Cumberlands announces alumni inducted into Hall of Fame

University of the Cumberlands (UC) recently announced the induction of four alumni into the Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame to be held Saturday, January 26, 2019.

This year’s inductees include Toccara Montgomery, ’07 (Wrestling), Joe Salvato, ’04 (Track and Field), Aaron Watkins, ’12 (Golf) and Lauren Wombles, ’13 (Basketball).

Toccara Montgomery won the first two college national championships ever held for women’s wrestling and earned more than 40 top finishes, awards and honors in college while also being a member of Team USA for the Olympics.

Joe Salvato finished his career as a 3-time National Champion and 4-time All American in track & his relay teams still hold the school record in the 4x800 and 4x400 meter relays.

Aaron Watkins finished his career with a 73.56 scoring average in 83 tournament rounds. Watkins was named Mid-South Conference Player of the Year and was a three-time NAIA All American. 

Lauren Wombles helped lead the Patriots to two MSC regular season championships, three MSC tournament championships, an NAIA Sweet Sixteen appearance and an NAIA Elite Eight appearance, the furthest the team has gone in school history. She is currently the school’s leader in points, rebounds, free throws attempted, and free throws made.

The public is encouraged to celebrate the inductees during the official induction ceremony and the annual Alumni Hall of Fame Luncheon. The luncheon begins at noon in the Boswell Campus Center Grill. Payment for the luncheon is required. To RSVP call 606.539.4177 or visit ucumberlands.edu/alumni. RSVPs must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, January 21, 2019.  

The official induction ceremony will be held during halftime of the men’s basketball game. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. with the women’s game beginning beforehand at 2 p.m. Both teams will be playing Cumberland University.

For a chronological listing of inductions, induction criteria and nomination information, please visit our website:  https://www.ucumberlands.edu/alumni/hall-fame.  

Nominations with supporting information are due annually by June 30; submit via email to paul.stepp [at] ucumberlands.edu (paul[dot]stepp[at]ucumberlands[dot]edu). 

For the latest and most up-to-date information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics, please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on Twitter - @UC_Patriots, Instagram - @UCPatriots, YouTube – Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics. 

Located in Williamsburg, Kentucky, University of the Cumberlands is an institution of regional distinction offering quality undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and online degree programs. Learn more at ucumberlands.edu.