Virginia Women's Basketball: Alumnae Bios

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Cavalier Alumnae

Former Virginia Players
(organized alphabetically by maiden name)

Val Ackerman
Political & Social Thought ‘81
Ackerman was the WNBA’s first president, guiding the league to a much-heralded launch in 1997 and overseeing the day-to-day operations for its first eight years. A USA Basketball board member since 1989, Ackerman was the driving force behind the Women’s Senior National Team that produced a 60-0 record and won the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. In 2005, she became the first woman to serve as President of USA Basketball, which oversees the US Men’s and Women’s Olympic basketball programs. She is a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2011. A four-year starter and two-time All-American at Virginia, Ackerman played in France for one year and earned a law degree from UCLA in 1985. She is married to Charlie Rappaport and has two daughters, Emily and Sally.

Lyn Anastasio
Communications ‘84
Since February 1997, Lynn has been a Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Prior to that, she worked as a guidance counselor at a private high school where she coached the varsity basketball team. She was the assistant women’s basketball coach at the University of San Diego for two years while completing her master’s degree in educational counseling and administration in 1991 and served as the assistant women’s basketball coach at San Diego State for one year. She played professional basketball in Germany.

Kirsten (Anderson) Rappleyea
International Relations ‘88
Kirsten played professional basketball in France for a year following graduation from UVa, and then earned her law degree from Western New England College School of Law in 1993. She served as a Senior Assistant District Attorney in the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office in Poughkeepsie, New York, but left the position to become a full time mother for her two children Allan Robert and Grace Julia. Kirsten is married to Allan Rappleyea.

Ann Bair
Political and Social Thought ‘83
After graduation from UVa, Ann served as a graduate assistant in track and field at the University of Missouri, while working on her master’s of education and continued to compete internationally in the high jump. She taught history and coached basketball and track in the New Jersey public school system for three years before taking a job at Princeton University as the assistant women’s cross country and track coach. She served on the coaching staff for the U.S. Olympic Festival, Pan American and Jr. World Championship teams. She is married to Keith Pierson, and they have two children, Matt and Rachel.

Cindy (Barksdale) Frentz
Commerce ‘78
Following graduation, Cindy worked as a hospital administrator for five years and then worked 11 years as a home care administrator in a company she co-owned. She took a 10-year sabbatical from the work force to raise her two children, Betsy and William. Recently, she returned to work for IQS Research, a marketing research firm headquartered in Louisville, Ky. Her daughter Betsy currently attends the University of Virginia. Cindy is married to Thomas Frentz.

Charleata Beale
Psychology ‘95
Charleata is currently working as the 
Human Resources Assistant and Recruitment Specialist at Goucher College. A former head basketball and assistant volleyball coach at Goucher, Chaleata is the proud mother to daughters Deja and Randi. Charleata is 
married to Randy Neal, a former UVa 
football captain. The Neal family resides in 
Baltimore, Md.

Cecilia Bean
Economics ‘79
Cecilia currently teaches at her own Montessori school in Durham, N.C. She was the assistant field hockey coach at the University of North Carolina for two years and was the assistant women’s basketball coach at Duke for one year. She worked as a buyer for DSG Sports for seven years. Cecilia is married to Charles Payne, and the couple has three boys– Thomas, Daniel, and Michael.

Jenny Boucek
Sports Medicine ‘96
After graduation, Jenny played for one year with the Cleveland Rockers of the WNBA. She then served five seasons as an assistant coach– two seasons with the Seattle Storm, two seasons with the Miami Sol, and one season with the Washington Mystics. She was named as the head coach for the Sacramento Monarchs on November 15, 2006 and is now a member of the Seattle Storm’s staff. Boucek became the first person in league history to serve as player, assistant coach and head coach.

