W&L Athletic Hall of Fame to Induct Five on Sept. 6
Washington and Lee’s athletic seasons open today (Friday, Aug. 30), and next weekend the University will be honoring the five newest members of the Athletic Hall of Fame during ceremonies on campus.
This will be the 26th class inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. The weekend begins with the banquet on Friday, Sept. 6, and continues with the Generals’ first football game of the season, against Franklin & Marshall, on Saturday, Sept. 7. The new Hall of Famers will be introduced at halftime of the game.
The Hall of Fame Ceremony will be streamed live on the website starting at 8:15 p.m. on Friday, and the football game against Franklin & Marshall, including the halftime events, will be live at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The new Hall of Famers:
Christian Batcheller, of the Class of 2000, a three-year letterwinner in both football and baseball. A quarterback, he held 13 school records, including career passing yardage and career total offense, when he graduated. He won the ODAC triple crown in baseball as a freshman when he batted .490 with nine home runs and 45 RBI.
Matt Dugan, of the Class of 2001, was the all-time leading scorer in lacrosse when he graduated with 290 points. He was a four-year starter and was Player of the Year in the ODAC following both his junior and senior seasons. He was named Division III Attackman of the Year in 2001.
Eloise Priest Southard, of the Class of 2002, was captain of the lacrosse team in her junior and senior seasons. She was named a first team All-America player as both a junior and senior and was the Division III Defender of the Year in 2002.
Erika Proko Hamilton, of the Class of 2002, was nationally ranked in both singles and doubles during all four seasons of her tennis career at W&L. She won three ODAC titles and made it to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA tournament all four years, finishing third in 2002 and as runner-up in 2003. She won an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships and was a finalist for NCAA Woman of the Year.
Mike Walsh served as athletic director at W&L for 17 years, from 1989 until 2006. He led the Generals’ athletic program through a period of expansion and excellence. Under his leadership, W&L added three new varsity sports and upgraded or built new athletic facilities. Generals’ teams won 103 conference titles during his tenure and captured the ODAC Commissioner’s Cup as the top program in the conference 10 times in the 12 years it was presented while he was athletic director.
The newest inductees will bring the total number of former athletes, teams, coaches and administrators enshrined to 122.
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