California University of Pennsylvania Athletics

Playing an integral part in Cal U's women's tennis program winning its first two of an unprecedented 10-straight PSAC Championships from 2007-16 was Inga Chilingaryan-Babakhanyan.

A three-year standout from 2005-06 through 2007-08, Babakhanyan was a three-time Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American selection and Cal U's first of now nine women's tennis All-Americans. Babakhanyan was also the 2008 ITA Senior Regional Player of the Year.

She was also a three-time, first-team all-conference selection in both singles and doubles competition. Babakhanyan was the 2006 and 2007 PSAC West Women's Tennis Athlete of the Year and compiled a 29-1 overall singles record and 26-5 doubles record in 2006.

Babakhanyan becomes just the third women's tennis player to earn Cal U Hall of Fame honors and the first since Monica DiNatale-Bach ´94 was inducted in 2002. Multi-sport star Margaret Wilkinson-Neill ´32 was the first women's tennis honoree in 1996.

Not so surprisingly she was notified of her honor through social media as Babakhanyan received Facebook messages from Cal U Athletic Director Dr. Karen Hjerpe and former Vulcan women's tennis coach Pablo Montana.

"When I opened Karen's message at first I could not process it because it's been 10 years ago since I played, but then I must say it brought a tear to my eye," said Babakhanyan.  "All those Cal U moments flashed before my eyes then I was just so excited. I called my husband saying you won't believe this.

"To be honest it was a very emotional moment for me."

During her 2007 junior season, she helped Cal U compile a 28-2 overall record and win its first PSAC Team Championship since 1993. The Vulcans also won the NCAA Division II East Regional title and reached the national quarterfinals for the first time in program history. Babakhanyan compiled a 33-5 overall singles record and went 33-4 in doubles play with teammate Yumi Matsuto.

Babakhanyan led the Vulcans to a 26-3 overall record her senior season with another PSAC Championship and NCAA East Regional title. She and teammate Helena VanEysendeyk, compiled a 21-1 overall mark in doubles competition. Babakhanyan compiled a 23-3 overall record in singles competition in 2008 to finish with an 85-9 singles career mark. Her doubles career record was 80-10.

During Babakhanyan's three years, the women's tennis team compiled a 71-14 cumulative record, including a 54-5 mark over her junior and senior seasons.

Babakhanyan looks back fondly on Cal U's women's tennis rapid emergence as an NCAA Division II power. This included dethroning three-time, defending-PSAC Champion Bloomsburg 6-0 in the conference finals in 2007 after a 5-0 semifinal victory over Millersville.

"It was some of the best years of my life," she recalled. "I remember stepping on to the court and getting ready to play schools like Bloomsburg and IUP and they would have that look on their face of oh no Cal U is here and we have to play them next.

"It was amazing and they were intimidated just by us being there. We would win easily."

Originally from Yerevan, Armenia, where she graduated from Prep School 19, Babakhanyan transferred to Cal U from California State University, Northridge. A Dean's List student, she earned her bachelor's degree from Cal U in fine arts in 2006 and then master's degrees in health science and business management in 2007 and 2008, respectively.

After attending Northridge for a year at age 16, Babakhanyan returned home to Armenia for two years but has always been adventurous and wanted to experience the East Coast.  

"I had no idea where I was going to go, but I still remember waking up my parents in the middle of the night when Pablo offered me the scholarship over the phone," she said. "Something inside of me just felt like this was going to be the right school to go to finish my education, play tennis and hopefully benefit the school."

Despite her luggage being lost on the flight to Pittsburgh, Babakhanyan quickly found a home in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

"I didn't have anything but my hand luggage for several weeks," Babakhanyan said laughing. "I had never experienced the small-town setting before but within a week I fell in love with Cal, the school and the people.

"It was great."

Understandably she praised Montana, who is now the head men's tennis coach at NCAA Division I Delaware University.

"Without Pablo I would not be getting this honor," she said.  "He told me about all of the good academic programs the school offered and that when I joined the team we are going to take off and I would do amazing things. That clicked with the feeling inside me that going to Cal was the thing to do."

Today, Babakhanyan is a real estate broker at JohnHart Real Estate, an exclusive brokerage headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

She credits Cal U for helping her successful career.

"Cal U taught me all of my independence and how to set goals, and work hard to accomplish what you want to in life," Babakhanyan said. "Tennis was a big part of it, but my entire experience at Cal U prepared me and was a lot of fun."

Montana lauded Babakhanyan for helping a winning program become a perennial champion.

"She was the cornerstone behind our program," he said. "The statistics and achievements show what she and our team accomplished on the court, but Inga's success in the corporate world while raising a family shows what a talented, quality person she is.

"She's the consummate student-athlete."

A private tennis coach as well, she and her husband, Mike, also a licensed real estate agent with JohnHart, live in Burbank, California. The couple has two children: Alexander, 3, and Bella, 1.

While her college residence, Longanecker dormitory, is long gone, Babakhanyan is again looking forward to traveling east again, this time to receive her alma mater's most prestigious athletic accolade.

"I still have dreams when I was playing there and I can't wait to see the campus and how much its changed," she said. "I have been telling my husband all about it and I can't wait to come back and show him."

updated 04/18/18