Dawn (Bryant) Crim
Rhetoric & Communications Studies ‘89
Crim is the Special Assistant to the Chancellor Director for Community Relations at the Uniersity of Wisconsin. She had also served as an assistant women’s basketball coach for Wisconsin for five years. In addition, she provided television color commentary for Wisconsin women’s basketball public television coverage. Dawn is married to Elton Crim, Jr., and the couple has a son, John Benjamin Crim. Following graduation, Dawn played professional basketball in Germany, served as a graduate assistant basketball coach at Penn State, and an assistant basketball coach at Kentucky.

Heather (Burge) Quella
Spanish and Drama ‘93
Heather lives in San Pedro, Calif., with her husband Darren. She teaches Spanish to 8th graders and is working on a master’s in adaptive physical education. Heather retired from playing professional basketball on June 1, 2001, after 11 months of playing for the ESBVA french team outside of Lille, France.

Heidi (Burge) Horton
Rhetoric & Communication Studies and Spanish ‘93
Heidi played two-and-a-half seasons in the WNBA. She played with the Los Angeles Sparks in 1997 and the Washington Mystics in 1998 and 1999. Due to a back injury, she retired from professional basketball in January 2000 and is currently living in Houston, Texas. Heidi currently works as a massage therapist out of a private studio and also works “Hoops-school.com” basketball camps and clinics with Dena Evans. She married Patrick Lee Horton on September 29, 2001.

Jackie Campbell
Marketing ‘83
A veteran of more than 20 years in sports administration and compliance, Campbell is currently a director at the NCAA. She was previously the associate commissioner at the Atlantic 10 Conference. She had prior campus experience at the University of Maryland as associate director of athletics for compliance, the University of Connecticut as associate director of athletics for student services and at the University of Pittsburgh as administrative assistant to the director of athletics. In 1990, she earned a master’s degree in sports management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Tonya Cardoza
Anthropology ‘91
Tonya is currently the head coach of the Temple women’s basketball team. Following graduation from UVa, she played professional basketball in Segovia, Spain, for several months in 1992. She served as an assistant coach at the University of Connecticut for 14 seasons prior to her first head coaching job at Temple.

Chris Dawson
Sociology ‘75
After 23 years at California, Dawson is the associate commissioner for Olympic sports and student-athlete programs at the PAC-10 Conference. Chris’ responsibilities at the Pac-10 include coordination of Pac-10 championships in Olympic sports, creation of professional development opportunities for student-athletes and assistant coaches, and development of officiating programs.

Amy Easter
Nursing ‘78
After graduation, Amy worked for four years as a nurse in pediatrics at UVa Hospital before moving to Raleigh, N.C. where she worked in adult medicine at Raleigh Community Hospital. She served as the executive director of the Pregnancy Life Center, Inc., for 10 years. Amy is married to Merl Mangum.

Dena Evans
Economics ‘93
Dena currently runs her own business, Hoops School, in Houston. Through her company she runs basketball training programs for kids of all ages as well as college athletes. Dena played professional basketball in Europe and New Zealand from 1997-98 and worked as an investment analyst in 1999.

Diane Frederick
Environmental Science ‘77
Diane earned her teacher’s certificate at Radford. She taught physics, computer programming, and earth science at the high school level for 11 years in both Savannah, Ga., and Bellefonte, Pa. She also coached varsity basketball at Memorial Day High School in Savannah for four years. She is married to Harold Goldsberry, III, and the couple has four children– Harold, Matthew, Wesley, and Alexander.

Jeffra Gausepohl
Education and Sociology ‘97
Jeffra currently teaches 7th grade Science in Kennett Square, Pa. She also coaches high school basketball and middle school volleyball. In June of 2000, she married Ed Leo. They live with their two dogs, Jack and Guinness.

