Feb. 11, 2009
PHOTO GALLERY
ROCHESTER, Mich. - An eight-time All-America diver, the most decorated player in Oakland University softball history, a pioneer of the OU men's basketball program who remains in the top ten in school history in rebounds 36 years after his final game, an All-America men's soccer player that played on four NCAA tournament teams, a three-time all-league selection that was a member of the first OU women's soccer team to play in the NCAA Tournament, a 17-time all-American that won five individual national championships, and the only student-athlete in Oakland University history to win an Olympic gold medal comprise the 2009 class of the Hollie L. Lepley Athletic Hall of Honor, the Oakland University department of athletics announced today.
The class will be officially inducted at the annual Hall of Honor induction ceremony on April 25 at the Athletics Center O'Rena.
"As our athletic department continues to move forward, it is important to recognize and honor the student-athletes that laid the foundation for our present and future success," said Director of Athletics Tracy Huth. "The individuals selected represent the very best of our championship tradition here at Oakland and it is our privilege to have the opportunity to honor them."
The individuals comprising the 22nd class of inductees into the Hollie L. Lepley Athletic Hall of Honor are:
Becki Bach Simmons - Women's Swimming and Diving (1993-97)
A member of two Division II national championship teams and a member of two runner-up teams, Becki Bach was an eight-time all-American at OU, the maximum number of all-America honors for a diver at the NCAA championship. Bach held the school record score for a diver on the three-meter board (10 dives), and was a five-time Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion, also winning the one-meter title as a senior. Bach graduated from Oakland in 1996 with a bachelor of general studies degree, and in 1999 earned a master's degree in exercise science.
"Becki Bach was someone that came into our program with a lot of talent and a lot of untapped potential that worked extremely hard to make herself into not only one of the top divers that Oakland has ever had on the women's side but also within Division II," said Huth, who also served as the head women's swimming and diving coach during Bach's competition years. "One of her strengths was her work ethic. Although diving is an individual sport, I think she was always concerned with her teammates, both the divers and swimmers; so she was definitely a team player with a commitment to excellence all the way around."
Ericka Burns - Women's Softball (2000-03)
The single most decorated player in Oakland University softball history, Ericka Burns was a four-time all-Mid-Continent Conference selection, twice being named Mid-Continent Conference Tournament MVP. Burns holds the Oakland University career records for batting average (.392), at-bats (676), hits (265), runs (127), doubles (42), triples (24), home runs (19), RBI (90), slugging percentage (.609), total bases (412), on-base percentage (.435), and stolen bases (31). During her career, OU won the Mid-Continent Conference regular season title in 2001 before winning tournament championships in 2002 and 2003, advancing to the NCAA tournament both years. Burns graduated from Oakland in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in general management.
"When I first came to Oakland it was Ericka's junior year, and I had heard a lot about how great a ballplayer she was," said Oakland University head softball coach Glenn MacDonald, who was an assistant coach during Burns' career at Oakland. "I think that first year I probably learned more from her than she learned from me. She is just a true leader. She led by example and by voice. Ericka was a true team player and is still the best softball player that I've ever coached. She is the type of person that when she had something to say, she said it, and she knew where to say it too. If there was something she thought we needed to take care of as coaches, she would tell us off the field so it would be private. That's the type of person she is, with great character and great leadership. She truly deserves this honor."
John Eley - Men's Basketball (1969-72)
Nearly 37 years after his final game at OU, John Eley still remains in OU's all-time top ten in rebounds, pulling down 690 boards over the course in his career. His 9.32 rebounds per game average is fourth all-time at OU, and at the time of his final game, Eley held Oakland University records in scoring (1,085 points) and rebounds. A two-time team captain, Eley graduated from Oakland in 1972 with his bachelor's degree in economics. After graduation, Eley joined the United States Marine Corps, attending Naval Flight School and becoming a naval aviator in 1976. Eley's student loans were forgiven for patrolling the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea. Eley then returned to civilian life in 1979 after achieving the rank of Captain and played semi-pro basketball in Los Angeles for two years.
"John played for me beginning in high school (at Murray-Wright High School in Detroit) and was one of my key players," said Gene Boldon, who served as head coach of the Oakland men's basketball program from 1968-1976. "He was reliable both in the classroom and on the court. When I came to Oakland in 1968, John decided to come as well. At the collegiate level, he performed well socially, academically, and athletically. He was a person I could depend on. Without him, I'm not so sure that I would have been able to elevate our schedule the way I did. When John came to Oakland, other players came as well, including Carvin Melson (a member of the inaugural class of the Hollie L. Lepley Hall of Honor in 1984). It gave us more firepower and a better program. We were able to schedule programs like Detroit, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Illinois State, and some of the schools that were way out of our league in terms of having scholarships for players. All these players came without athletic scholarships. (Eley) is an example that I would point to for what we were trying to accomplish. He exemplified himself in all arenas."
