Kent State Announces 2021 Varsity K Hall of Fame Class
9/14/2021 12:00:00 PM | General, The Golden Flashes Club
KENT, OHIO- The Kent State Golden Flashes are excited to announce the class for the 2021 Varsity "K" Hall of Fame.
The 2021 class is a "super" class of 14 former student-athletes, a head coach and four honorees that are recipients of our specialty awards. The class will be inducted on October 9th, 2021, with the ceremony taking place at the Kent State Hotel and Convention Center. Long-time public-address announcer for the Golden Flashes, Jeff Kurtz will be the master of ceremonies.
Two current major leaguers got the call in current Oakland Athletics' left-hander Andrew Chafin alongside Travis Shaw, now of the Boston Red Sox.
Chafin appeared in 88 games for the Golden Flashes including 34 starts. Chafin was a 2011 All-American, a two-time First-Team All-MAC, the 2009 MAC Freshman of the Year and a member of the 2011 MAC Championship team. Over 124 innings in his collegiate career, Chafin racked up 160 strike outs and pitched to a sterling 1.80 career earned run average. He was a first-round selection of the Arizona Diamonbacks and helped the Chicago Cubs reach the 2020 post-season after being moved at the trade deadline. After another strong season out of the bullpen on the north side of Chicago, he was acquired by the Oakland A's for the 2021 stretch run.
Shaw was a two-time All-MAC infielder and was named All-Region in 2011. He teamed with Chafin to help lead the Golden Flashes to the NCAA Tournament. Shaw hit over .300 in each of his three seasons with the Golden Flashes and finished his collegiate career with a .321 average. He ranks in the top-10 at Kent State in career home runs (36) and walks (114). He was a ninth-round pick by the Boston Red Sox and has seen time in Boston, Milwaukee, and Toronto in his major league career.
A trio of Golden Flashes saw their football careers extend to Sundays and helped the Golden Flashes to the magical 2012 season are also members of the 2021 class.
Dri Archer electrified the Mid-American Conference with his agility, speed and quickness. Over his four-year career, Archer averaged over seven yards per carry, including a staggering 9.0 yards per carry in 2012. Dri was also a weapon in the return game, earning the 2012 MAC Special Teams Player of the Year honors and was named an All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Archer is a mainstay in the Kent State record books ranking 2nd in TDs (40); 3rd in points (240); 3rd in all-purpose yards (4,980); t-6th in receiving TDs (12); 9th in rushing yards (2,342); 10th in rushing TDs (24). He also owns several single-season records, including: points (138 in 2012), TDs (23 in 2012 and all-purpose yards (2,577 in 2012. Archer was a third-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2014 draft and saw time with the Steelers, Jets and Bills in his NFL career.
Roosevelt Nix was a four-time, first-team All-MAC defender for the Golden Flashes. He was named the 2010 MAC Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first Kent State defender to earn the honor. He was a two-time All-American and ranks second all-time in Kent State history with 24 career sacks. A disruptive defensive presence, Nix is the all-time leader in Golden Flashes' history with 65 tackles for loss and never had fewer than 13 in a season. Nix went on to a successful NFL career as a fullback with the Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts. He earned a Pro Bowl berth after the 2017 season.
Brian Winters was a four-year starter and three-time All-MAC offensive lineman for the Golden Flashes. He owns the Kent State record with 50 games started. He helped pave the way for Dri Archer's success at running back and earned the second Senior Bowl invite in school history after the 2012 season. He was selected in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft by the New York Jets. He's enjoyed a nine-year career and counting, playing for the Jets, Buffalo Bills and now the Arizona Cardinals.
Another trio of professionals, this time on the links represent the Kent State men's golf team in the 2021 Varsity K Hall of Fame class.