Sandy Glasson
Computer Science/minor Electrical 
Engineering ‘82
Sandy received her medical degree from Duke in 1986. She completed a fellowship in sports medicine at the Hughston Sports Medicine Hospital in Columbus, Ga., and a fellowship in pediatric orthopedics at Vanderbilt. She currently is in private practice specializing in sports medicine and pediatric orthopedics and is the team physician for the U.S. women’s under-21 national soccer team. Sandy served as an Olympic team physician at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, and worked directly with the gold medal women’s ice hockey team, and the bobsled and snowboard teams. She served as the head physician for the women’s basketball team that competed in the 2001 World University Games in Beijing, China, that was coached by Debbie Ryan.

Jeanette Glose
Accounting ‘79
Glose earned a law degree from the University of Baltimore in 1985 and, currently is the house counsel for a chemical distributor in Baltimore. She is married to Ralph Partlow.

Cathy Grimes-Miller
English/Spanish ‘85
Grimes-Miller received her law degree in 1988 from UVa and worked as a corporate litigation attorney for two years for the law firm of McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe. She then worked for three years as Assistant Chief Counsel for Enforcement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Since 1993, Cathy has worked as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Education, Office of the General Counsel. She married Wendell Miller and has a daughter Chaise and two sons– Wendell and Wynn.

Tracey Harmon
Environmental Science ‘90
Tracey served as a team manager for four years at Virginia, two of those as head manager. After nine years with the Department of Environmental Quality, Tracey joined the Virginia Department of Transportation where she currently manages the water quality permits staff.

Daphne Hawkins
Rhetoric & Communications Studies ‘88
After graduation, Daphne played professional basketball for Elajo Brahe in Sweden. She is currently working at Through a Child’s Eye Daycare.

Glenna Hendricks
Nursing ‘79
After graduation, Glenna practiced nursing at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond until 1995. In May 1999, she received her medical degree from MCV. Glenna is an attending in the St. Francis Family Medicine Residency and practices obstetrics/gynecology/family medicine at the St. Francis Medical Center in Richmond, Va.

Mimi Hoffman
Mechanical Engineering ‘78
She received her master’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1980 from UVa and is currently a senior engineer with Boeing Spacecraft Systems. Mimi designs satellite communications systems. In 1999, Mimi won the Virginia State Amateur Golf Championship.

Donna Holt
Sports Management ‘88
She received her master’s degree in labor and industrial relations in 1990 from Illinois, where she worked as a graduate assistant coach for the women’s basketball team. Donna worked for a year as a human resource analyst for Shell Western in Texas and earned a master’s degree in fashion marketing at The Art Institute of Houston.

Vicki Hoops
Sociology ‘83
After graduation, Vicki worked as a recreational therapist for juvenile delinquents for the State of Ohio. She earned a paralegal certificate at the University of Toledo and since 1989, has worked as a Legal Assistant at Marathon Oil Company, now Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC. She is married to David Russell and has two sons– Seth and Eli.

Sharon Huhn
Mathematics/Environmental Science ‘79
Sharon obtained a master’s degree in petroleum engineering from Texas. After working as a petroleum engineer for Chevron for 10 years, she now is President of Lans Unlimited, a computer consulting company. She married Craig Dennis, and they have four children– twins Sandra and Jacob, Joseph and David.

Terry (Israel) Bonner
English ‘76
Terry was the sports information director at Mary Washington College for six years following graduation. In 1978, she married Dan Bonner and is a full-time homemaker raising their three children– Coleman, Keary, and Sarah.

Karyn Jefferson
English/Rhetoric and Communication Studies ‘92
Karyn earned a law degree from Fordham in 1995 and practiced labor and employment law at Grotta, Classman & Hoffman, P.A. in New Jersey and Nixon Peabody, LLP in New York City.

Jackie (LaBerge) Gunn
U.S. Government ‘77
She earned a Masters Degree in Public 
Administration from the University of Oklahoma in 1996. Jackie and her husband Jim presently live in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Jim is finishing up his Air Force career and Jackie is volunteering with the local Habitat for Humanity outfit.

