NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University Athletics announced Monday its Class of 2022 for induction in the Belmont Athletic Hall of Fame.
Former student-athletes Chase Brookshire ('13),
Joe Frye ('10, '12), Maggie Johnson Couture ('12), William Kemey ('03) and Gretchen Sutch Meador ('12) were unanimously selected by the Athletic Hall of Fame Committee.
Paul and Joyce Walker and Jeff and Pam Walker were unanimously selected as recipients of the Chaney Memorial Award, while the 2011 Belmont Baseball team was chosen as Belmont's latest
Legendary Team.
The Hall of Fame and Chaney Award inductees will be honored at a dinner presented by
Truist Thursday, Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. on the Belmont University campus.
Brookshire ranks among the most decorated and dependable pitchers in Belmont history. After being named to the Atlantic Sun Conference All-Freshman team in 2010, the left-hander earned all-conference honors three consecutive seasons – twice more in the ASUN and in Belmont's inaugural season in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Chattanooga, Tennessee native ranks first all-time in Belmont history in starts (55) and innings pitched (367.0), and boasts two of the top three single-season earned run averages for a starting pitcher in the Bruins NCAA Division I era (2.28, 2013; 2.45, 2012). Brookshire was best known for delivering in the biggest moments, most notably his courageous, eight-inning performance in the 2011 NCAA Tournament as Belmont defeated Oklahoma State. In fact, when coupled with his equally-impressive start vs. Oregon State in 2012 NCAA Tournament and his scheduled starts in the 2011 and 2012 Atlantic Sun Tournament, Brookshire posted a remarkable 1.76 ERA over nearly 31 innings of work. Beyond leading the Bruins to consecutive conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances, Brookshire was named 2013 Belmont Presidential Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2013 Major League Baseball Entry Draft.
Frye made a profound impact on the Belmont track and field program as a hammer thrower, an impact still being felt to this day. The Roscommon, Michigan native worked himself into one of Belmont's greatest individual athletes, twice named Atlantic Sun Conference Most Outstanding Field Performer and earning ASUN Most Valuable Performer honors at the 2010 outdoor championship. Frye claimed five conference gold medals in three outdoor championship disciplines: three in the hammer throw, one in the discus and one in the shot put. He also stands as one of three athletes in ASUN history to win multiple weight throw crowns at the indoor conference championship meet, and his 2011 mark still ranks second all-time. Named to the ASUN All-Decade Team, Frye was a NCAA Championship East Preliminary meet qualifier and later competed in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials. Tabbed Belmont's Athlete of the Year in 2010, Frye still holds the program record in both the hammer throw and weight throw. Using his personal experience at Belmont as a foundation, Frye has revolutionized the Belmont throwing program serving as an assistant coach for both track and field and sports performance. He has helped numerous athletes to conference and NCAA Championship appearances, most recently 2022 graduate Jessica Mattsson.
Johnson rewrote the Belmont and Atlantic Sun Conference record books as a dynamic outside hitter and versatile two-row player. After helping Belmont to the 2008 NCAA Tournament, the Naperville, Illinois native would develop into a true offensive force. A three-time all-conference selection, Johnson led Belmont to the 2011 Atlantic Sun Championship en route to ASUN Player of the Year, AVCA All-South Region and ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. Her 511 kills and 4.62/kills per set average rank Top 10 all-time in Atlantic Sun Conference history. Johnson posted 1,558 career kills – sixth in ASUN history – and was named to the league's 2010-19 All-Decade Team. She joins fellow hall of famer Colleen Nilson as one of only two Belmont volleyball players ever named conference player of the year and all-region. Johnson currently serves as the head volleyball coach at Jacksonville University.
Kemey stands as the most accomplished distance runner in Belmont history. As the Bruins transitioned from an NCAA Division I independent to the Atlantic Sun Conference, the Eldoret, Kenya native spearheaded an unprecedented run of success for Belmont men's cross country highlighted by six consecutive conference team championships and best-ever finish (4
th) at NCAA regionals. Leading Belmont to consistent victories over SEC and ACC programs, Kemey was a four-time NCAA Men's Cross Country Championship qualifier and four-time All-South region performer. He holds the second-best finish at nationals in ASUN history placing ahead of 200 runners, and won consecutive cross country individual championships, with his 2001 winning time in the 8K (24:40) standing as the conference record for nearly a decade. Twice named ASUN Runner of the Year, Kemey was equally decorated in track and field, claiming gold in the outdoor 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Perhaps Kemey's greatest race came in the 2000 NCAA South Region meet in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he ran stride for stride with reigning individual national champion David Kimani. With a lean at the finish line, Kimani claimed first by three-tenths of a second. Kemey was a unanimous selection to the ASUN All-Decade Team.
