DAHLONEGA – University of North Georgia Director of Athletics Mary Rob Plunkett and the Athletics Hall of Fame committee announced the members of the 12th induction class into the North Georgia Athletics Hall of Fame. The five new inductees will be enshrined at a social and dinner on Thursday, September 15, 2022, in the UNG Convocation Center.
 
The UNG Athletics Hall of Fame honors individuals who have earned outstanding athletic achievement or made substantial contributions to the university. A nine-member Board of Directors is responsible for operations of the Athletics Hall of Fame and serves as selectors for all honorees, based upon nominations.
 
The class consists of Jaymee (Carnes) Acton (women's basketball), Matt Elliott (men's golf), Vaughn Grizzle (general), Anders Oster (baseball) and Courtney Poole (softball).
 
The induction ceremony will take place on the evening of September 15 with a social hour beginning at 5:30 p.m. followed by a dinner and the ceremony programming at 6:30 p.m.
 
Tickets for the induction ceremony are available for $50 per person, or $500 for a table of eight. To reserve, please call 706-867-3212 or register online at UNGAthletics.com/HOF.
 
Jaymee (Carnes) Acton, Women's Basketball, Class of 2014
In her first season in a North Georgia uniform, Acton made her name known as she was named the Daktronics Division II National Player of the Year, the first such honor for North Georgia in the NCAA era. A two-time All-American and All-Region honoree, she was the first UNG player to win PBC Player of the Year honors and still holds the career record for scoring average in a season at 25 points per game during her National Player of the Year season in 2011-12. She averaged a program best 21.2 points per game over the course of her career and also leads the record book in career rebounds per game at 10.1 and career blocks with 172.

"I am so grateful to be inducted to UNG Athletics Hall of Fame alongside so many great players and people. North Georgia will forever hold a special place in my heart. I am thankful for all of my great teammates, coaches, and the support of my family. Go Nighthawks!"
 
Matt Elliott, Men's Golf, Class of 2017
Elliott is currently on top of the record book or tied for the lead in five different program records, including lowest career stroke average, 18- and 36-hole individual score and the individual season scoring average. Elliott was the first UNG men's golfer to win Peach Belt individual medalist honors and was also the first golfer at North Georgia to appear in a NCAA regional. Elliott earned first team All-Conference honors in 2017 as the first men's golfer in program history to earn the honor.

"Being inducted into the UNG hall of fame means the world to me. I am honored and humbled for the nomination. Meeting my wife and winning a Peach Belt Conference Championship were a few of the highlights of my time at UNG. Seeing what Bryson and Sierra are doing with both teams makes this nomination more special. Thank you to UNG for taking a chance on a kid from Wilkesboro, North Carolina."
 
Vaughn Grizzle, General
A longtime supporter of North Georgia Athletics, Grizzle has been associated with the Department of Athletics for nearly four decades. Starting in facilities, Grizzle maintained Memorial Hall until his retirement in 2012. Since retiring from North Georgia, Grizzle has been a board member on the Nighthawks Athletic Club and the Athletics Hall of Fame committee.

"I want to thank the UNG Athletics Hall of Fame committee for this special honor to be selected as a member of the Class of 2022. It's truly a very special honor to be selected and I will forever be very grateful. UNG was one of the best things that ever happened to me. It provided me with a great job, an opportunity to work with so many great friends and people, be part of a team that was an average NAIA athletics program and took it to a first class NCAA athletics program, and to serve so many spectacular student-athletes and make so many wonderful memories."
 
Anders Oster, Baseball, Class of 2010
A gold glove winner in 2008, Oster was one of the. Oster holds the record at North Georgia for most assists and double plays turned in a career as well as the most assists in a single season. In addition to his play on the field, Oster was named the Peach Belt Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2010 and earned Gold Scholar status on the PBC's Presidential Honor Roll three times. The team captain for the Saints baseball team, Oster would graduate from North Georgia as Magna Cum Laude in Physics.

"I could write a whole book about how much I absolutely loved every part of going to school and playing baseball at North Georgia for five years, and I'm thankful for all the memories and lifelong friends I have because of it. I feel honored that I can be remembered as being a part of it. Thank you to everyone who got me to where I am today, but particularly my parents, coaches (especially Coach Cantrell), teammates, classmates, and professors."
 
Courtney Poole, Softball, Class of 2016
Named the National Player of the Year in 2015, Poole rewrote the record books as she led North Georgia to the institution's first National Championship. She ranks in the top five in every career pitching statistic in program history, including leading the way in most wins, most complete games, most shutouts, most innings pitched, most batters faced and most flyouts. She also holds the top two spots in single season strikeouts and earned National Pitcher of the Year honors in 2014. A three-time All-American and the MVP of the 2015 Division II Softball Championship, Poole was named PBC Pitcher of the Year twice, PBC Freshman of the Year and is one of just a handful of players in league history to earn All-Conference first team honors in all four years.

"Being inducted into the Hall of Fame means a lot to me. All the hard work that I have put in through the years, has paid off. My time at North Georgia was very special to me and I wouldn't trade it for anything. It is truly something I will cherish forever. But none of the awards and honors would have been possible without the time and money my parents sacrificed for me and I can't thank them enough. I also want to thank Coach Davenport for giving me a chance to play and believing in me. Being a part of the softball program at North Georgia is more than just four years of college, it means being a part of something for the rest of your life!"