DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University inducted eight new members into its Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday morning as part of Homecoming Weekend festivities. The 2022 class featured eight former student-athletes — men's basketball standout Damien Brown '09, women's volleyball standout Kasey Carpenter Ogden '08, softball standout Taylor Dix Paschal '16, football's Mario Huffman '09, women's volleyball's Marie Keatts Boor '10, football's Terrance Owens II '16/'18M, baseball's Eric Sibrizzi '10/14M and softball's Mary Beth Smith '16.
All eight were inducted during a ceremony in Pritchett Auditorium in the Violet T. Frith Fine Arts Center, and they were honored during halftime of the Homecoming football game.
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Brown, Ogden, Paschal, Huffman, Boor, Owens, Sibrizzi and Smith joined elite membership in the Hall of Fame that now features 67 student-athletes, coaches, administrators and contributors who have been inducted into the Averett Athletics Hall of Fame since 1998. Learn more about the 2022 Hall of Fame class below by reading their bios and feature stories.
Gallery: (10-8-2022) 2022 Averett Athletics Hall of Fame
Damien Brown '09
Damien Brown was a force on the court from 2005-09 while helping the Averett men's basketball team win conference regular season and/or conference tournament titles in each of his four seasons, with the Cougars winning the USA South Tournament and earning NCAA Tournament berths in each of his final three seasons — including advancing to the NCAA Second Round in 2009. A 6-foot-7 center, Brown is one of only seven Cougars to surpass 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. He finished with 1,096 career points and 584 career rebounds, which still rank 11th and eighth all-time at the time of his induction. In 109 career games, Brown finished with 5.4 rebounds per game, which ranks 12th in the Averett record book. He also added 10.1 points per game and held the career record for offensive rebounds at the time his career ended before it was later broken. Brown was named to the USA South All-Tournament Team in three of his four seasons, including being named Tournament MVP in 2007. Brown was named a 2007-08 Preseason All-American by both Sporting News and Street & Smith. He earned USA South All-Conference Second Team honors as a sophomore and USA South Honorable Mention recognition as a senior despite missing time with an injury. A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, Brown also earned All-Tournament Team honors at the Eastern Mennonite University Tip-Off Classic in 2008-09 and participated in the USA South/ODAC All-Star Challenge following his senior season. During three of his four seasons, the Cougars won 20 games (which is the program single-season record accomplished four times overall) and Averett advanced to the NCAA Second Round during his senior season. In 2014, Brown was named to the USA South's 50th Anniversary men's basketball team.
READ DAMIEN BROWN'S FEATURE STORY
Kasey Carpenter Ogden '08
Kasey Carpenter Ogden was a four-year standout on the Averett volleyball team from 2004-07, who holds multiple setter records during her time as a Cougar. She ranks third all-time in assists with 4,292 for her career, but she ranks first all-time in the 30-point set scoring era. She also holds the career record for assists per set (11.09) and the single-game record for assists (73 against Emory & Henry College in 2005). Carpenter Ogden played in 387 sets over 133 matches and finished with 199 career kills, 178 service aces, 722 digs and 75 blocks. She earned all-conference honors in three of her four seasons after making the USA South First Team in 2006 and Second Team in 2005 and 2007. A native of Mechanicsville, Virginia, Carpenter Ogden also earned a spot on the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) All-State Second Team in 2006 after Averett won the USA South championship and earned a berth into the NCAA Tournament.
READ KASEY CARPENTER OGDEN'S FEATURE STORY
Taylor Dix Paschal '16
Taylor Dix Paschal finished her career as one of the top hitters in Averett softball history while playing for the Cougars from 2013-16. The 2015 USA South Conference Player of the Year and Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) State Player of the Year led the nation that season with a .540 batting average — which is also a single-season record for Averett and the USA South. She was named both a 2015 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Second Team selection and an Academic All-America Second Team selection as voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) during the 2015 campaign. In 138 career games, she finished her career with a .437 batting average, which ranks second in program history at the time of her induction. She also ranks fourth all-time in career runs batted in (117) and fifth in both career hits (166) and runs scored (109). The middle infielder from Danville, Virginia, also holds the career and season record for on-base percentage, as well as the single-season marks for slugging percentage (.790) and doubles (22). Dix Paschal earned USA South All-Conference First Team honors three times (she missed more than half of her sophomore season with an injury). She earned all-state honors twice and USA South All-Tournament Team recognition once, as well as CoSIDA Academic All-District, VaSID Academic All-State and USA South Academic All-Conference accolades during her four seasons with the Cougars. Dix Paschal helped the Cougars win the 2015 conference regular season title and earn an at-large berth into the NCAA Regionals.
