ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA - Winthrop University Athletics will induct four new members into its Hall of Fame during
a Jan. 31 ceremony in the DiGiorgio Campus Center.
The selections for the 2020 Class are: Cid Carvalho, tennis coach; Ashley Howard, women's track & field; Juliana Tonani Marques, women's tennis; and Tessa Thomas, softball. Created in 2001, the Winthrop Athletics Hall of Fame will have a membership
of 90 after this group is welcomed in.
Doors for the event at the Richardson Ballroom open at 6 p.m. with the ceremony starting
at 7 p.m.
Below are biographies for each inductee:
Cid Carvalho (1986-2019) – Carvalho retired in May following one of the most illustrious coaching careers
in the history of the Big South Conference. Carvalho coached men's and women's tennis
for decades before moving to coach only the women's team in the summer of 2011. This
past spring Carvalho and his Eagles won a fourth straight Big South Conference title,
bringing the program's total to 20 regular season titles and 21 conference championships.
He also guided the women's program to 17 NCAA Tournament appearances, including the
conference's first postseason victory in tennis when the Eagles defeated 20th-ranked Auburn. Carvalho also guided the men's program to nine regular season Big
South titles and seven NCAA Tournament appearances. He had more than 300 wins with
the men's program and a total of 430 with the women's team.
Ashley Howard (2006-10) – Howard is one of the most decorated throwers in the history of the men or women’s
program. In 2010 Howard qualified for the NCAA Championship and finished 17th, earning Honorable Mention All-America Honors. It was just the second time a female
track & field athlete qualified for the NCAA Championships. Howard was the 2008 Big
South Conference Outdoor Champion in the discus and the 2010 Big South Champion in
the indoor shot put. In her career she was a six-time All-Conference performer. Howard
still holds the program record for discus and the Irwin Belk Track facility record
in the discus.
Juliana Tonani Marques (1996-2000) – Marques helped lead the women's tennis program to Big South Conference Championships
in 1999 and 2000. She earned All-Conference honors four times in doubles and three
times in singles. She was the program's first four-time All-Conference selection in
doubles and just the second to earn All-Conference three times in singles. Marques
was named to the Big South Conference All-Decade Team (1990-99) due to her 92 career
wins in doubles and singles matches. She was also named to the Big South All-Academic
Team in 1998.
Tessa Thomas (2005-09) – Thomas was a four-time All-Conference performer who played a key role in the softball
team’s Big South Championships in 2007 and 2008. The 2006 Big South Conference Freshman
of the Year finished her career 4th all-time in hits and 6th all-time in runs in Big South history. Her 277 career hits rank second all-time at
Winthrop and her 186 runs are the most in program history. Thomas also ranks second
all-time at Winthrop with 138 RBI and 47 doubles. She also earned academic recognition
with her inclusion on the CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams in 2007 and 2008 and
her recognition as a 2007 Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar. Thomas also is a Big South Conference
All-Decade Team selection for 2000-09.
Tickets are $45 each. To reserve a seat, please contact Natalie Calhoun at hozakn@winthrop.edu or 803/323-2129, ext. 6225.
