UMO: Latest Hall of Fame class announced

By UMO Media Relations
Published in Sports on September 4, 2016 1:49 AM

• Print
• Email

UMO

Media Relations

MOUNT OLIVE -- A three-time All-American, a former athletics director, two conference players-of-the-year and an influential member of the school's institutional advancement comprise the 11th class slated for induction into the University of Mount Olive Athletics Hall of Fame.

The elite group of selections are Heidi Busch, Mac Cassell, Lucia Henkle, Macon Jones and Jimmy Williams.

"We are very excited about this year's Hall of Fame class," said Jeff Eisen, vice president of UMO athletics. "It is a diverse and accomplished group that reflects the outstanding tradition and development of our athletics program."

* Busch claimed All-American honors from 2003-05 and was a four-time Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC) honoree. Busch departed as the school's career record holder in five categories -- kills in a match (34), kills in a season (701), career kills (2,456), kills per game for season (5.56) and kills per set (4.60).

The Trojans advanced to the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional in 2004 and 2005. Busch's jersey has been retired and is hanging in Kornegay Arena.

* Cassell was instrumental in the university's transition from the National Association of Intercollegiate Association (NAIA) ranks to NCAA Division II play in 1995. During his tenure, the Trojans won eight regular-season championships and eight tournament titles, and made eight NCAA postseason appearances.

The athletics director from 1994-2005, Cassell served on the Board of Directors of the Division II Athletics Director Association and spent four years on the NCAA Division II Golf Committee.

* Henkle is the first-ever former UMO student-athlete inducted based on her tennis career. She was selected as the CVAC Freshman-of-the-Year in 2002 and was the CVAC Woman- and Player-of-the-Year as a senior in 2005. Henkle holds six school records and represented her home country of Guatemala in the Federation Cup.

* Jones played shortstop for the UMO baseball team. He earned all-CVAC recognition in 1999 and was named the CVAC Player-of-the-Year in 2000. The Trojans won two CVAC championships and advanced to the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional during Jones' junior and senior campaigns.

Jones concluded his career with a .396 batting average.

* Williams served as the Vice President for Institutional Advancement from 1984-1992 and returned in that capacity from 2014-16. Williams oversaw athletics and was instrumental in hiring UMO Hall-of-Famer Bill Clingan (men's basketball) and Carl Lancaster (baseball).

Williams also spearheaded the Michael Martin Memorial and Handy Mart golf tournaments which raise money for the Trojan Club and endowments to fund scholarships for UMO students. Most recently, Williams also led the campaign to raise funds to help build a new track/lacrosse facility currently under construction on campus.

This year's inductees bring the total number of Hall inductees to 46.

The ceremony is Nov. 19 at 2:30 p.m. inside the Lois K. Murphy Regional Center on the UMO campus. The celebration is part of the 51st annual Pickle Classic.