A three-time All-American, a former Mount Olive Athletic Director, two conference players of the year, and a former UMO Vice President for Institutional Advancement will be inducted into the University of Mount Olive Athletics Hall of Fame in the Lois K Murphy Regional Center as part of the 51st Annual Mount Olive Pickle Classic. Women's volleyball student-athlete Heidi Busch, former Trojan Athletic Director Mac Cassell, women's tennis student-athlete Lucia Henkle, baseball student-athlete Macon Jones, and former Vice President Jimmy Williams will become the newest members of the UMO Athletics Hall of Fame.
Heidi Busch Kessens '06 was named an All-American in 2003, 2004, and 2005. The four-time Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference (CVAC) first-team all-conference honoree is the all-time Mount Olive leader in five statistical categories: kills in a match (34), kills in a season (701), kills in a career (2,456), and kills per game for a season (5.56) and career (4.60). She ranks sixth in NCAA Division II history for kills in a career. Busch helped lead the Trojans to their only NCAA championship appearances in 2004 and 2005, with the 2005 team posting a Mount Olive all-time best 28-8 overall/19-1 CVAC record. She was named the school's Outstanding Female Student-Athlete for 2004-05 and 2005-06.
"It is fun to be back on campus. Some things are still the same and some things are so different," said Busch-Kessens. "I am slightly jealous of all the great new things that have been built, but happy that the students get to enjoy them."
Dr. Mac Cassell was the athletics director at Mount Olive from 1994-2005, a faculty member in the Recreation and Leisure Studies program from 1994-2013, and golf coach from 1995-2003. He was instrumental in the transition of Mount Olive and the CVAC (now Conference Carolinas) to full NCAA Division II membership status in 1995. During his tenure, Mount Olive accumulated eight regular-season conference championships, eight conference tournament championships, and eight NCAA appearances, including an Elite Eight finish for men's basketball. He also started five new sports at Mount Olive: men's and women's cross country, women's soccer, women's golf, and men's volleyball. Cassell served on the Board of Directors of the Division II Athletics Director Association from 1996-2005, including serving a stint as president. He spent four years on the NCAA Division II Golf Committee and served as tournament director for two national championships.
"I asked students, did you get what you came for? The consensus was, "I got way more than I ever anticipated getting,"" remarked Cassell. "Similarly, my experience was more than I ever anticipated getting."
Lucia Henkle-Melick '06 is the first former student-athlete to be inducted on the basis of her tennis career at Mount Olive. She earned first team all-conference honors all four years and was named the CVAC Freshman of the Year in 2002, CVAC Player of the Year in 2005, and CVAC Woman of the Year in 2005-06. She is the all-time leader at Mount Olive in singles wins in a season (17) and career (63), doubles wins in a season (20) and in a career (56), conference doubles wins in a career (29), and conference singles wins in a career (33). She is second in Mount Olive records for conference wins in a season (9) and conference doubles wins in a season (9). Henkle represented her home country of Guatemala in the Federation Cup, a prestigious international women's tennis tournament.
"I value the special times I had with good friends, school staff, and people from Mount Olive," said Henkle-Melick. "I want to thank coach Burt Lewis for believing in me and for guiding me all those four years. Also, thanks to coach Kevin Coghill for coaching me and training me."
Macon Jones '00, shortstop for the baseball team, earned All-CVAC honors in 1999 and 2000 and was named the CVAC Player of the Year in 2000. He helped lead the Trojans to CVAC championships and NCAA appearances in 1999 and 2000. In the 1999 season, he was named the CVAC All-Tournament Co-MVP with fellow Trojan Hall of Famer Scott McKee. He sits in 6th place all-time at Mount Olive in career batting average with a .396 average. He was named the school's Outstanding Male Student-Athlete of the Year during the 1999-2000 academic year.
"I've looked back over the years at my times here at this great university and I know that God placed me here," said Jones. "It's not what could have been, but what is, that matters."
Jimmy Williams served as the Vice President for Institutional Advancement from 1984-1992 and returned in that role from 2014-16. During his first tenure, Williams oversaw athletics and was instrumental in the hiring of Hall of Fame men's basketball coach Bill Clingan and head baseball coach Carl Lancaster. Williams also started the Michael Martin Memorial and Handy Mart golf tournaments, which have raised over $2 million for the Trojan Club and endowments to fund scholarships. Most recently Williams led a successful campaign to raise funds to build the new track & field/lacrosse complex at UMO. Williams is also a member of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) Hall of Fame, as co-founder of the association.
"I have to say this, it's probably one of the best things that has ever happened to me in my life," said Williams. "This has been a great experience to work with this team."
This year's class is the 11th Hall of Fame Class and brings the total number of inductees up to 46.