Sutch Meador elevated women's soccer to championship form and ushered the program's transition to E.S. Rose Park with undeniable skill and athleticism. Making her mark as a three-time All-Atlantic Sun Conference defender, the Knoxville, Tennessee native led Belmont to the 2008 Atlantic Sun Tournament title and the program's first NCAA Tournament bid (Auburn). The following year, the Bruins dropped only one of 10 conference matches in claiming the ASUN regular season championship. Sutch Meador had 19 career points (six goals, seven assists) as her gifted service and shot accuracy was utilized on free kicks and restarts. She played in all 76 matches of her career, including a Senior Day victory over NCAA Tournament side FGCU, and was part of a Bruin defense which held the opposition to one or fewer goals in 52 matches.
The 2011 Belmont Baseball put together one of the most extraordinary seasons and postseason runs in Bruin history. After defeating the likes of Tennessee, Mississippi State and Purdue in the non-conference, Belmont's remarkable ride began with a series victory at nationally-ranked Stetson to qualify for the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament. Belmont carried momentum into the tournament as four days later at nearby Lipscomb, it defeated the Hatters for a third consecutive game. Led by Tournament Most Valuable Player Derek Hamblen, the Bruins stormed through Stetson, Kennesaw State and Mercer to capture the ASUN championship. The Nashville community hopped on for the magical ride, as Belmont was placed in the NCAA Tournament regional at Vanderbilt. Victories over perennial power Oklahoma State and Sun Belt champion Troy lifted the Bruins into their first-ever regional final.
The Walker family has generously supported Belmont University and Belmont Athletics for generations. Jeff Walker ('83) and his father Paul Walker ('59) have made significant contributions to Belmont Athletics annually through their holding company, Walker Investments - which owns Ellsworth Systems, Chadwick's Fitness and Reklaw, LCC. Jeff is currently President & CEO of Walker Investments and Ellsworth Systems. Jeff helped establish the Walker Family Scholarship for Belmont Athletics and accepted a naming opportunity in the new Crockett Center for Athletic Excellence, that reads, "the Walker Family Bruin Balcony and Conference Room." Jeff met his wife, the former Pam Bozeman, at Belmont; the couple has twin sons, Adam and Connor, and resides in Franklin, Tennessee. Adam graduated from Belmont in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in motion pictures while Connor graduated from Auburn in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in finance and family entrepreneurship. Adam and Connor are active in the family businesses. Connor is married to the former Jessie Floyd, an elementary school teacher in the Williamson County School District. The couple resides in Franklin. The Walkers are avid Bruin fans and have courtside seats, attending as many Bruin games as possible. Paul, who served as a Belmont Trustee for 28 years, was the owner of Valley Packaging in Pulaski, Tennessee - of which Jeff was actively involved - until its sale in 1998. Paul and his wife, the former Joyce Garrett, met at Belmont and married shortly after Paul's graduation. He played baseball and his wife was a cheerleader. Paul and Joyce live in Pulaski and are lifelong basketball fans. They are also Covenant Society members. In 2000, Paul established the Joyce G. Walker Endowed Scholarship Fund in honor of his wife.
Admission for the event is $25 per person. Interested parties can RSVP to
reanna.rice@belmont.edu.
About Belmont University
Located two miles from downtown Nashville, Tennessee, Belmont University consists of nearly 8,800 students who come from every state and 33 countries. Consistently recognized by U.S. News & World Report for innovation and commitment to undergraduate teaching, Belmont brings together the best of liberal arts and professional education in a Christ-centered and student-focused community of learning and service. As a campus that aims to Let Hope Abound, the University is committed to producing graduates who are Hope Inspiring, Character Forming, Future Shaping, Community Engaging and Bridge Building people. With more than 115 areas of undergraduate study, 41 master's programs and five doctoral degrees, there is no limit to the ways Belmont University can expand an individual's horizon. For more information, visit
www.belmont.edu.
