SAN ANTONIO – Trinity University Director of Athletics Bob King has announced the 12th Trinity University Athletic Hall of Fame Class, which will be formally inducted on Saturday, October 22, during Trinity's Alumni Weekend.
The ceremony will be held at halftime of the Trinity football game against Berry College (Ga.), which is a Southern Athletic Association game that will begin at 1:00 p.m. Following the game, an open reception will be held in the lobby of the William H. Bell Athletic Center.
The 2022 Hall of Fame Class features eight former Tiger student-athletes and one long-time administrator all of whom represent baseball, basketball, football, swimming & diving, softball, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and administration. The inductees are Jason Armstrong '04, baseball; Jeremy Boyce '03, football; Sandy Stap Clifton '78, tennis; Hayley Emerick '11, swimming & diving, Teresa Machu '84, multiple sports (basketball, softball, track & field, volleyball – also coached basketball and softball at Trinity); Shawn McLaughlin Moebes '04, volleyball; Jill Harenberg O'Neill '78, multiple sports (basketball, softball, track & field, volleyball); Shirley Rushing (1960-95), administration; and Morgan Anderson Tuggle '04, volleyball.
Armstrong was a First Team American Baseball Coaches Association All-American and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2004, which remains one of the greatest individual seasons in Trinity history. He was the runner-up for the National Player of the Year that season, leading the Tigers to the SCAC Championship and their second-ever trip to the NCAA Playoffs. Armstrong hit safely in a Trinity-record 42 consecutive games during the year, and his 90 hits that season is a Tiger record that still stands today. Armstrong established eight school records during his career and he remains Trinity's record-holder with 281 career hits – a mark that is 11th in all of D-III Baseball. He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2004 Major League Baseball draft and spent five seasons in the Minor Leagues. Armstrong was named to the Midwest League All-Star Game and was the Lansing Lugnuts MVP in 2005.
Boyce was a two-time All-American in 2001 and 2002, earning honors from both D3football.com and Hewlett-Packard. He remains Trinity's all-time leader in rushing yards, as well as holding school records for most yards in a single game (305), most rushing attempts, and most all-purpose yards. Boyce led the SCAC in rushing with three straight seasons over 1,000 yards from 2000-02 and he was named to the SCAC 15th Anniversary Team. He led Trinity to four straight conference titles and four straight appearances in the NCAA Playoffs – including the 1999 NCAA Semifinals and the school's only trip to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. There have been nine 1,000-yard rushers in Trinity single season history and Boyce claims three of those seasons.
Clifton was a three-time All-American in 1976, 1977, and 1978 for the Tigers, helping the team to a pair of United States Tennis Association National Collegiate Championships in 1975 and 1976. The Tigers also finished third in 1977 and 1978. She reached the USTA Doubles Quarterfinals in 1977 and was the Doubles runner-up in 1975 with fellow Trinity Hall-of-Famer Stephanie Tolleson (Class of 2011). Clifton also teamed up with Tolleson to earn a Gold Medal in the Pan American Games in 1975, reached the U.S. Open Round of 32 in doubles twice (1971, 1975), and advanced to the Round of 32 in singles at Wimbledon in 1972. Clifton went on to enjoy a successful coaching career at NCAA I Northwestern University, finishing fifth nationally in 1986 and 1987. She was inducted into the Northwestern Hall of Fame in 2017.
Emerick won Trinity's first NCAA III Championship in three-meter diving in 2010, and she remains Trinity's only four-time All-American in women's swimming & diving after earning the honors on both boards from 2008-2011. Emerick also finished second on both boards at the 2011 NCAA III Championships and was a finalist (top nine) for the NCAA Woman of the Year award the same year. Emerick was a three-time SCAC Diver of the Year who led her team to four straight conference titles during which she won seven of eight possible individual SCAC titles. She was also a CoSIDA Academic All-American who set Trinity records in both one-meter and three-meter diving during her career.
