Hall of Fame
Francis Marion University athletic officials recently announced the Class of 2023 inductees for the FMU Athletic Hall of Fame: women’s soccer midfielder Angela Salem (‘10) and softball pitcher Michaela Wolf Lawson (‘10). Also entering posthumously will be former men’s basketball center Marcel Boggs who was elected earlier, but because of the covid pandemic was never officially inducted.
The induction ceremony took place during Homecoming activities on Saturday, Feb. 18, in the Smith University Center gymnasium at approximately 4 p.m. between the women’s and men's games of the FMU and North Greenville University basketball doubleheader. Â
Salem lettered four years on the soccer field between 2006 and 2009 and was named the squad’s most valuable player three times. She helped the Patriots to 30 wins during a time when the program competed as an NCAA Division I independent, including two seasons when the squad won double-digit matches. She was named to the University’s Swamp Fox Athletic-Academic Honor Roll all four years and was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, the national college athlete honor society. A native of Copley, Ohio, she earned a B.S. degree in psychology in 2010.
At Francis Marion, she appeared in 59 career matches and tallied 11 goals and 27 assists. As a freshman, she tied the program record with 11 assists and as a sophomore ranked 18th in Division I for assists per match.
Following her time at Francis Marion, she embarked on a long professional playing career. A long-time resident of Denver, Colo., she spent this past season as an assistant coach with the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), and recently gave birth to her first child.
Salem spent 12 years playing professionally, including stops in various leagues in the United States, Australia and Finland. She spent four seasons with the Portland Thorns, and in 2021 helped the Thorns to the NWSL Challenge Cup, the NWSL Shield, and the International Champions Cup. She was also named a finalist for the 2021 NWSL Most Valuable Player award and a member of the NWSL Best XI first team.
She also played with the Boston Breakers, the Spirit, and the Western New York Flash during her NWSL career that spanned more than 140 matches. She helped the Flash to the 2013 league title and to the 2012 Women’s Professional Soccer League (WPSL) Elite League championship by converting the deciding penalty kick in a shootout.
Her playing career also included time with the Atlanta Beat and Sky Blue FC of the WPS and the Newcastle Jets of the Australian W-League.
