Student-Athlete representatives Keara Kerr and Emily Sexton along with MAC Medal of Excellence winners Charlie Harders and Lexie Nugent), Faculty Athletics Representative Dr. Michael Crowder and RedHawk men's basketball coaches including Travis Steele and assistant Rob Summers.
"It was a lot of fun! It was great to connect with Travis Steele and get to know him," said Szczerbiak, now a television analyst for MSG and CBS Sports. "I've seen Travis coach at the associate head coach level under great coaches and then at the head coach level in the Big East, one of the best conferences in the country.
"He's a great recruiter. Getting to know him as a person, he seemed like a great guy. I'm excited to support him in any way I can as he takes over Miami Basketball and hopefully gets it back to the place it used to be."
For more information about 2020 MAC Hall of Fame inductee Wally Szczerbiak, click here.
For more information about 2022 MAC Hall of Fame inductee Karen Womack, click here.
Players Mentioned
CC/Distance
/ Track & Field, Cross Country
Forward/Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Forward/Midfielder
/ Field Hockey
Midfielder
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