Liza Lank
American Government ‘87
After graduation, Liza worked in the women’s athletic marketing department at Texas-Austin. While at Texas, she received her master’s degree in sports management. Liza has been working for Anheuser-Busch since 1990. She is currently a Sales Director responsible for Anheuser-Busch’s sales and marketing efforts in Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Betsy LaPaglia
Sports Management ‘86
After graduation, she began working for Xerox as a graphic designer and is currently in Paper and Supplies Distribution for the same firm. Betsy is married to Steve Mehlrose.

Chris Lesoravage
Rhetoric and Communications ‘95
Chris currently is a senior sales representative for Glaxo Wellcomer’s Pharmaceutical respiratory division of Allan and Hanbury. She was married in June of 1999. Chris was previously employed as a sales representative by Astra Pharmaceuticals.

Sallie Lewis
English ‘85
After leaving UVa, Sallie moved to Southern California, where she worked supporting various Information Technology (IT) contracts for the Department of Defense (DoD). She moved to northern Virginia in 1990, and is now Director of Federal Operations for a web technology company in Arlington, Va.

Amy Lofstedt
Economics ‘95
After receiving her M.B.A. from Michigan in 2003, Amy currently works for GE Capital of Chicago, Ill., where she provides debt financing to private equity sponsors.

Mika Long
Political Science ‘77
After receiving her undergraduate degree from North Carolina, Mika came to Virginia as the first full-time assistant coach and remained here until 1981. Since then, she has held an assistant coaching position at Rider and was the head coach at Trenton State. Mika is married to Patrick Ryan, and they have three daughters– Kate, Molly, and Megan.

Melissa Mahony
Commerce/Finance ‘82
After graduation, Melissa played basketball overseas for a year with MTV-Kronberge in West Germany. She was assistant coach at UVa from 1983 to 1985. She worked as an assistant vice-president for Crestar Bank before becoming a full-time homemaker to raise her five children. She is married to James S. Ganther.

Kim Mathis
Political Science ‘86
After graduation, Kim taught high school in Charlotte, N.C. She moved to Philadelphia to be a development consultant for nonprofit organizations. Kim is currently living in suburban Washington, D.C., and is the Regional Director of Development for Young Life, a national and international Christian ministry that provides adult mentors to young people.

Nancy Mayer
Sports and Business Management ‘87
After graduation, Nancy worked for Brine Sporting Goods and helped design their current number-one international chest pad, called the “Edlich-Mayer sternum pad.” Nancy is now teaching at North High School and coaching the girls varsity basketball team in Auburn, Mass. She is married to Russell Bates, and they have a son Chad.

Kathy (McConnell) Miller
Rhetoric and Communication Studies ‘89
Upon graduation, Kathy taught English as a second language in Spain and Italy. She was the assistant basketball coach at Pittsburgh for two years before moving to Rutgers as the assistant basketball coach. Kathy was an assistant women’s basketball coach at Illinois where she was promoted to Associate Head Coach. After five seasons as the head coach at Tulsa, Kathy was named the head coach at Colorado, a position she held until 2010. Kathy and her husband Bradley Miller are the parents of a son Bradley and daughter Mackenzie.

Allison Moore
Rhetoric and Communication Studies ‘92
In 1994, Allison received her master’s degree in Counselor Education and worked as a counselor at James Monroe High School in Fredericksburg, Va., for two years. She currently lives in Placerville, Calif., and has a full-time private practice as a certified massage therapist.

Lynne (Olson) Rowson
U.S. Government ‘83
Lynne and her husband, Dave Rowson, currently live in Fairfax, Va., where she is currently caring for their six children– Daniel, Annie, Lauren, Emily, Will, and Gregory. After graduation, Lynne played basketball for News Release for one tour and then returned to Washington, D.C. She worked on Capitol Hill for nine years, and held the position of Assistant Superintendent in the House Press Gallery.

Angela O’Neal
American Government ‘95
After graduation, Angela worked for the consulting firm BML Associates. In May of 2000, Angela received her law degree from the Tennessee College of Law. Currently she is working for the Knoxville Legal Aid.

