Five former members of Kennesaw State’s athletic programs were inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame for athletics on Wednesday, Aug. 8, with the formal ceremonies to be held on Friday, Sep. 28.
The five athletes awarded for their excellent services to KSU athletics are comprised of four former KSU students and one Southern Polytechnic student, now a part of KSU. The total number of Hall of Fame members combined between KSU and SPSU now total 105 with this class.
Longtime women’s basketball coach Colby Tilley presided over a very successful period in the program’s history, as well as their transition from Division II to Division I athletics. With 290 wins and three Peach Belt Conference titles to his name, there is no doubt of his credentials.
During his tenure from 1995 to 2012, seven players were named to the Division II All-American list and four were conference players of the year. After switching to Division I, Tilley coached Britteny Henderson, who won the Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year for the 2007-08 season.
Laura Tucker was one of the most successful athletes in school history, starring for the women’s soccer team between 2003 and 2006. During that span she scored 54 goals and provided 29 assists, leading the Owls to four consecutive winning seasons.
Tucker led the Owls to the Division II national championship in 2003, being awarded the MVP of the championship game. After the program transitioned to Division I, she won the ASUN Conference Player of the Year in 2006.
SPSU’s entry into this year’s Hall of Fame class is Sarah Ogoke, who played two seasons as the starting point guard for their basketball team. She was known as a versatile player in her time, leading the team in points and rebounds in her first season as well as being awarded the Southern States Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Since her time at SPSU, Ogoke participated at the WNBA combine in 2014 and has represented the Nigerian national basketball team.
The KSU track and field team has been one of the most successful programs in school history, and one individual helped establish the team’s dominance. Jerome McKinzie was the first athlete to advance to the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, qualifying in the high jump. He helped lead the team to four indoor and four outdoor conference championships.
2004 Division II All-American Patrina Hayes-Nicholson rounds out the list, participating on the cross country squad that won consecutive conference championships. To this day she holds the school record for the 5K race with a time of just over 17 minutes.
