Belmont Athletics Announces Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University Athletics announced Monday its Class of 2024 for induction in the Belmont Athletic Hall of Fame.
 
Former student-athletes J.J. Mann ('14), Cherie Stivers Abner ('96) and Ashton Van Horne ('16), former Belmont University president Bob Fisher, and longtime trustee Larry Thrailkill were unanimously selected by the Athletic Hall of Fame Committee.
 
Randy and Rhonda Toney were unanimously selected as recipients of the Chaney Memorial Award, while the 2008 Belmont women's soccer 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 Saturday, Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. in the Vince Gill Room of the Curb Event Center.

 
Mann established himself as one of the most acclaimed players in Belmont men's basketball history. Under-recruited out of Hargrave Military Academy, Mann would be a central figure in four consecutive conference championship teams.
 
Mann and teammate Blake Jenkins won 109 games from 2011-14 – the most during a four-year stretch of Belmont's NCAA Division I era – and went 50-2 at the Curb Event Center. Belmont won consecutive conference titles in the Atlantic Sun Conference and the Ohio Valley Conference and earned NCAA Tournament appearances in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The 2011 team went 30-5, led the nation in scoring margin and finished No. 23 in the Ken Pomeroy rankings, while the 2013 earned a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament and finished with a program-best final RPI ranking of 24.
 
Mann ranks 10th on Belmont's NCAA Division I era career scoring list with 1,509 points; his 660 points as a senior rank second on the single-season scoring list, to Atlanta Hawks guard Dylan Windler. Mann made his greatest impact as a senior, leading the Bruins to 26 victories and another Ohio Valley Conference championship. Belmont earned two Postseason NIT victories, before coming one possession away from reaching Madison Square Garden and the Postseason NIT semifinals.
 
However, it was his unforgettable performance at six-time National Champion North Carolina that largely defined his career; Mann scored 28 points – including nine points in the final 1:03 of the game – and hit the game-winning shot as Belmont defeated the Tar Heels, 83-80. It was Roy Williams' second-ever non-conference home loss at North Carolina and ended the Tar Heels 66-game home court win-streak against non-conference opponents.
 
Mann would be named 2014 Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention, OVC Player of the Year and Tennessee Sports Writers Association Men's Basketball Player of the Year. The Smyrna, Georgia native was also named Academic All-America and received the OVC Steve Hamilton Award for his record of athletic, academic and community service.
 
Mann, who attended hundreds of home athletic events to support fellow Bruin student-athletes, just completed his 10^th season of professional basketball, playing for Romerstrom Trier in Germany.

 
Stivers Abner was a lead figure in Belmont's "NAIA Golden Era" of women's basketball in the 1990's under head coach Tony Cross.
 
A standout at nearby Nashville Christian where she earned Tennessee All-State and Nashville Metro Player of the Year honors, Stivers Abner quickly established herself as Belmont's floor general from day one.
 
The Nashville native played in 131 career games as the Rebelettes won a remarkable 102 games during Stivers Abner's career. Belmont won consecutive TCAC championships and rose to the top of the NAIA.
 
In an era where point guards were asked to facilitate offense, spearhead team defense and be an extension of the coaching staff on the floor, Stivers Abner thrived. Her leadership and clutch playmaking helped elevate Belmont to national prominence.
 
Belmont regularly bested NAIA rivals Lipscomb and Union and national powers Mary Hardin-Baylor, Berry and Phillips (Okla).
 
Stivers Abner annually ranked among NAIA national leaders in assists. Her 826 career assists still rank among NAIA all-time leaders and has stood as the Belmont standard for three decades.
 
In fact, Stivers Abner still holds the top-two, single-season assist campaigns in Belmont history.
 
Her 229 career steals also rank among Belmont career leaders.
 
Stivers Abner has gone on to become one of the winningest high school basketball coaches in middle Tennessee. She currently serves as the head boys' basketball coach at Westmoreland High School.
 

Van Horne becomes the first men's golfer inducted to the Belmont Athletic Hall of Fame, and rightfully so. The towering figure patrolled the fairways and took the Bruin program to places it had never been.
 
In 2015, Van Horne became the first Belmont golfer – man or woman – to qualify for the NCAA Championships, representing Belmont at the Chapel Hill region.
 
His astounding playing record includes six individual tournament titles and six team tournament titles – including a victory at historic Pinehurst.
 
Van Horne holds over a dozen program records, including most rounds at par or better (65), most Top-10 finishes (29), lowest 36-hole score in relation to par (-14) and best career scoring average (72.2).
 