READ TAYLOR DIX PASCHAL'S FEATURE STORY
Mario Huffman '09
Mario Huffman was a standout on the Averett football team for three seasons as a linebacker from 2008-10. The 2008 USA South Conference Defensive Rookie of the Year, Huffman ranks sixth all-time in program history with 226 career tackles. His 86 tackles in a single season ranks as the 10th highest total for a Cougar. Huffman also finished with 13.5 tackles for a loss of 54 yards, five forced fumbles and four recovered fumbles in 27 career games. Huffman was named to the USA South All-Conference First Team in 2008 and 2009, and he earned Second Team honors in 2010 despite missing three games due to injury. Huffman also received Roanoke Times All-State First Team honors in 2008 and 2009 and Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) All-State First Team in 2008 and Second Team in 2009. Following his senior season in which he took graduate class from Averett, Huffman was the recipient of the 2009-10 Dr. Tommy Foster Male Athlete of the Year. A native of Danville, Virginia, Huffman was Averett's representative on the 2010 USA South All-Sportsmanship Team and was later named to the USA South's 50th Anniversary football team in 2013. In addition to football, Huffman was a member of the Averett men's basketball team during the 2008-09 season in which the Cougars won the USA South championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
READ MARIO HUFFMAN'S FEATURE STORY
Marie Keatts Boor '10
Marie Keatts Boor was a four-year member of the Averett volleyball program from 2006-09. A defensive specialist from Danville, Virginia, Keatts Boor was named the 2009 USA South Conference Libero of the Year, earned USA South All-Conference Honorable Mention accolades and was selected as Averett's Female Athlete of the Year as a senior. She was a significant contributor throughout her four years as a Cougar, including playing valuable time as a freshman in 2006 on Averett's USA South championship team that qualified for the NCAA Tournament. She holds the program single-season record for digs with 669 in the 2009 season. She finished her playing days with 1,272 career digs for an average of 2.79 digs per set with a single-season high of 4.71 digs per set as a senior. Keatts Boor also finished with 112 career service aces in 456 sets over 143 matches. She was also named Averett's representative on the 2009 USA South All-Sportsmanship Team and was later named to the USA South 50th Anniversary volleyball team in 2013.
READ MARIE KEATTS BOOR'S FEATURE STORY
Terrance Owens II '16/18M
Terrance Owens II finished his career as one of the most prolific wide receivers in the Averett football program's history while playing for the Cougars from 2013-16. A 6-foot-3 wideout from Brooksville, Florida, Owens ranks in the top five of multiple Averett receiving categories, including second all-time in receiving yards (2,218), third in career receptions (129) and tied for third in career receiving touchdowns (19). His 10 100-yard receiving games is the most in program history, and he holds the single-season and career marks for average yards per catch with 22.03 in 2015 and 17.19 over three varsity seasons. He also holds a share of the Averett single-game receptions record with 11. His 926 receiving yards during his senior season is the second most in a single year for the Cougars. Owens earned USA South All-Conference First Team honors in 2015 and 2016, earned Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) All-State Second Team in 2015 and First Team in 2016, and was named to the Roanoke Times All-State Second Team in 2015 and First Team in 2016. Owens also served as a team captain during his time with the program.
READ TERRANCE OWENS II'S FEATURE STORY
Eric Sibrizzi '10/'14M
Eric Sibrizzi, an infielder on the Averett baseball team, had a successful career on and off the diamond during his time as a player (2007-10) and assistant coach with the program (2011-14). The 2007 USA South Conference Rookie of the Year earned all-conference honors during three of his seasons. He was a USA South First Team second baseman as a freshman and also earned Honorable Mention honors at second base as a sophomore and at third base as a senior. Sibrizzi was named the 2009-10 Averett Male Athlete of the Year. He was Averett's 2010 USA South All-Sportsmanship Team representative, and Sibrizzi earned 2007 USA South All-Tournament Team recognition and was named to the 2007 American Baseball Coaches Association All-South Region Third Team during the same season in which the Cougars set the program for wins in a season with 31 (31-12 overall). Sibrizzi also led the nation in NCAA Division III baseball with 18 sacrifice bunts during his senior season. The native of Clayton, North Carolina, finished his career with a .337 batting average, 93 RBIs, 118 runs scored and 21 doubles. At his time of induction, he ranks in the top 10 all-time in Averett baseball history in batting average, hits, runs scored and RBIs, and he's first all-time in walks and sacrifice bunts. Following his playing career, Sibrizzi stayed with the program as an assistant coach from 2010-14. He served as the recruiting coordinator while helping coach infield and hitting. During his four-year tenure, he helped Averett produce two all-region performers, 14 all-conference selections, five all-state performers and more than 20 academic all-conference honorees. In 2014, Sibrizzi was named to the USA South's 50th Anniversary baseball team.
READ ERIC SIBRIZZI'S FEATURE STORY
Mary Beth Smith '16
Mary Beth Smith finished her career as one of the top pitchers and hitters in program history after playing her final three seasons for the Cougars from 2014-16. The two-time USA South Conference Pitcher of the Year went 53-21 in the circle with a 2.21 earned run average with 430 strikeouts in 472.2 innings pitched. She ranks first all-time in Averett's record book in career and single-season pitching wins, career and single-season strikeouts, career and single-season lowest opponent batting average, career shutouts and career and single-season strikeouts per seven innings. She also ranks second in career ERA and pitching appearances and fourth in career innings pitched. Smith was equally as impressive at the plate. At the time of her induction she ranks second in career RBIs (124), third in career batting average (.410), fourth in home runs (18) and nine in hits (148). She also holds records for career slugging percentage (.690), single-single home runs (11), total bases in a game (11) and the USA South record for RBIs in a single game (nine). The native of Elon, North Carolina, also finished with 41 doubles, three triples and 78 runs scored while helping the Cougars win the 2015 conference regular season title and earn an at-large berth into the NCAA Regionals. Smith was a two-time NFCA All-Region selection, two-time all-state selection and three-time all-conference performer while also being named to the 2016 USA South All-Tournament Team. She also earned academic all-conference accolades.
READ MARY BETH SMITH'S FEATURE STORY
