Feb. 2, 2008

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The USC Upstate Athletics Hall of Fame inducted six new members into the shrine Saturday during the Athletics Hall of Fame banquet in the Campus Life Center.

The six new inductees into the Athletics Hall of Fame were Don Brock (baseball), James Eley (men's soccer), Sherman Eller (men's cross country), Willie Murdaugh (men's basketball), Kim Pitman (volleyball) and Kristina Ribicic (women's tennis).

The USC Upstate Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 1998 to honor individuals for outstanding athletic accomplishments and/or who have made signiificant contributions to Upstate Athletics.

Don Brock is the fifth person affiliated with the baseball program to be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame at USC Upstate. All five selections have come from the inaugural varsity baseball teams at the University. Brock played for Upstate, then USC Spartanburg, from 1987-88.

Despite playing just two seasons with the program as a pitcher, Brock still ranks among the all-time greats in several career and statistical categories. He ranks second all-time in shutouts and third all-time in complete games. His 3.89 career earned run average ranks fifth all-time, while his 15 wins is the fifth-best figure in program history. He also ranks among the program's all-time leaders (Top 15) in strikeouts per nine innings, strikeouts, games started and innings pitched.

Brock is tied for the single-season school records for wins and shutouts, recording eight victories in 1988 and two shutouts in 1987. The seven wins in the 1987 season rank fourth all-time. He ranks among the single-season leaders in nine other statistical categories.

Brock helped lead the 1987 team to a 36-9 record. He was a perfect 7-0 on the mound with a 4.22 ERA. He tossed 64 innings in 10 starts with 59 strikeouts and two shutouts. He was, again, one of the top pitchers in 1988, posting an 8-2 record with a 3.64 ERA. He tossed 81.2 innings with 66 strikeouts and a shutout. For his career, he posted a 15-2 record with a 3.89 ERA. He tossed 145.2 innings with 125 strikeouts, seven complete games and three shutouts.

Brock was selected in the 35th round by the San Francisco Giants in the 1988 Major League Baseball Draft. He pitched in the Giants organization for three years. He played for Pocatello (Idaho) in Rookie League ball in 1988 before playing High-A ball for San Jose of the California League in 1989 and 1990. Prior to his two -year career at USC Upstate/Spartanburg, Brock was a standout pitcher at Anderson College.

A native of Liberty, S.C., Brock currently works for Duke Energy at the Oconee Nuclear Station. He and his wife, Donna, have five children; daughter Baillie and sons Bowen, Benjamin, Bryson and Braxton.

James Eley is the 12th person affiliated with the men's soccer program to be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame at USC Upstate. Eley's induction also represents the third selection of a goalkeeper to the shrine.

Eley was a standout player from 1992-95, leading the men's soccer team to four straight appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament. He helped lead his teams to two regular season Peach Belt Conference championships and four straight Peach Belt Conference Tournament titles. All four of his teams finished the regular season ranked in the Top 10 in the nation.

Eley held the reigns as the regular starting keeper in 1993, taking over the position after the graduation of Athletics Hall of Fame member Darren Ambrose. Eley did not miss a beat. He earned All-America, All-Region and All-Conference honors after posting 17 wins in goal and 0.96 goals against average. He again earned All-Region and All-Conference honors in 1994, being a part of 17 wins and posting a 1.08 goals against average.

However, it was the 1995 season that set Eley and his teammates apart from the rest. He helped lead the team to an appearance in the NCAA Division II National Championship game, the first time since the 1982 men's basketball team won the NAIA National Championship that a USC Upstate/Spartanburg team had played for a national title. Eley led the team to 17 wins for the third straight season and through the NCAA Division II Tournament before falling in the national championship game. Eley posted a 0.85 goals against average and was named All-Region and All-Conference for the third straight year and earned his second All-America selection.

Eley ranks fourth all-time with 38 credited wins and fourth with 22.5 shutouts. Goalkeepers who did not complete a full match shared wins and shutouts. In all, Eley played the majority of the matches in 54 wins and 28 shutouts. His 0.89 career goals against average ranks fifth all-time at Upstate, while his 187 saves is fourth all-time. He played 4,962 minutes in goal, second on the all-time list.

In addition to his prowess on the soccer field, he was a standout in the classroom. He was a four-time selection to the Peach Belt Conference Presidential Academic Honor Roll and was a Dean's List student.