The Georgetown, Kentucky native was the first men's golfer named first team all-conference three times, including being named 2016 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year.
 
Van Horne's decorated playing career extended into amateur and professional golf. He earned medalist honors at the U.S. Amateur Final Qualifying and placed runner-up at the 2015 Dogwood Invitational featuring many of the top collegiate golfers in the country.
 
From there, Van Horne won the 2016 Kentucky Open with consecutive rounds of 66.
 
His professional breakthrough came in 2022, placing second at the PGA Korn Ferry Tour Utah Championship with a final round 64 to finish 21 under par 263.

 
Fisher led Belmont University to unparalleled successes as he helped steward the Bruins' early years in NCAA Division I through vision, relation-building, and investment.
 
In his more than two decades of service to Belmont, Fisher was instrumental in construction of four transformational athletic facilities - the Curb Event Center, E.S. Rose Park, the Crockett Center for Athletic Excellence and the Beaman Family Tennis Complex.
 
Under Fisher's watch, the Bruins systematically rose from NCAA Division I independent, to the Atlantic Sun Conference, Ohio Valley Conference and currently the Missouri Valley Conference, thriving on the field of play and in the classroom.
 
Belmont won 59 conference championships during Fisher's tenure with 23 team NCAA Tournament appearances. Belmont also annually ranked among NCAA leaders in graduation rate and academic progress rate.
 
He spearheaded high-profile events coming to the Belmont campus, most notably the Davis Cup, as well as instituting the President's Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and President's Spirit Cup to honor student-athlete achievement and student attendance at athletic events.
 
Fisher served on the NCAA Division I Board and Executive Committee and hired current University vice president/director of athletics Scott Corley.
 

Thrailkill has been a devoted campus leader and partner for over four decades, lending his wisdom and counsel to innumerable athletic ventures.
 
A member of Belmont's Board of Trustees for over twenty years, Thrailkill advocated for athletics to play a lead role in the ascension of the University. Having served as president of the San Francisco 49ers during the 1990s, Thrailkill became a trusted voice for Mike Strickland, Belmont University's first athletic director of the NCAA Division I era.
 
Thrailkill and Fisher are inexorably linked; with each strategic decision and investment raising Belmont's profile. Thrailkill's commitment opened educational opportunities for hundreds of Belmont student-athletes, as the Bruins added six sports during its transition to NCAA Division I.
 
From facilities to conference affiliation, Thrailkill helped pave the way for Bruin success – highlighted this past academic year by 21 Belmont victories over autonomous conference teams (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC).
 
Thrailkill championed student-athlete achievement and the fullness of the college experience, leading the charge for many Belmont programs which remain fixtures today including the Betty Wiseman Mission Fund for overseas mission trips.
 
The Atlanta, Georgia native continues to serve as a resource and mentor for Belmont athletic department senior leaders and coaching staffs.
 

2008 Belmont women's soccer culminated years of promise with a dream season. The Bruins won 13 matches, the second-most wins in a single-season in program history. As the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament, Belmont defeated Stetson, Kennesaw State and Mercer in succession to earn the program's first NCAA Tournament.
 
The victory over host Kennesaw State in the semifinal was particularly memorable. Madison Porter, Erica Carter and Marcela Sanchez scored goals as the score was 3-3 through regulation and overtime. From there, behind two saves from Sari Lin, the Bruins won, 4-2, in penalties. The following day, Lin carried Belmont to a shutout victory in penalties over Mercer. Belmont would play Auburn in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Four Bruins earned All-Atlantic Sun honors while Lin was named Atlantic Sun Tournament MVP and defender Jessica Rix was named National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and SoccerBuzz All-Region.


Randy and Rhonda Toney have made a profound impact on Belmont Athletics.
 
The epitome of true Bruins, the Toney Family has represented all the best attributes of Belmont fans – going the extra mile to show their support. Whether traveling to postseason tournaments to cheer on the Bruins, or being an encouraging presence from their courtside seats, Randy and Rhonda are always there for the Bruins.
 
Philanthropically, the Toneys have taken a lead role in supporting Belmont student-athletes, department initiatives and investments in long-term success.
 
The Toneys' legacy at Belmont is in line to continue with their son, Charlie Toney, and daughter, Michelle Delk, as well as their families continually being on hand to represent Belmont.   
 
Admission for the event is $25 per person. Interested parties can RSVP to emma.adams@belmont.edu.