12/13/2011Oklahoma City University will celebrate its rich athletic tradition and induct its 2011-12 Athletic Hall of Fame class with a ceremony 11:30 a.m. Jan. 21 in the Great Hall of the Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center.
OCU's newest hall of famers will be former soccer standout Sally Cole, former softball pitcher Andrea Drake and assistant baseball coach Keith Lytle.
Tickets to the induction ceremony are $25 and can be ordered by contacting Melody Seeley at (405) 208-5309 or e-mail mdseeley@okcu.edu. Click here for information.
Cole became four-time first-team NAIA all-American and two-time NAIA scholar-athlete award winner for OCU from 1999-2002. She took third-team CoSIDA academic all-American honors as a junior.
As a senior, Cole posted 16 goals, four assists and 36 points as OCU went 17-4-2. Her statistics during her career were 29 goals, 17 assists and 75 points.
She played on teams that went 86-9-5 with three Sooner Athletic Conference championships, three NAIA Region VI titles and three trips to the NAIA Championships. OCU reached the NAIA Championships semifinals in 1999 and the quarterfinals in 2000. The 2001 Stars advanced to the national title match before falling 1-0 to Westmont (Calif.).
Cole, who hails from Yukon, Okla., currently coaches soccer at Bishop McGuinness High School in Oklahoma City. The current Sally Schmidt is married (Jodie).
“One of the finest players I've coached, male or female, is Sally Cole,” OCU coach Brian Harvey said. “She was a coach's dream. She gave 100 percent. She could create or deny goals.”
Drake still holds career records for strikeouts (874) and innings pitched (707) set during 1988-91. Drake became a four-time NAIA all-American, making first-team all-American as a junior, as well as four-time all-District Nine and two-time all-tournament in the NAIA Championships.
As a senior, Drake went 17-7 with a 1.15 earned run average, 24 complete games, five no-hitters, 149 strikeouts in 157.1 innings pitched. In 1988, Drake was 25-12 with a 1.10 ERA and 262 strikeouts in 261.1 innings. For her career, Drake went 87-34 with a 1.10 ERA, 96 complete games, two saves, 874 strikeouts in 810.2 innings.
During that time, OCU went 185-72 with two District Nine championships, two Bi-District VI titles and three appearances in the NAIA Championships.
Drake, originally from Stockton, Calif., was described as an “irreplaceable four-year difference maker.”
“She came out and was a dominant pitcher from the get-go,” OCU coach Phil McSpadden said. “She had a substantial career. She was definitely one of the best power pitchers around during the bulk of her career.”
Drake, now known as Andrea Maldonado, is married (Art) and has a daughter (Alexis).
Lytle has been recognized as one of the top hitting instructors in the nation during his 23-year tenure with OCU. With Lytle's aid, OCU posted the most wins in the nation since 1991 (1,070), 12 consecutive 50-win seasons, seven SAC titles and 10 trips to the NAIA World Series. The Stars were national runner-up three years in a row before breaking through to win the national championship in 2005.
His pupils have included six national players of the year – Mario Delgado, Nick Klusaw, Ted Ledbetter, Allen Thompson, Kirk Walker and Brent Weaver. Freddy Sanchez, the 2006 National League batting champion, blossomed under his tutelage and led the San Francisco Giants to the 2010 World Series championship.
Lytle joined OCU the same year Denney Crabaugh was named head coach. Crabaugh has consistently recognized Lytle as a key factor in the success of the Stars baseball program. Lytle will become the first OCU Athletic Hall of Famer who has spent his time at the university as an assistant coach his entire tenure.
“No one has contributed more to our success over the past 25 years than Keith,” Crabaugh said. “He was my first recruit as a head coach and is still my best recruit to this day. I'm very happy for him, and I know the whole OCU baseball family is celebrating this much deserved honor.”
OCU has set the team national record for homers four times and consistently been ranked among the national leaders in most hitting categories. In 2003, he was named the AFLAC national assistant coach of the year.
From 1988-1995, Lytle coached in the Shenandoah Valley League. He led the Harrisonburg Turks (Va.) to the league championship in 1991.
Lytle has experience coaching at the Triple-A level with the Texas Rangers organization. Lytle served the past three years as assistant hitting and first base coach with the Oklahoma City RedHawks. Lytle helped Nelson Cruz develop into a consistent hitting force. In 1990-91, Lytle worked as a bullpen coach for the Oklahoma City 89ers.
Prior to coming to OCU in 1989, Lytle served as an associate coach at New Mexico State. Before that, he was a pitcher and first basemen for the Aggies. He graduated from New Mexico State with a bachelor's degree in education in 1986.