Machu was a multi-sport athlete who starred in basketball, softball, track & field, and volleyball during her career at Trinity, earning All-Conference and All-TAIAW honors. She also served as the head coach of the Tiger basketball team from 1988-92 and was a coach of the Trinity softball team. In the Spring of 1981, she led the basketball team to a third-place finish in the TAIAW Tournament and was named the TAIAW Division III Softball Player of the Year as a freshman. That Fall, she also led the volleyball team to the TAIAW Division III Tournament. Machu broke seven Trinity basketball records during her career and remains the Tiger record-holder for most career free throws made, as well as the most free throws made and free throws attempted in one game against Schreiner in February of 1984. Machu also finished her junior year of softball with the nation's second-highest batting average.
Moebes earned First Team All-American and SCAC Player of the Year honors in 2003, and she is one of just 10 Trinity volleyball players to be named the conference player of the year. She was a three-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Region honoree and a four-time All-SCAC honoree. Moebes led Trinity to four straight conference titles and four appearances in the NCAA Playoffs. In 2002, she led the Tigers to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time in school history. Trinity advanced to the NCAA Semifinal in 2002 clinching a 3rd place finish, which remains one of just three Tiger teams to reach the NCAA Semifinals. Moebes is one of only four players in Trinity volleyball history ranked in the top 20 in career kills, hitting percentage, digs, and aces. She remains second all-time among Tiger volleyball players in career kills and is one of just three players with three separate seasons ranked in the top 20 in Trinity volleyball history.
O'Neill was a captain for three different teams while at Trinity, earning All-TIAA honors in basketball, track & field, and volleyball. She is one of just 18 players in Tiger women's basketball history to score 1,000 or more points in her career and was second in school history in both points and rebounds when she finished her career. O'Neill led the basketball team to its first winning record in school history (1975-76) that led to the Zone Championship to qualify for the state tournament, as well as finishing second at the TIAA Tournament in 1976-77. She also helped the volleyball team reach the 1976 TIAA Tournament Championship, while also winning the 440-yard dash at the 1977 TIAA Track & Field Championships to lead the team to a second-place finish. The 1977 volleyball team recorded a Trinity-best 25-10 record and advanced to the AIAW State tournament. Her high school in New Mexico didn't have a girl's tennis team, so O'Neill was one of the first two females in the state to compete on the boy's team. She was no token member of the team, though, as she was the top-ranked player who also won three New Mexico State Girl's Tennis Championships.
Rushing served in the physical education and athletic department from 1960-1995, including the department chair from 1985-1995. Rushing was a true pioneer of women's athletics at Trinity, championing equality for female student-athletes when opportunities for women in sports were few and far between. She served many years as the sponsor for women's sports that had little to no standing at Trinity, securing funding for travel, organizing the schedules, and often traveling with the players to and from competition – everything a coach does when there were no coaches for women's sports. Rushing also negotiated the first athletic scholarships for women at Trinity, placing a national championship trophy on the President's desk to illustrate that the money would be well spent. Those first recipients won two more national titles for Trinity. Following the passing of Title IX legislation in 1972, Poteet aided Trinity in the implementation of the laws in order to provide equal opportunities for female student-athletes and women's sports. Her dedication to Trinity laid the foundation of what Athletics has become – a broad-based program that is committed to equal opportunities for all, and a program that is one of the most successful in NCAA Division III.
Tuggle is a two-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American, earning First Team honors in 2002 and a spot on the Second Team in 2003. She is one of just two Trinity players to be named a four-time AVCA All-Region honoree, while also earning All-SCAC recognition in all four of her seasons at Trinity. Tuggle led the Tigers to four straight SCAC Championships and four consecutive appearances in the NCAA Playoffs. In 2002, she led the Tigers to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time in school history. Trinity advanced to the NCAA Semifinal in 2002 clinching a 3rd place finish, which remains one of just three Tiger teams to reach the NCAA Semifinals. Tuggle still ranks in the top 20 in Trinity history in kills, hitting percentage, digs, and blocks – one of only three players to claim those rankings. She finished her career ranked in the top 10 in all four categories, including the second-best career hitting percentage in school history.
Each inductee will be honored with a commemorative plaque on the Athletic Hall of Fame Wall located in the Bell Center. Nominations for the Hall of Fame were received throughout the nation and the Selection Committee chose the finalists. The Trinity University Athletic Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 1999 and announces a new class approximately every two years.