Giovanni Gentile - Men's Soccer (1991-94)
A second-team all-American as a senior, Giovanni Gentile was a member of four NCAA tournament teams that posted a combined 63-15-8 record. His sophomore season, the Pioneers advanced to the national semifinals, and during his senior year, OU won a pair of overtime games in the NCAA tournament to advance to the national championship game before falling to Tampa in the title game. Gentile graduated from Oakland in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.
"Giovanni was one of our top players," said former Oakland University head men's soccer coach Gary Parsons. "Back in those days, we called his position a sweeper. He was an All-American for us, and in that period of four years we went to a national semifinal and final. He was certainly one of the top players on a very special team. We had several very good players on that team; I know that Mali (Walton) and Eli (Tiomkin) have both been inducted. He was a captain with excellent character. He was an excellent leader that led by example. He wasn't loud, but got his message across by the way he played. He was definitely one of the top players we had during the Division II days."
Ashley McGhee - Women's Soccer (1998-2001)
An Academic All-America selection as a senior, Ashley McGhee was a three-time all-Mid Continent Conference selection, and continues to hold the Oakland University records for career goals (49), single-game goals (four against Bowling Green, Oct. 12, 1998), and single-game points (nine in the same contest). McGhee ranks second in OU history in points (119). A member of the first OU women's soccer team to play in the NCAA tournament, McGhee was the winner of the Hollie Lepley Senior Scholar-Athlete Award as a senior and also served as the Student-Athlete Advisory Council President, the SAAC conference representative, and a member of the national SAAC minorities committee. After her graduation from Oakland in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in sociology, McGhee played professionally for the Vancouver Whitecaps and nationally for Team Canada.
"Ashley was a feisty player who was committed to scoring goals," said head women's soccer coach Nick O'Shea. "She had the technical ability to do it through finesse, as well as the hunger and desire to do it through hard work. Those are a couple of the things that made her so effective for us over the years in the goal-scoring department and creating goals. She was outgoing, inclusive, funny when appropriate and serious when needed. Off the field and on the field, she had a strong presence in a positive way for our team."
David Paxton - Men's Swimming and Diving (1994-97)
A member of four consecutive Division II national championship teams, David Paxton was a 17-time all-American over the course of his career. Paxton racked up four individual national championships, twice winning the 500 and 1,650 free titles. As a sophomore, Paxton set Oakland University records in the 1000 and 1,650 free (9:29.77 in the 1000, and 15:39.97 in the 1,650, both since broken). As a freshman, Paxton was named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Athlete of the Year. Paxton graduated from Oakland in 1998 with a degree in marketing.
"David could be characterized as if not one of the most talented swimmers in school history, certainly one of the most versatile," said Oakland University head swimming and diving coach Pete Hovland. "Other than maybe some of the sprint events, David was exceptionally talented, obviously in the individual medleys and distance freestyles. I could use him just about anywhere. It's obvious with the amount of points he scored at the NCAAs, he was very consistent from year-to-year and was usually one of the top three individuals in his events year after year, and that says a lot. In a lot of ways he reminded me of Tracy Huth, in his versatility. Tracy dominated the IMs during his collegiate career, and could go all the way up and swim the mile. David Paxton was in that same mold, and I think that says a lot when you can compare somebody to someone like Tracy. David was an exceptionally hard worker and it was a joy and pleasure to see what he could do in workouts, and obviously as a coach you'd love to have a dozen of them."
Anita Rapp - Women's Soccer (1997-2001)
A member of two Mid-Con championship teams and a part of the first Oakland women's soccer team of the Division I era to advance to the NCAA tournament her senior year. However, Rapp's signature amateur achievement came while representing her native Norway in the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, as the Norwegian national team captured the gold medal in women's soccer. Rapp remains the only student-athlete in Oakland University history to capture Olympic gold. While at OU, Rapp was named a first team All-American, a second team Academic All-American, in addition to earning Great Lakes Region Player of the Year honors as a senior. Rapp was also selected as a two-time all-region honoree, and a two-time Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Year. She ranks fifth in OU history in goals (36), and second in OU history with 38 assists. Rapp graduated from Oakland in 2001 with bachelor's degrees in German language and literature and political science.
"Anita was pretty much responsible for catapulting our team into a serious soccer team," said O'Shea. "She was clearly a dominant player. What made her so good is that other players wanted to play with and for her. Even though she was a national team player and clearly better than many players, she never allowed anyone to feel inferior and that translated into everyone wanting to work with her. That just made everyone better. Her ability to do that for us was incredible. She was a naturally left-footed player that could score goals as well as create goals, and yet was very hard-working on the defensive side of things in the midfield as well. She was a tremendous two-way player for us; very good in the air, and really was the most well-rounded and best player we've had here at Oakland University. Sometimes it's difficult for someone that is playing in a place where they don't speak their first language, and while it was difficult for her at times, she was able to communicate through her play better than anybody could verbally. She is such a positive and charismatic person, and she just made coaching and trying to raise the level of our program so much easier."
Additionally, the Department will honor Brian DiBartolomeo with the Gary D. Russi Community Service Award, and Oakland University Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel Vic Zambardi with the George Wibby Award at the ceremony scheduled for April 25.
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