Corey Conners has carried his stellar Kent State career into a successful run on the PGA tour. Conners was a three-time first-time All-MAC and All-Region golfer and a two-time MAC Golfer of the Year and PING All-American. He finished fourth at the 2012 NCAA Championships and is amongst the leaders in Kent State men's golf history. Conners ranks 5th in scoring average (72.94) tied for second in wins (5) and is seventh in par or better rounds (60). Conners along with fellow hall-of-fame inductee Mackenzie Hughes represented Canada in the 2020 Olympic Games.  Â
Hughes was a three-time first-team All-MAC and All-Region golfer and the 2009 MAC Freshman of the Year. Hughes won the 2011 MAC Championship, one of three outright wins in his collegiate career. A 2020 Olympian alongside Conners, Hughes closed his collegiate career 13th in scoring average (73.67), tied for fourth in wins (3) and tied for eighth in par or better rounds (59).
Taylor Pendrith rounds out the three men's golfers enshrined in the 2021 class. Pendrith was a three-time first-team All-MAC golfer and was named All-Region twice. Pendrith captured the 2013 MAC Tournament title, was the 2013 MAC Golfer of the Year and shared the 2014 honor with Corey Conners. Pendrith is one of two golfers in Kent State history to make the NCAA Championships in each of his four seasons. He finished in a tie for third at the 2013 NCAA regionals and ranks 6th in par-or-better rounds (62), 7th in scoring average (73.02) and 9th in wins (2).
One of the best to ever do it in Kent State wrestling also earned first-ballot enshrinement. Dustin Kilgore had one of the most successful collegiate wrestling careers in Kent State history. Kilgore captured the 2011 NCAA title at 197 pounds, was a three-time All-American and a four-time MAC champion. He was the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2009 and the MAC Wrestler of the Year in 2011 and 2013. He closed his collegiate career with a 178-11 record. He owns a litany of Kent State career records including wins (178), falls (50), single-season wins (43) and single-season falls (18). He ranks second all-time with a .925 winning percentage.
On the women's side, Mercedes Germino was a three-time All-MAC First-Team golfer that included the 2009 Freshman of the Year and 2012 Golfer of the Year honors. Germino captured the 2009 MAC Individual title and helped the Golden Flashes win the MAC crown in each of her four seasons. She sits 12th all time with a 75.59 scoring average and was a four-time All-American Scholar-Athlete.
Marie Case was a three-time MAC Gymnast of the Year and twice won the Conference's all-around title. Case was the 2011 Freshman of the Year and the 2014 Senior of the Year. She finished 13th in the all-around at the 2014 NCAA Championships and owns the second-highest meet score in Kent State history, recording a 39.600 on March 6, 2014. Case ranks in the top-10 in career high scoring in all four disciplines and helped the Golden Flashes to an appearance at the 2011 NCAA Championships.
Few have been better on the track in Kent State history than Diana Dumitrescu. She was a three-time MAC Champion in the indoor pentathlon and the outdoor heptathlon. She earned All-American status twice in both disciplines as well and was the Most Outstanding Performer at the 2009 MAC Championships. She owns the Kent State record in both the indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon and ranks in the top-10 all time at Kent State in: outdoor long jump (4th), indoor long jump (5th), indoor high jump (6th), indoor triple jump (7th), outdoor triple jump (8th) and outdoor high jump (9th).
The Varsity K Hall of Fame class is also honoring former men's basketball head coach Jim Christian. Christian went 138-58 over six seasons with the Golden Flashes. He captured four Mid-American Conference East Division titles in his six-year run and tournament titles in both 2006 and again in 2008. Christian was also on Stan Heath's staff during Kent State's run to the elite eight in the 2001-2002 season. His 138 wins are third all-time in Kent State history and the Golden Flashes won at least 20 games in each of his six seasons.
Two members of the Varsity K Hall of Fame came from the veteran's committee.
Toni Notaro was a three-time All-MAC softball player for the Golden Flashes. Notaro posted a career average of .302 with a career-best .356 in 1983 in an era that was dominated by pitching. Notaro earned first-team All-Region status for that 1983 season. Her 10 career triples ranks fifth in Kent State history and her 10 career triples are good for ninth in Golden Flashes' history.