A native of South Africa, Eley was drafted No. 2 into the MPSL indoor soccer league for Baltimore Spirit. He broke his arm on draft day and never played for the Spirit. However, he did go on to play professionally for the Huntsville Fire of the Eastern Indoor Soccer League and for the South Carolina Shamrocks. He currently owns an Atlanta Bread Company franchise on Woodruff Road in Greenville and is set to launch a pizza wholesale company, the Pizza Dome, in March. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two sons, Aidan and Cameron.

Sherman Eller is the third person affiliated with the cross country program to be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame at USC Upstate. He is also the second inductee to have both been a runner and coach at the University.

Between running and coaching, he helped lead the team to four NAIA District Six team championships and four appearances in the NAIA National Championships.

Eller was a standout runner on the cross country team from 1981-84. He was a three-time NAIA District Six All-District selection. He led the team to the district championship as a freshman and an appearance in the NAIA National Championships, earning All-District honors along the way. As a junior, he led the squad to the team championship in the district meet, finishing third individually and earning his second All-District honor. The team made its second appearance in the NAIA National Championships. He finished his running career with an All-District selection as a senior while leading the team to a second-place finish in the district championships.

After completing his career as a collegiate runner, Eller took a turn as the head coach of the cross country program from 1985-87. He led the team to an unblemished record in district competition en route to the NAIA District Six championship, while runner Thomas Odom earned individual title in 1985. Eller was named the district's Coach of the Year. The cross country team repeated as District Six champions in 1986 with Odom again winning the individual title. The team received votes in the national poll after earning its second straight trip to the NAIA National Championships. Eller earned the District Six Coach of the Year award for the second straight season. In addition to his coaching stint with the cross country program, he also coached the softball team in 1985 and 1986.

The Niceville, Fla., native returned to his home state after resigning his position as head coach of the cross country program in 1987. He returned to Florida to pursue a career in the athletic footwear business as a management trainee with the Athletic Attic. He was hired as an account executive for Nike in 1989 and will celebrate his 19th year with the company later this year. Working as the account executive with Hibbett Sporting Goods, Eller was named the Nike Rep of the Year in 2005.

Eller returned to his cross country roots earlier this year as the head coach of his alma mater, Niceville High School. After a successful season, he was named the Coach of the Year by the Northwest Florida Daily News.

Eller married his high school sweetheart, Laurie. The couple has five teenagers: sons Kyle, Cory and Trent; and daughters Lacey and Lindsey.

Willie Murdaugh is the 10th person affiliated with the men's basketball program to be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame at USC Upstate.

Murdaugh had a stellar two-year career at USC Upstate/Spartanburg from 1989-91, teaming with Athletics Hall of Fame member Willis Woodruff to lead the team. He led the team to a 29-3 record, the District Six championship and an appearance in the NAIA National Tournament in 1989-90, the University's final year of NAIA membership. He averaged 15.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game en route to being named All-District.

Murdaugh helped lead the program into NCAA Division II membership in 1990-91 and the squad did not skip a beat. Murdaugh averaged 17.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game en route to leading the team to the regular season Peach Belt Conference championship and an appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament. He was named All-Conference, the league's Player of the Year, and was an All-America selection. For his career, Murdaugh averaged 16.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game with 125 assists and 207 steals. He was named Player of the Week by Sports Illustrated in late January of 1991.

Murdaugh ranks 17th all-time in scoring with 1,005 points. He is the program's all-time leader in three-point field goal percentage, hitting 52.8 percent of his attempts from behind the arc. He also ranks among the program's all-time greats in nine other statistical categories, including fifth with 149 three-pointers made. He owns the single-season record for three-point field goal percentage, hitting 54.2 percent of his attempts in 1989-90 and is second with 121 steals in 1990-91. His 10 steals against Gardner-Webb on Feb. 4, 1991 is the single-game school record.

After leaving Upstate, Murdaugh embarked on a professional basketball career in Canada and the United States. He began his career in the Global Basketball Association before moving to the Cape Breton Breakers of the National Basketball League in Nova Scotia, Canada. From there he played for the Dakota Wizards in the International Basketball Association. He earned honorable mention IBA All-Star honors in 1996-97 and was a First Team All-Star selection and league Defensive Player of the Year in 2000-01, leading the Wizards to the IBA championship. He is the organization's all-time three-point record holder with 193 trifectas, ranks third all-time in points and rebounds, and ranks among the all-time greats in six other statistical categories. Dakota is now an NBA Developmental League team.

