13 Notable alumni of Winthrop University
Updated: June 13, 2026 EliteDegrees
Winthrop University is 2345st in the world, 1st in North America, and 604st in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 13 notable alumni from Winthrop University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Winthrop University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Chandler Vaudrin
1997-. (aged 29)
basketball player
Chandler Reed Vaudrin is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Walsh Cavaliers and the Winthrop Eagles.
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2. Cathy Smith Bowers
1949-. (aged 77)
university teacher
poet
writer
Cathy Smith Bowers is an American poet and professor. She teaches poetry in an M.F.A. program at Queens University of Charlotte. Bowers was named by Governor Bev Perdue as the sixth North Carolina Poet Laureate, 2010–2012. She has published five collections of poetry.
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3. Steven Dillingham
1952-. (aged 74)
Steven Dillingham is an American lawyer who served as the 25th director of the United States Census Bureau from January 7, 2019, to January 20, 2021.
4. Darin Mastroianni
1985-. (aged 41)
baseball player
Darin Paul Mastroianni is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins.
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5. Marco Reda
1977-. (aged 49)
coach
association football coach
association football player
Marco Reda is a Canadian former soccer player who began his professional career in the USL A-League with the Toronto Lynx where he developed his skills as a solid defender. This led to his transfer to Europe to sign with Sogndal, where he would eventually have a tenure in Scandinavia for six years. Reda would return to Toronto, this time...
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6. Keon Johnson
1995-. (aged 31)
basketball player
Keon Johnson is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Winthrop University, where he was named Big South Conference Player of the Year in 2017.
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7. Chris Leroux
1984-. (aged 42)
baseball player
Christopher Adam Leroux is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher and television personality. He played for the Florida Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates, and New York Yankees in Major League Baseball (MLB) and for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Leroux also competed for the Canadian national baseball team in international competitions.
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8. Alex Wilson
1986-. (aged 40)
baseball player
William Alexander Wilson is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers.
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9. Michael J. Jenkins
1986-. (aged 40)
basketball player
Michael Jerome Jenkins is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Winthrop University.
10. Andie MacDowell
1958-. (aged 68)
model
television actor
actor
film actor
Rosalie Anderson MacDowell is an American actress and former fashion model. MacDowell is known for her starring film roles in romantic comedies and dramas. She has modeled for Calvin Klein and has been a spokeswoman for L'Oréal since 1986.
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11. Shanola Hampton
1977-. (aged 49)
actor
television actor
Shanola Hampton is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Veronica Fisher on Showtime dramedy Shameless, Gabi Mosely in the NBC drama series Found, and as the face model of Rochelle in the video game Left 4 Dead 2.
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12. D.J. Burns Jr
2000-. (aged 26)
basketball player
Dwight Keith Burns Jr. is an American professional basketball player who plays for Bnei Herzliya in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He previously played for the NC State Wolfpack of the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Winthrop Eagles of the Big South Conference.
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13. Xavier Cooks
1995-. (aged 31)
basketball player
Xavier Cooks is an Australian professional basketball player for the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Winthrop Eagles, where he was named the 2018 Big South Conference Player of the Year. In 2022, he helped the Sydney Kings win the NBL championship while earning grand final MVP honours. In 2023, he was...
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