John Ovsek was one of the best ever in Kent State swimming and diving history. He was a nine-time MAC Champion in five different events and was named the Most Outstanding Swimmer in 1978. He was a member of the 800-meter relay team that set three MAC records in his four seasons. Ovsek helped the Golden Flashes capture three conference titles in his four-year career and is in the top-10 in Kent State history in five different events.
The 2011 Kent State Gymnastics team is being recognized as the Team of Distinction at this year's ceremony. The 2011 squad made the 2011 NCAA Championships and finished a program-best 12th in the Nation. They are still the only MAC team ever to qualify for the NCAA Championships. After finishing second at the MAC Championships at Central Michigan, Kent State went on to finish second in the six-team Ann Arbor Regional, earning a spot in the National Championships. The Flashes nearly swept all of the Conference's specialty awards, capturing the Gymnast of the Year, Senior of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Specialist of the Year.
Fred Jermyn is the recipient of the inaugural Rudy Bachna Award. The Award was established to honor and recognize long-time coach Rudy Bachna, who founded the men's and women's gymnastics programs in 1959. In addition to serving as gymnastics coach from 1959 to 1991, he also served as the head coach of the men's soccer program from 1963-72. Jermyn played men's soccer at Kent State from 1970-73, earning All-Conference honors as a senior. Jermyn also worked to organize the Men's Soccer Alumni Group, allowing for past coaches, players and staff to reconnect. After being informed about the lack of information on the Kent State men's soccer program, Jermyn worked diligently to reconstruct the history of the men's soccer program. After two years, his men's soccer record is now published online.
Randi McKenzie is this year's recipient of the Distinguished Athletic Alumnae Award. McKenzie (then Shoham) participated in field hockey and fencing at Kent State. Her fencing coach and academic advisor, Joan Kowalewski, encouraged her to compete and was Randi's inspiration to give back to Kent State Athletics. In 2010, Kent State recognized student-athletes who competed prior to the 1972 NCAA Title-IX legislation and again served as an inspiration to give back. McKenzie established a field hockey scholarship fund and continues to play an active role as a field hockey supporter. She often meets and speaks with the team and establishes a relationship with the player that received her scholarship. She also is involved with the University College and Office of Residence Life, taking an active role and interest in low-income and first-generation students and helps to ensure their success at Kent State University.
The Honorary Varsity "K" member this year is long-time Kent State Athletics staffer Vicki Nader. "Ms. Vicki" worked in the athletic department's business office and at Kent State University for over 20 years. She is a fixture at Kent State home events, either as a volunteer with the game day crew or as a die-hard fan. On football game days, Vicki can be found working the media meal area and making sure everyone is taken care of throughout the game. Throughout the year, she traditionally will bring news clippings and feature stories she has found in the area papers, sharing the stories with coaches and student-athletes.
This year's Varsity "K" Person of the Year is Tom Cole, a 1972 graduate of Kent State University and former member of the Kent State Baseball Team where he was teammates with the legendary Thurman Munson. Cole worked in the retail industry after his college baseball career, working his way up to being named vice chairman in 2003 and Chief Administrative Officer for Macy's in 2009, a role held until his retirement in 2013. He and his wife Barbara have been staunch supporters of the baseball program and the renowned fashion school at Kent State. The Cole's played a pivotal role in the building of the Edmonds' Hitting Facility, the state-of-the-art indoor hitting facility utilized by the Kent State baseball and softball teams. The field inside the hitting facility is named Tom and Barbara Cole Field. Since retiring, Tom has continued to cheer on the baseball team and fondly remembers the run to the College World Series in 2012. He has also tried to model his short game after the successes of the men's and women's golf team, with less than stellar results. Currently, Tom and his wife Barbara split their time between homes in Jupiter, Florida and Harrison, New York and enjoy spending time with their three grown daughters and three grand daughters.
Tickets to this year's Hall of Fame ceremony are on sale now, more information on ticketing and to RSVP, click here.