Wendy Palmer
History ‘96
Palmer is currently in her second season as an assistant coach at her alma mater, UVa. Palmer played for Ryan from 1992-96 and is an 11-year WNBA veteran.
Prior to becoming an assistant coach at her alma mater, Palmer spent two years as an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky. She was selected by the WNBA’s Utah Starzz in the second round of the 1997 Elite Draft and also spent time with the Detroit Shock, Orlando Miracle, Connecticut Sun, San Antonio Silver Stars and the Seattle Storm.

Telisha Quarles
Anthropology ‘03
Following graduation, Telisha was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury and then traded to Detroit. In 2004, she played professional basketball in Israel.

Tammi Reiss
Sports Management ‘92
Tammi served for four seasons as an assistant coach with the WNBA. Tammi started her coaching career at UVa where she was an assistant coach for the Cavaliers for two years. She left the UVa coaching staff after being selected as a first round draft pick in the inaugural WNBA draft. Tammi played for two seasons for the Utah Starzz.

Karen Ryan
Biology ‘78
After graduation, she was stationed in Bremerhaven, Germany, as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. In 1984, Karen married David Miller and the couple has a son, Matthew. She has been a computer specialist for the U.S. Army the past 12 years and is currently at Information Systems software center in Fort Belvoir, Va.

Felecia (Santelli) Fry
Computer Science/Cognitive Science‘92
Felecia moved to California after graduation and worked as a software engineer for several companies. Most recently she served as a web developer for Go.com, now part of Disney. Felecia currently resides in Boulder, Colo., with her husband Thomas Fry. The couple has one daughter, Rosalina, and is expecting another child.

Fran Scott
Psychology ‘90
She received her master’s degree at Virginia in exercise physiology in 1992 and currently works as a personal trainer for a health club in Oak Park, Ill.

Audrey (Shipley) Van Dyke
Environmental Science ‘84
Audrey received her master’s degree in civil engineering from UVa in 1986. She is currently working from her home office as a corporate environmental manager for an international equipment manufacturer. She is married to Allen Van Dyke, and they have a son Alexander.

Paula Shorten
Environmental Science ‘80
After graduation, Paula worked as a research scientist for the Department of the Army. She obtained her master’s degree in information management from George Washington University. She is married to Patrick Long, and the couple has three children– Kelly, Christopher, and Kevin. They moved to Germany in January 1997.

Kim Silloway
Psychology ‘86
In 1993, Kim graduated from the Medical College of Virginia School of Dentistry. Kim is a board certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon in private practice. She has four offices in Northern Virginia, including an outpatient surgery center which is AHACC certified. Kim participates in remote medical missions.

Audra Smith
Sociology ‘92
After 10 seasons as an assistant coach with the Cavaliers, Audra became the head coach at Alabama-Birmingham in April 2004. Prior to her return to Charlottesville, she worked as a Child and Adolescent Counselor and as a Social Worker with the Department of Family and Children Services in Milledgeville, Ga. Audra is married to former UVa men’s basketball player Anthony Oliver and has two children– A.J. and Adria.

Dawn Staley
Rhetoric & Communication Studies ‘92
Dawn is currently in her second season as the head women’s basketball coach at South Carolina after eight seasons as the head coach of Temple. She retired from playing professional basketball following the 2006 season after eight years in the WNBA. From 1992 to 1994, Dawn also played professional basketball in France, Italy, Brazil, and Spain. She began her United States professional career with the ABL’s Richmond Rage in the 1996-97 season. Dawn won three gold medals as a member of the USA Basketball team at the 1996, 2000, and 2004 Olympics.

Barbara Stenzel
Education ‘79
After graduation, Barbara became a teacher at Lexington High School in Lexington, Va., and coached basketball and volleyball. She received her master’s degree in counseling and psychometry at Eastern Kentucky University in 1988 and is a guidance counselor at Jessamine County High School in Lexington, Ky.

