Transylvania Athletics is honored to introduce our three inductees for the Class of 2022 Hall of Fame. We will celebrate these new members on Sunday, October 9th, 3:00pm in the William T. Young Campus Center. These inductees are: Erik Bell '96 (swimming), Erin Hunter '03 (softball), and Justin Tereshko '12 (men's golf).
Those wishing to attend the Hall of Fame banquet may purchase tickets via this RSVP form; admission to the banquet, which includes hors d'oeuvres, is $25 per person. The deadline to RSVP is Friday, September 30th.
"Each year I am so impressed by the number of tremendous student-athletes that we have been blessed at Transylvania to have had here. These inductees certainly speak to the excellence that we have seen in our student-athletes and continue to see with the strength of athletic excellence coupled with strong academic excellence. We are excited to celebrate with these three individuals," said Vice President of Athletics, Dr. Holly Sheilley.
More about each inductee:
Eric Bell '96, a Jacksonville, Florida native, attended Transylvania University from 1992-1996. Bell swam for the Pioneers, earning accolades and serving teammates as a captain for all four years. At the conference level, Bell was the Penn-Ohio Conference champion in the 1650 Free in 1993-1994 and finished 4th 1994-1995, and 5th in 1995-1996. He finished 12th at Nationals in 1994-1995 and 1995-1996. Bell was a three-time NAIA All-American: 1992-1993 800 Free Relay, 1993-1994 1650 Relay Team, 1995-1996 1650 Free. Bell was also the Transy Athlete of the Year for 1995-1996.
At the end of his career, Bell held three school records: 500 Free (4:47.32), 1000 Free (10:02.02), 1650 Free (16:40.16) all posted in 1996, beating his records for the same events in 1994 he previously held. The 500 Free record was beaten this year by Connor Hood, but the 1000 Free and 1650 Free still stand. Bell graduated as a decorated student-athlete with a computer science degree. Attended law school at the University of Florida, currency serves as Assistant General Counsel to the School Board of Palm Beach County, Florida.
Erin Hunter '03 played high school softball at Eastern High School in Louisville, KY before coming to Transy to continue her career. She was a business major and a four-year varsity pitcher for the Pioneers. In her freshman year (1999-2000) she posted a 17-6 win-loss record, had a 1.49 ERA, with 164 strikeouts and threw the first no-hitter in Transy Softball history. At the time, 17 wins and 164 strikeouts set a new record. That year she made the KWIC All-Tournament team and earned Team MVP and Pitcher of the Year at the Pioneers' banquet. Additionally, the Pioneers made it to a #9 Regional Ranking for the first time in school history.
In her sophomore campaign (2000-2001) she posted a 17-3 record, a 0.59 ERA, 177 strikeouts, .302 batting average, and earned All-HCAC and NFPCA All-Region First-Team honors and was an NFPCA Honorable Mention All-American.
Hunter earned national rankings for statistics by her junior year (2001-2002) after a 16-2 record, 0.86 ERA and 179 strikeouts she was nationally ranked 6th in K's per inning, 4th in winning percentage, and 18th in ERA. While they were not eligible for the tournament due to transitioning from NAIA to DIII, Hunter did lead the Pioneers to finish as the HCAC Season Champions. She earned HCAC First-Team recognition as well as NFPCA All-Region Second-Team.
In her final season (2002-2003), Hunter went 19-2 on the mound with a 0.59 ERA, her team went 12-1-1 in HCAC play and 32-5-1 overall for the season. She earned HCAC Player of the Year for her 2003 season. At the end of her career, Erin was ranked first in single-season victories, strikeouts, and ERA. She was the Transy Athlete of the Year for 2002-2003.
Hunter still holds all-time pitching records at Transy:
Career: #1 in ERA: 0.85, #1 in Innings Pitched: 567.1, #1 in Wins: 71, #1 in Fewest Losses: 13, #1 in Opposing Batting Avg: .160, Tied for #1 in Appearances: 90, #1 in games started/games played: 79/90, #1 Strikeouts: 687, #1 in Shutouts: 39
Individual/Season: #1 ERA for season: 0.59 2001, #2 ERA for season: 0.59 2003, #1 Opposing Batting Avg: .146 2001, #2: Opposing Batting Avg:.162 2003, #3: Opposing Batting Avg:.174 2002, Tied for #1 Least Losses: 2 in 21 games played 2002, 2003, #2 Least hits: 60/499 AB 2001, Most Strikeouts: #3 179 2002, #4 177 2001, #5 167 2003, #6 164 2000, Most Shutouts (season): #1 14 2002
Justin Tereshko was a four-year letter winner for Transy Men's Golf. In his first year (2008-2009), the Pioneers were the HCAC Champions and finished the NCAA in 15th place as a team. In 2009-2010, they were HCAC Champions and finished 19th at the NCAA Tournament.
During his junior year, Tereshko placed 2nd at the HCAC Tournament leading the team to another HCAC Championship and a 14th place finish at the NCAA Tournament. Through the 2010-2011 season he captured other program records including: 3rd all-time in scoring average vs. par: 2010-11 Justin Tereshko Rounds :24.0 Score: 73.96 par: 1.96; Tied 2nd all-time in National Ranking: 11th; 2nd all-time in Tournament Wins: 3; 3rd all-time in Rounds at Par or better: 9; 14th all-time in Season Birdies: 63. He also earned Ping All-American status for his accomplishments.
Tereshko's senior year (2011-2012), after he placed 1st at the HCAC Tournament at seven under par (279 total) leading a team championship, the team earned National Runner-Up in the NCAA Tournament. Throughout his senior year, he again posted new program records: 1st all-time in scoring average vs. par: 2011-12 Rounds: 27.0 Score: 72.33 vs. par: 0.56; 1st all-time in National Ranking: 1st; 1st all-time in Tournament Wins: 5; 1st all-time in Rounds at Par or better: 15; Tied for 2nd all-time in Low Round: 67 (Centre Invitational); 1st all-time in Season Birdies: 95; 1st all-time in Season Eagles: 8. Tereshko earned All-HCAC, All-Region, was named HCAC Player of the Year for 2012, Transy Athlete of the Year, and his second Ping All-American honor.
After Transy, Tereshko has held coaching posts at Huntingdon College, DePauw University, Guilford College, and the University of Louisville before taking the reins at Hanover. He spent one year as the head coach at Bellarmine University before accepting his current position as Head Coach of Eastern Kentucky University.
Tereshko's accomplishments as a coach include being named the 2018 Jack Jensen Coach of the Year in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference after guiding Guilford to five event victories and fifth place finish in the NCAA Division III Championship. In all, he guided the Quakers to three NCAA tournament appearances as they captured three ODAC championships. He also shepherded numerous individual players to national recognitions including six All-Americans and three GCAA All-American Scholars.
In addition to coaching, Tereshko has also played in numerous amateur events with several top-10 and top-5 finishes including tying for 2nd at the Orlando International Amateur in 2019.
We look forward to honoring these three Pioneers on October 9th! Please register to attend the induction ceremony. The deadline to RSVP is Friday, September 30th. Please use this RSVP form.
