Webster Adds Five To Hall of Fame

Webster Adds Five To Hall of Fame

Five student-athletes from the sports of men's basketball, men's soccer and volleyball were inducted into the Webster University Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2018 in a ceremony Saturday night in the Sunnen Lounge in the University Center on the Webster University campus.

In addition to inducting five former student-athletes into the Hall of Fame, Webster Athletics also bestowed the Athletics Pioneer Award to Marian McIntyre and also presented a special appreciation award from the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to former longtime Sports Information Director Niel DeVasto, who retired from WU this past December after spending nearly 40 years at the school in various roles, including spending the last nine years (2009-17) as the school's SID.

The 2018 Webster Athletics Hall of Fame inductees include two of the top sharp-shooters and scores in Webster men's basketball history, a midfielder for men's soccer who solidified the young program, plus a defense who helped make it a perennial conference contender and a volleyball player who led the Gorloks to the school's first SLIAC Championship, while making the program a perennial conference power as well. 

Here are descriptions of the five new members of the Webster Athletics Hall of Fame and the Pioneer Award honoree.

This year's Athletics Pioneer Award was awarded to Marian McIntyre. McIntyre, who is a 1961 graduate of Webster University and a native of Webster Groves, was an active student at Webster College as she played both basketball and volleyball all four years of her college career and was President of the Athletic Association. After earning her degree in physical education, McIntyre began a teaching career at St. Joseph?s Academy, where she taught health and PE and also coached field hockey, basketball, volleyball, tennis, and track and field teams. At the time, the all-girls high school athletics program was not part of the Missouri State High School Activities Association, so she served on a committee to advocate for female high school athletics to receive the same recognition as its male counterpart.

A passionate educator, she continued to teach at several schools in the Midwest, before returning to the St. Louis area in 1984 and continued to teach in the Catholic school system until her retirement in 2006. In the fall of 2006, she was hired to teach child stars Alyson Stoner, Parker McKenna Posey and Dylan McLaughlin on the set of "Alice Upside Down," which was filmed in St. Louis. She also volunteered as a St. Louis Cardinals Tour Guide and along with a group of fellow retirees, wrote the Cardinals Academic Program (CAP), an education program for children in grades 3-8. The program continues to be offered during the offseason as a field trip opportunity for schools in Missouri and Illinois. 

Molly (Farrell) Orlando (Volleyball - 1993-95) - A three-time All-SLIAC selection from 1993-95 and the SLIAC Newcomer of the Year in 1993, Orlando was a major building block in transforming the Webster women's volleyball program into a yearly title contender in the SLIAC. The team had its first successful season the year previous to her arrival in 1993, at 9-3 in the SLIAC, but 2-8 non-conference. Webster again went 9-3 in the SLIAC in Orlando's first season, but won its first SLIAC Tournament as the team went 18-6 overall. In 1994, Webster won its first SLIAC title at 12-0 and the tournament again, going 20-5 overall. In Orlando's final season, the Gorloks once again won both the conference title and tournament as they finished 23-9. Despite playing just three years, Orlando dominates the school's all-time record: attack percentage (1st), kills per set (3rd), solo blocks (2nd), block assists (2nd), total blocks (2nd), blocks per set (1st), points (4th), points per set (1st), and kills (9th), and in the single-season records: attack percentage (1st), total blocks (2nd), and points per set (1st). After graduating from Webster in 1996, Orlando completed an RN degree at St. Charles Community College and now runs her own company, Building Blocks Nurse Consulting, LLC. She also sings professionally, recording and playing live with several bands. She and her husband, Michael currently reside in Erie, Colo., with their son, William. 

Alex Fritts (Men's Soccer - 1996-99) - A defender, Fritts helped take the Webster men's soccer program from being competitive in the SLIAC, to a perennial title contender. As a four-year player playing for fellow Webster Athletics Hall of Famer Marty Todt, Fritts , who was a three-year team captain for the Gorloks, helped Webster post a 26-5-3 record in the SLIAC as he helped backstop the Gorlok defense. He was named an All-SLIAC Honorable Mention honoree in both 1997 and 1998. He led the Webster defense in 1999 which finished as the fifth best defensive team in the nation. During his time as a student-athlete at Webster, Fritts was a SAAC Vice President for two years. After earning his business administration degree in 2000, Fritts served as an assistant and associate head coach for men's soccer for 11 years while working full time and raising a family. In his 15 total years as player and coach, he was an integral part of five NCAA appearances by the Gorloks. He earned his MBA from Missouri Baptist and has worked as a sales representative at several B2B and medical device companies before being promoted to Region Sales Manager at Stryker Corporation, and is currently Director of Sales for BeliMed. He and his wife, Jennifer, who is also a former Webster student-athlete, currently reside in Isle of Palms, South Carolina with their four children.