Debby Stroman
History & Social Studies Education ‘82
After graduation, Debby worked with the NCAA as a national coordinator for their youth program. From 1983-85, she was a graduate assistant for the ACC Tournament champions at the University of North Carolina, and earned a master’s in sports administration. In 1987, she entered the financial services industry and held positions such as sales representative, district manager, regional consultant, and corporate manager for Prudential. Currently, she is a self-employed financial advisor providing wealth creation and investment solutions primarily for professional athletes and faith-based organizations.

Tora Suber
English ‘97
Tora was a first round draft pick in the inaugural draft of the WNBA and played for the Charlotte Sting for two seasons and one for the Orlando Miracle. She then served as an assistant coach at Lehman College.

Cheryl Taylor
Systems Engineering ‘95
Cheryl currently works as an associate director with The Advisory Board Company in Washington, D.C. She also serves as the assistant girls’ varsity basketball coach for George C. Marshall High School in Fairfax, Va. She earned her master’s degree in systems engineering from Georgia Tech in 1996.

Brandi Teamer
Anthropology ‘05
After receiving her degree in May 2005, Brandi Teamer headed to Greece to play professional basketball for Ptolmaides.

Trina (Thomas) Patterson
Rhetoric & Communication Studies ‘87
After receiving her degree, she worked for a winter session as a Legislative Assistant for Delegate Maxwell in Richmond, Va. After spending three years as an assistant coach, she served as head coach at William & Mary from 1991-1999. Trina was the head coach of the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore in 2000 and earned her MA in Human Resource Management in May of 2002 from National University in La Jolla, Calif. In 2002, she was named the head coach of the University of Albany – a position she held until 2010. In 2008, Trina was named the America East’s Coach of the Year. She and her husband, Carl, have three sons – Carl Jr., Matthew and Joshua.

Tina (Toney) Caldwell
Economics ‘91
In 1996, Christina received a master’s of accountancy from North Florida. She is currently working for her family business in Jacksonville, Fla. She married Trip Caldwell in1998 and now goes by the name Christina Caldwell.

Katie Tracy
Education and Psychology ‘02
Katie was drafted in the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) supplemental draft and joined the New York Power following the 2000-01 basketball season. After playing one season of soccer with the Power, she returned to Charlottesville and is currently teaching.

Melanee (Wagener) Atkinson
Rhetoric & Communications Studies & Sociology‘92
Following graduation, Melanee played professional basketball in Segovia, Spain. She is currently the head women’s basketball coach, senior woman administrator and assistant athletic director at The College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is married to Kevin Atkinson and the couple has two children: McKenzee (8) and Zoee (4).

Tekshia Ward
Psychology ‘91
Tekshia is working for the Dekalb County School System in Decatur, Ga., as a sixth grade language arts teacher. She completed her specialist degree in educational administration in 1998 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. from Sarasota.

Heidi Waterman
Rhetoric and Communications ‘95
After graduation, Heidi worked as a marketing assistant for Sneaker Stadium. She also coached basketball at the high school level in addition to teaching at a catholic school. Currently, Heidi is a New York merchandiser for Adidas America. She is married to Robert Timinski.

Gerry Wright
Special Education ‘75
After graduation, Gerry worked as a special education teacher in the Charlottesville-Albemarle School system. Currently, Gerry is the vice president of program services for Easter Seals of Southwest Florida. She is the wife of Scott Gardner, and the couple has three children– Marissa, Jessie, and Laura.

Deborah (Young) Hall
Communications ‘85
Upon graduation, Deborah worked for Abbey Medical as an operations manager. She is currently working for Visiting Nurse Health System as director of corporate operations. She completed her master’s degree in healthcare administration from Mercer University. Deborah is married to Lonnie Hall, and they have two children– Michelle and Hamilton.

Alumnae may submit updates to Amy Mulligan in Athletics Media Relations at 434.982.5500 or email at amulligan@virginia.edu