Elias Gonzales and Malana Winskas Among Newest SSC Hall of Fame Class
CELEBRATION, Fla. - Seven new members were inducted into the Sunshine State Conference Hall of Fame in ceremonies held Monday evening at the Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration, which included former University of Tampa standouts Elias Gonzales and Malana Winskas.
Joining the Hall of Fame as members of the Class of 2012-13 were: Nicolas Boisvert, Megan Brown, Denyve Duncan Boyle, Elias Gonzales, Emelie Karlsson, Gregg Kaye, and Malana Winskas. Five members of the induction class were present for the ceremonies, with only Boisvert and Karlsson unable to attend the event.
Brown and Duncan Boyle joined the Hall of Fame as softball student-athletes. Karlsson and Winskas added to the women's soccer ranks in the Hall. Gonzales became one of just three cross country inductees, and the first men's runner to receive the distinction. Boisvert became the 32nd baseball player to be inducted, while Gregg Kaye represented the Sunshine State Conference. Kaye served as an associate commissioner in the league office for six years.
Gonzales and Winskas represent the University of Tampa in the Hall of Fame. Brown played her collegiate career at Florida Southern College. Duncan Boyle is an alumna of Saint Leo University. Boisvert carries the Lynn University banner into the Hall, while Karlsson is an honoree from Barry University.
Gonzales is one of the most decorated runners in SSC cross country history, earning distinction as the top male runner on the SSC's Silver Anniversary Men's Cross Country Team. He remains the Spartans' only men's cross country All-American, earning that honor in 2003. Gonzales was selected as the SSC's Runner of the Year in 2002 and 2003 after finishing as the top runner at the conference championship each of those seasons. He also qualified for the NCAA Division II Championship each of those years. Gonzales still holds UT's record for the fastest 10K time, which he set at the DII South Region Championship in 2002. He also held the program's best marks for the 5K and 8K distances when he finished his UT career. Since his graduation, Gonzales has served as a U.S. Army Reserves Captain, logging multiple tours of duty in the Middle East.
Winskas is the only four-time Defensive Player of the Year in SSC women's soccer history. She is also the only Tampa women's soccer player to earn All-SSC first-team honors each year of her career. In 2006, Winskas capped her impressive tenure by being named a first-team All-American by Daktronics. She received honorable mention for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America team on three occasions and was a four-time member of the NSCAA All-South Region Team, collecting first-team accolades three times. In 2003 and 2004, Winskas was tabbed as the South Region Defender of the Year by Daktronics. She continues to be an active participant in the sport, coaching girls youth soccer teams in the Tampa area.