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FIVE INDIVIDUALS, NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SOFTBALL TEAM HEAD TO ESU ATHLETICS HALL OF HONOR

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September 3, 2009-Five individuals and a national championship softball team will be inducted into the ESU Athletics Hall of Honor on Saturday, October 31 as part of Homecoming festivities at Emporia State.  The inductees will join a group of 154 former student-athletes, coaches and administrators and eight teams who have distinguished themselves, the University and their professions through their athletic achievement.

The group will be honored at the annual Hall of Honor Breakfast at 8 a.m. in the Memorial Union’s Webb Lecture Hall. The public is invited to attend and the cost of the breakfast is $12.  Reservations are required and can be made by calling the ESU Athletic Development Office at (620) 341-5873.

2009 ESU ATHLETICS HALL OF HONOR INDUCTEES

Phil Delavan, Track & Field/Cross Country Coach 1966-78. Phil Delavan coached 35 All-Americans including seven national champions in his 12 years at Emporia State. Five school records set under his watch still stand thirty years later. In addition to his duties at ESU, Delavan was the field events coach for the 1972 US Women's Olympic Team and served as coach of the 1970 and 1973 US teams at the World University Games.

Deandra Doubrava, Women's Track & Field 1994-99. The Scott City, Kan. native was a 14-time All-American and two time national champion in track and field for the Hornets. In 1999 Doubrava was named the USTFCCCA D-II Women's Track Athlete of the Year and the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year. She won an MIAA record 18 conference championships. She won five event championships at the 1999 MIAA Outdoor Championships, scoring an individual record 66 points. She was inducted into the USTFCCCA D-II Hall of Fame in 2006 during the NCAA Division II National Championships held in Emporia.

Aneta Kausaite, Women's Basketball 1996-98. ESU's first Kodak All-American as member of NCAA, Aneta Kausaite was the MIAA Most Valuable Player in 1998. She is currently 15th in career scoring and 11th in assists at ESU despite just playing two years. She led ESU to it's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a junior and to the NCAA Championship game as a senior. She was the first D-II player to play in the WNBA, playing one season with the Detroit Shock.

Jurgita Kausaite, Women's Basketball 1997-99. A first-team All-American and MIAA MVP in 1999, Jurgita Kausaite set the NCAA Division II record for most field goals in a single NCAA Tournament with 55 during ESU's run to the 1998 national title game. She is 14th in career scoring at ESU and ranks second in career field goal percentage, despite playing just two seasons for the Lady Hornets. ESU went to the NCAA Division II Final Four in both of her years.

Brian Shay, Football 1995-98. A three-time All-American and the 1998 Harlon Hill Trophy winner as the top player in D-II, Shay ended his career as the all-time leading rusher in all levels of collegiate football. As a senior he ran for an ESU and MIAA record 2,265 yards with 29 rushing touchdowns. He set Harlon Hill Trophy, the Division II equivalent of the Heisman, records with 88 first place votes, 303 points and was named on 110 of 115 ballots. He finished second in the voting in 1997 after gaining 1,912 yards rushing and scoring 32 total touchdowns. He set 17 NCAA D-II records and five all-division records during his ESU career. He led ESU to a 9-2 record his senior year. The Paola, Kan. native signed with the Kansas City Chiefs after college and later played in NFL-Europe and the XFL.

1983 NAIA National Championship Softball Team. The Hornets bounced back from a 10-21 year in 1982 to go 27-8 and win the NAIA National Championship in 1983. Emporia State started the season 10-6 after dropping four of five games in mid-April.  The Hornets then won 17 of their next 19 games including a season ending ten game winning streak.  The World Series was held in Kearney, Neb. and ESU would end up beating the host Kearney State Lopers 9-2 in the national championship game.

Both of the Kausaite's are natives of Lithuania and will not be able to attend the induction ceremonies in October.  They are included in this year's class of inductees but will be personally recognized at a later date.

###HORNETS###

 

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