Scott Spinner (Men's Basketball - 2003-07) - One of the top scorers in Webster men's basketball history, Spinner amassed 1,133 points as a guard for the Gorloks from 2003-07. His 1,133 points is 10th on the school's all-time chart. Along with scoring 1,133 points, Spinner is the school's all-time leader in assists (396) games started (96), minutes played (3,174), second in games played (104), fourth in three-pointers made (159), and sixth in steals (143). Playing for current Gorlok men's basketball coach Chris Bunch, Spinner was a two-year captain and earned First-Team All-SLIAC honors in 2004-25 and Second-Team honors in both 2005-06 and 2006-07. He also holds the school's single-game record for 3-point field goal percentage of 88.9 percent as he was 8-for-9 from downtown against Greenville in 2006. Was named the Webster Athletics Student-Athlete of the Year in 2006-07. Spinner graduated from Webster in 2007 with a bachelors degree in psychology and earned his Master's of Management from Fontbonne University. Served as the head men's basketball coach and athletic director at Lindenwood University-Belleville from 2009-17 and helped oversee an athletic program that grew to 35 sports and as the basketball coach, he averaged over wins per season. Currently, Spinner is the Executive Director of the Monroe County and Randolph County YMCA. He is married to fellow Webster Hall of Famer, Crystal Shelton Spinner, and they have three children. 

Jeff Todt (Men's Soccer - 1992-93) - A distinguished midfielder at community college power Forest Park, Todt brought his wares to Webster's men's soccer program in 1992 and helped establish the program as a contender in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He was a First-Team All-SLIAC and NSCAA All-Region selection in both 1992 and 1993. He was also NSCAA Academic All-Region selection in 1993. Todt, who played soccer at Webster for his father and fellow Hall of Famer, Marty Todt, led the Gorloks in scoring in both 1992 and 1993, with a team-high in goals in 1993 and in assists in 1992. In the Webster men's soccer record book, Todt is seventh in points per game, tied for ninth in game-winning goals, 16th in goals scored and 18th in points. He was the Webster Athletics 'President's Award' winner for the 1993-94 school year. Todt graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Business (Emphasis in Accounting) in 1995. After working seven years at the Deloitte & Touche accounting firm, he has worked 10 years at McBride & Sons and is currently the Vice President of Accounting. He and his wife, Emily, are the proud parents of three children.

Paul Zellmer (Men's Basketball - 1997-00) - Zellmer left an indelible mark on the Webster men's basketball program as in his three years as a Gorlok as he stands third on WU's all-time scoring chart with 1,284 points and was one of the most prolific three-point shooters in program history. He stands first on the school's all-time list in made 3-point field goals (247) and is third in career steals (168), fourth in career scoring average (16.5), fifth in career assists (264) and is ninth in career made free throws (189). Earned First-Team All-SLIAC honors in both 1997-98 and 1999-00 and was a Second-Team selection in 1998-99. Prior to the beginning of the 1998-99 season, Zellmer was named a Street and Smith's Preseason Honorable Mention Division III All-American. Was a member of the first Webster men's basketball team to win the SLIAC title and advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2000 that was coached by Lance Randall. A graduate of Janesville Craig High School in Janesville, Wis., Zellmer earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management (Marketing Emphasis) from Webster in 2000 and completed a Masters in Healthcare Administration from Bellevue (Neb.) University. He was a branch manager for Enterprise for four years, an internal auditor for Mercy Health for two years and clinic manager for the Dean Clinic for eight years and is currently the Director of Ambulatory Operation at the University of Wisconsin Health. He and his wife, Nicole, reside in Madison, Wis., and have two children.

These five Hall of Famers were selected by a committee made up of faculty, coaches, and staff. This year's class brings the total Hall of Fame membership to 39. The Webster University Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 2010 to honor those who reflect the Department's mission of success in the classroom, the community, and the arena of competition. Former players, coaches, and other individuals who have made significant contributions to the program are eligible for selection. 

STORY COURTESY OF WEBSTER UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION