January 6, 2015

Valdosta State Set to Induct 2015 Athletics Hall of Fame Class

Release provided by VSU Athletics

For more information, contact:
Shawn Reed, Sports Information Director
msreed@valdosta.edu
229-333-5903

http://vstateblazers.com/news/2015/1/5/GEN_0105152105.aspx

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Five former student-athletes and a pair of contributors are set to join the Valdosta State Athletics Hall of Fame as the school is scheduled to hold the 2015 induction ceremony at noon, Saturday, Jan. 24 in the Student Union Ballroom.

The five student-athletes represent four different sports and span the history of Blazer athletics from the 1960's to as recently as recently as 2009.

Blazer fans wishing to purchase tickets to the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony can do so online by clicking here or by calling 229-259-2512. Tickets to the event are $25 per person.

The 2015 Athletics Hall of Fame inductees are:

JOERG EKKENGA, MEN'S TENNIS: Ekkenga enjoyed a stellar career for the men's tennis team as he earned All-America honors all three years in which he played for the Blazers, 2007, 2008 and 2009. He directed Valdosta State to Gulf South Conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in all three of his seasons, including a spot in the NCAA Championship match his freshman year of 2007. On his career, Ekkenga posted a career singles mark of 35 wins and 11 losses while posting 45 wins against just 18 losses in doubles.

MARLON JONES, MEN'S BASKETBALL: A star on the men's basketball team from 1982 through 1987, Jones played in 111 career games. He scored 1,971 career points, the second-most in school history, and averaged 17.8 points a game during his career. Jones made 839 of his 1,747 career field goal attempts to shoot 48.0 percent for his career and tallied 424 rebounds, 212 assists and 176 steals on his career.

TOM ODOM, BOOSTER: A graduate of Valdosta State in 1974, Odom has been a Valdota State booster and fans for nearly four decades. His generosity has helped a number of Valdosta State teams and athletes achieve their dreams over the last 40 years while he has cheered on Blazers from all sports. Additionally, Odom has worked on the Valdosta State radio crew for football for the past 17 years and has worked 204 career games.

CARLEY PETERSON, WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: A member of the women's basketball team from 2004 through 2008, Peterson earned honorable mention All-America honors in the 2007-08 season. She was named first team All-Gulf South Conference in 2007 and 2008 and played in all possible 122 games during her career and made 120 starts. Peterson scored 1,133 career points, the 16th-most in school, and averaged 9.3 points per game on her career. She also tallied 436 rebounds, 247 assists, 35 blocked shots and 245 steals on her career and owns the Valdosta State career record for three-pointers made with 262, which is the fifth-most in GSC history. Peterson also set a single season school record when she made 91 three pointers in 2006-07, the seventh-most in Gulf South Conference history, and attempted a school record 233 in 2007-08.

BRYAN PHILLIPS, MEN'S BASKETBALL: A member of the men's basketball team from 1966 through 1968, Phillips grabbed 407 rebounds during the 1966-67 season, which still is a single season school record. He averaged 14.1 points as a junior in 1966-67 and 14.5 points as a senior in 1967-68. Phillips was a Co-Captain of the 1967-68 team and earned All-America honors that season and was named All-Conference and All-District in both 1967 and 1968. He also received honorable mention All-America in 1967 while playing for teams that went 50-17 during his two season.

DR. F. D. TOTH, CONTRIBUTOR: Dr. Toth served Valdosta State for 26 years, 17 of them as dean of the College of Education. During his years as dean, Toth was instrumental in the development of the VSU athletic program and played a key role in the start of the football program in 1982. His leadership was pivotal  in VSU's move from the NAIA ranks  to the NCAA and membership in the Gulf South Conference.

BRENT WITCHER, GOLF: A golfer that played at Valdosta State for two years, Witcher earned All-American honors in both 2008 and 2009. He was named the Jack Nicklaus Award winner as the nation's top Division II golfer in 2009, becoming the only Blazer golfer to ever earn the honor. Witcher played in 22 career tournaments and was VSU's top finisher in 17 of those events. He was the individual medalist as the overall winner in five tournaments while finishing in the top five 12 times and in the top 10 on 17 occasions. His score counted in 61 of 63 career rounds while he averaged 71.3 strokes per round on his career, during which he recorded 44 rounds of par or better.

 

 

 

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