FAYETTEVILLE (AP) — Arkansas will add 15 members to its Sports Hall of Honor in September.
Waldo native and former Lady Bulldog Sytia Messer will be among the new members.
After three years as a head coach at Tennessee Tech and serving two stints at Georgia Tech, Messer is set to begin her sixth year at Baylor under head coach Kim Mulkey..
As recruiting coordinator, Messer has helped bring in the nation’s top signing class twice, for the first time in 2016 and most recently in 2018. She also orchestrated fourth-ranked signing classes in 2017 and 2015.
Her work on the recruiting trail has laid a foundation which has produced nine Big 12 Conference titles (five regular season and four tournament crowns), four Elite Eight appearances and one Sweet 16 berth in the last five years.
She was associate head coach at Georgia Tech in 2012-13 and served as an assistant coach for the Yellow Jackets from 2004-09.
In between stints on the Atlanta campus, she compiled a 54-41 record as the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles’ head coach.
Messer was named the 2010-11 Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year after the Golden Eagles won the 2011 OVC regular season title.
She also has coached at Memphis and Arkansas State.
The Waldo native was a standout player for the Arkansas Lady Razorbacks where she finished her career ranked in the top 10 in points scored (No. 7, 1,370) and rebounds (No. 10, 603).
Messer was named the 1998 NCAA Tournament West Regional MVP when the Razorbacks made their run to the Women’s Final Four and led Arkansas to the 1999 WNIT championship.
At the University of Arkansas, Dana McQuillin will be the first inductee from the gymnastics program. The four-year captain won 10 event titles in her career.
Other inductees will be April Steiner Bennett, track and field; Ron Faurot, Greg Horne, Ivan Jordan and Bruce Lahay, football; Ewell Lee, men’s tennis; Steve Loy, men’s golf; Ricky Medlock and Jonathon Modica, men’s basketball; Nick Schmidt, baseball; Jerry Spencer, men’s swimming and diving; Randy Stephens, men’s track and field and Kim Storey Chronister, volleyball.
The class will be inducted during a banquet on Sept. 14 at the Fayetteville Town Center.
Inductees also will be recognized during Arkansas’ football game against North Texas.