12/1/2011
Lakshmi Manchu, '02 BA in Theatre, has already enjoyed a very successful career with roles in American sitcoms such as Boston Legal and Desperate Housewives. Now she is set to make her film debut in her native India. Manchu has made Bollywood her current residence and will co-star with Sanjay Dutt and Amitabh Bachchan in her debut. Besides working on the movie, she also hosts her own talkshow - the Lakshmi Talk Show.
11/22/2011Elizabeth Orr Cargal, '11, has been appointed Director of Perioperative Services at St. Anthony Hospital. Cargal earned her bachelor of science in nursing from the Kramer School of Nursing in May 2011. She has been working in the medical field for the past 19 years.
10/18/2011Oklahoma City University School of Law alumnus T.W. Shannon has been selected by the House Republican caucus to be the Speaker-Designate.
Rep. Shannon, who is Chickasaw, has been in the Oklahoma House of Representatives since 2006. He represents District 62 (west Lawton). Shannon will be the first African-American Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He will be officially elected after the November 2012 general election and become Speaker in 2013.
10/17/2011
Katie Postotni, '09, is performing as Regina in the National Tour of ROCK of AGES, the musical, celebrating rock classics from the 1970s and 1980s.
10/11/2011
The Mortgage Bankers Association issued the following news release:
E. J. Burke, Executive Vice President and Group Head, KeyBank Real Estate Capital and Corporate Banking Services, today was sworn in as Vice Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) during the association's 98th Annual Convention & Expo in Chicago.
Mr. Burke is the immediate past Chair of MBA's Commercial Real Estate/Multifamily Finance Board of Governors (COMBOG) and is a member of the association's Board of Directors. He serves as Chair of the COMBOG Risk Retention Task Force and is a former Chair of the COMBOG Investor Council.
Mr. Burke has more than three decades of experience in the mortgage industry. Before assuming responsibility for the entire Real Estate Capital line of business, he served as head of real estate capital markets for KeyBank. Mr. Burke also served as managing director for Key's Commercial Mortgage Division. Prior to joining KeyBank, he was president and a founding member of Kansas City-based National Realty Funding, LC which was acquired by KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY ) in 2000.
Mr. Burke earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Boston College, and a Master of Business Administration from Oklahoma City University.
Prior to co-founding National Realty Funding in 1997, Mr. Burke was Program Director for Midland Commercial Funding, a division of Midland Loan Services, LP. Prior to joining Midland in 1993, Mr. Burke held various commercial lending positions in Oklahoma City and Kansas City.
In addition to Mr. Burke, MBA elected Michael W. Young, Chairman of the Board, Cenlar FSB, Chairman; and Debra W. Still, CMB, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pulte Mortgage LLC, Chairman-Elect. All three officers will serve for the 2011-2012 membership year.
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10/7/2011The Oklahoma City University School of Law recently announced those who will be honored at the 2011 Alumni and Friends luncheon in Tulsa at the OBA Annual Meeting Nov. 2.Those receiving awards are as follows:Judge Niles Jackson, '75 - Marian P. Opala Lifetime Achievement in LawCathy Christensen, '86 - Distinguished Law AlumnaBeau Patterson, '01 - Distinguished Young AlumnusHall Estill - Law Firm of DistinctionHeld at The Summit (15 West 6th St., #2913), the Alumni and Friends luncheon kicks off with a mimosa reception at 11:30 a.m., followed by lunch and the award presentations at noon. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased when registering with the OBA or by contacting Josh Snavely, Assistant Director of Advancement, at 405-208-5381 or by emailing lawevents@okcu.edu.
10/6/2011
Governor Mary Fallin has appointed Oklahoma City University School of Law alumnus Charles J. Migliorino (J.D. '84) as Associate District Judge for Johnston County.
10/4/2011
Reverend Jeremy Smith, BA Religion, '02, was named by the Boston University School of Theology as one of its Distinguished Alumni for 2011. Rev. Smith is the author of the widely read blog, Hacking Christianity, where he offers commentary on faith, culture and technology. Rev. Smith is an Associate at Checotah First United Methodist Church in Checotah, Oklahoma. His blog can be found at www.hackingchristianity.net.
9/28/2011
Bill Shdeed has been appointed to the Oklahoma State Board of Education by Governor Mary Fallin. Mr. Shdeed of Oklahoma City is a private practice lawyer. He is a member of the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame. He previously served as chairman of the board of Oklahoma City University and currently serves as chairman emeritus. Shdeed has a bachelors and law degree from Oklahoma City University.
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