DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University inducted eight new members into its Averett Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday during Homecoming. The 2024 class featured eight former student-athletes — women's basketball standout Samm Chandler Veasey '18, football standout Jeremy Dixon '15, men's basketball standout Chad Ford '94, men's soccer standout Chris Gnehm '97, softball standout Jessica Long Carter '17, baseball standout Chris Stanley '98 and women's volleyball standouts Ruth Miller '94 and Melanie Stanley '92.

All eight were inducted during a ceremony Saturday morning at the Violet T. Frith Fine Arts Center, then were celebrated during halftime of the football game.

Veasey, Dixon, Ford, Gnehm, Carter, Miller, Stanley and Stanley joined an elite membership of 75 student-athletes, coaches, administrators and contributors who have been inducted into the Averett Athletics Hall of Fame since 1998.
 

Samm Chandler Veasey '18

A native of Burnsville, N.C., Samm Chandler Veasey was a standout with the women's basketball program from 2013-18. After missing her freshman season due to an injury, she went on to start a program-record 106 games over the next four years while finishing her career first on the program's all-time list in scoring (1,694 points) and second in steals (228), and at the time her career ended she was fifth in rebounds (810) and first in blocks (106). A four-time USA South All-Conference selection, Chandler was named to the D3hoops.com All-Region Team three times, earned Virginia Sports Information Directors All-State honors three times and was named the VaSID Rookie of the Year. In addition to her athletic achievements, Chandler was named the 2017-18 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Academic All-America of the Year while earning Academic All-America First Team honors. The three-time Academic All-America selection was named Averett's Barbara Kushubar Female Student-Athlete of the Year as a senior and earned the USA South's post-graduate scholarship among other academic honors. She also served as the President of Averett's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and earned the 2016 Dr. Frank Campbell Sportsmanship Award.

Jeremy Dixon '15

Jeremy Dixon was a four-year standout on the football team from 2007-10. Dixon earned 2009 D3football.com All-America Second Team honors as a return specialist and was named to the 2010 D3football.com Preseason All-America Second Team. After moving to wide receiver from quarterback after his freshman season, Dixon also became a prolific threat as a kick returner over his final two seasons. He ranks second all-time in program history in career receptions (134) and has the third-most receiving yards in a season (914) and career (1,769). A native of Hawthorne, Florida, Dixon also holds the mark for the second-most receiving yards in a single game (182). Over his career, he totaled 16 touchdowns, including 10 receiving, two on kick returns and two on punt returns. His 1,045 kick return yards rank third all-time at Averett and his 3,468 all-purpose yards rank fifth. A 2009 D3football.com All-Region selection, Dixon earned 2009 Roanoke Times First Team All-State as a return specialist. He was named to the USA South All-Conference Team in each of his final three seasons, including at two positions in 2009 — return specialist and wide receiver. Following his collegiate career, he participated in the Division III Senior Classic Game before playing professionally in Europe. In 2013, Dixon was named to the USA South 50th Anniversary Team for football.

Chad Ford '94

Chad Ford was a four-year standout on the men's basketball team from 1989-93. Ford, a guard, finished with an average of 12.4 points per game with 304 rebounds and 252 assists over 107 career games. His 1,323 career points ranks fifth all-time in program history. A native of Martinsville, Virginia, Ford holds the Averett program records for 3-pointers in a single game (nine), in a season (90) and in a career (268). He also holds the records for 3-point field goal attempts in a season and a career. He finished with two 30-point games in his career. Ford was named to the USA South All-Conference Second Team in 1991-92, and was a member of Averett's 1989-90 conference championship and NCAA Sweet 16 appearance as a freshman. In 2014, Ford was named to the USA South Conference's 50th Anniversary Team for men's basketball.

Chris Gnehm '97

Chris Gnehm was a four-year starter in goal for the men's soccer program from 1992-95, finishing his career as the program's all-time saves leader and saves per match. Over 64 games, Gnehm logged 5,895 minutes in goal with 670 career saves. He finished his career with a save percentage of .786 while allowing just 2.86 goals per contest. His 23 saves in a single game rank near the top in the program's history. A native of Jupiter, Florida, Gnehm finished with a 20-31-8 record and four shutouts. He later served as an assistant coach with the program.

Jessica Long Carter '17

Jessica Long Carter was a four-year standout on the softball team from 2014-2017 and was a three-time NFCA All-America selection while leading the Cougars to two NCAA Regional appearances, one USA South Conference Tournament championships and one regular season title. In 170 career games, she batted .444 with 255 hits — including 44 doubles, 19 triples and 19 home runs — with 119 RBIs, 201 runs scored and 129 stolen bases. She holds the program career records for highest batting average, hits and runs scored (also both USA South records), and she is second all-time in steals. One of 10 finalists for the NFCA National Player of the Year, she earned NFCA All-Region honors all four years, was named the USA South Conference Player of the Year twice, earned all-conference all four seasons and was named to the all-state team four times and was named the Virginia Sports Information Directors Rookie of the Year in 2014. She also earned was named Averett's Barbara Kushubar Female Student-Athlete of the Year as a senior. Off the field, the native of Prospect Hill, N.C., was an Academic All-America selection, the USA South's Don Scalf Award recipient and Woman of the Year in 2017 among other academic accolades.

Ruth Miller '94

Ruth Miller was a standout on the women's volleyball program from 1990-93, playing in 369 sets over 135 matches. She finished with 681 kills for an average of 1.9 kills per set and a .353 hitting percentage. She also totaled 1,482 digs for an average of 4.0 digs per set and had 300 total blocks and 114 service aces in her career. She led the team in digs in each of her final three seasons, ranks eighth all-time in digs among all scoring eras and is fourth all-time in digs in the side-out scoring era (1987-2000). A native of Winchester, Virginia, Miller helped the Cougars win their first three conference championships in program history. She earned USA South All-Conference Second Team in 1992 and First Team in 1993. In 2013, Miller was named to the USA South's 50th Anniversary Team for women's volleyball.

Chris Stanley '98

An outfielder from Meadows of Dan, Virginia, Chris Stanley played for the Cougars from 1996-98 in the first three seasons of the program's history. He finished with a .372 batting average with 131 hits, including 35 doubles, seven triples and 13 home runs. He also drove in 90 runs and stole 19 bases over 94 games in those three seasons. Stanley was named to the USA South All-Conference First Team in 1996 after batting .431 for the year and earned USA South Second Team honors in 1997 after hitting .392. His career batting average is the third highest in program history and ranks in the top five in home runs. His .716 slugging percentage in 1996 is the program's single-season record. Stanley was named to the USA South's 50th Anniversary Baseball Team in 2014.

Melanie Stanley '92

Melanie Stanley was a standout on the women's volleyball program from 1988-91, helping the program grow into a conference champion. A native of Nathalie, Virginia, she played in 321 sets over 108 matches and finished with 601 kills for an average of 1.87 kills per set. She also totaled 804 digs and 2.50 digs per set with 263 total blocks and 222 service aces. Stanley was the total blocks leader for team in 1988 and 1989, and she was top-10 in total blocks for her career during the side-out scoring era (1987-2000). She earned USA South All-Conference Second Team honors in 1990 and 1991, while helping Averett win its first-ever conference title in 1991 as a senior.