In addition to playing for the Wizards, Murdaugh also played professionally for the Idaho Stampede and the Saskatchewan Hawks of the Continental Basketball Association.

Murdaugh and his wife, Leanne, have four children; daughters Kelsie and Alliah and sons Terrell and Zavi. He currently lives in and works for the city of Saskatchewan.

Kim Pitman is the sixth person affiliated with the volleyball team to be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame at USC Upstate.

Pitman was a standout player on the volleyball team for two seasons from 2000-01. She helped lead USC Upstate/Spartanburg to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament and 49 wins. She was a two-time All-Conference selection and was named the 2001 Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year. She also earned Peach Belt Conference All-Tournament honors in 2001.

Pitman had an outstanding year as a freshman, finishing the season with 341 kills and 123 total blocks as a middle hitter. A dominant player in the middle, she led the team to a 24-11 record and the program's first-ever berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament. As a sophomore, she was even more dominant. She finished the season with 535 kills with a .408 hitting percentage, 147 total blocks and 36 aces. She led the team to a 25-8 record, a second-place finish in the Peach Belt Conference and was named the league Player of the Year.

Her career numbers are lofty despite the fact that she played just two seasons at the University. She recorded 876 kills, 42 aces and 270 total blocks. She tops the all-time career record for hitting percentage, converting on .384 of her kill attempts. She also ranks among the all-time leaders in nine other statistical categories, including fourth in kills per match and points per game, eighth in blocks per game and 10th in both total blocks and points.

Pitman also ranks among the all-time greats in 14 single-season statistical categories. Her 535 kills, 4.65 kills per game, .408 hitting percentage and 679 points in 2001 all rank as the second-highest single-season marks in school history.

After finishing her playing career, Pitman served as assistant coach under Jennifer Calloway in 2002 before moving back to her native Illinois. While in Illinois, she worked as a drug and alcohol counselor for three years.

The Collinsville, Ill., native was an All-Conference and All-Region honoree at Belleville Area College prior to her years at Upstate/Spartanburg, leading BAC to two appearances in the NJCAA National Tournament.

Pitman currently lives in Scottsdale, Ariz. She works for Amercian Funds, a mutual funds company. She is also active in volleyball, serving as assistant coach at Fountain Hills High School as well as coaching club volleyball.

Kristina Ribicic is the second person affiliated with the women's tennis program to be elected to the Athletics Hall of Fame at USC Upstate.

Ribicic is the first honoree connected with the resurgence of the women's tennis program. She played for the team from 1999-2003. She joined Marcela Gonzalez and Martina Stoklaskova to form the foundation which the program has used to achieve tremendous success in recent years. It was her leadership, in particular, that helped form a cohesive team unit for four years. It was her play on the court that helped bring success to the team.

Prior to Ribicic's arrival, the women's program had posted three wins in the previous three seasons combined. She led the team to nine wins as a freshman in 2000, finishing the season with an 8-6 singles record. She led the team to 10 wins in 2001, finishing the year with nine singles wins. Despite finishing the season without an invitation to the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2002, Ribicic led the team to a record-tying 12 wins. She was 13-7 in singles play and 11-9 in doubles action.

Ribicic helped the team make history in 2003. She finished the year 16-3 in singles play and 20-3 in doubles action to help the team win a school record 15 matches and advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time in eight years and just the second time in program history. The tournament appearance came just four years after the program posted a 2-13 record in 1999.

Ribicic ranks fifth all-time in combined wins with 87 victories in singles and doubles play. Her 46 singles wins marks the fifth-highest total in school history. She also ranks fifth all-time with 41 doubles victories. The 16 wins in 2003 ranks as the 10th-best single-season effort in school history, while her .842 winning percentage that year is the third-highest total. She also ranks third with 20 doubles wins in 2003 and an .870 doubles winning percentage that same year.

In addition to her ability on the tennis court, Ribicic was a standout in the classroom. She was a four-time member of the Peach Belt Conference Presidential Academic Honor Roll and a Dean's List student.

A native of Frankfurt, Germany, Ribicic came to the United States as a junior tennis player at the Saddlebrook Academy in Florida. She has returned to her native Germany and currently works for CHAIROS Corporate Housing Services.