University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Photo by: Adrian Etheridge
UNC Asheville Inducts Four Into Athletics Hall of Fame
09.22.2018 | Athletics News
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville athletics department held its annual Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Presented by TD Bank on Saturday, Sept. 22 at the Sherrill Center.
Inducted into the UNC Asheville Athletics Hall of Fame the morning of Sept. 22 in the Ingles Mountain View Room at the Sherrill Center was men's basketball legend Guy Batsel (1966-68), volleyball standout Elif Unlu Englert (2003-07), women's soccer star Kristi Cummings Melis (1993-96) and beloved former faculty member Dr. Robert Yearout (1987-2016). After the induction ceremony all four had special Hall of Fame plaque unveilings on the Arby's Scholarship Deck.
"It truly was a special morning at the Sherrill Center," UNC Asheville Director of Athletics Janet R. Cone said. ""All of these individuals were more than well-deserving of induction into our Athletics Hall of Fame that celebrates our strong athletics history of building Champions and Leaders."
One of three Bulldogs to score 1,000 or more points in just two years, Batsel closed out his career for then Asheville-Biltmore College with 1,076 points after transferring in from Stetson. Batsel owns UNC Asheville's career per game scoring record with 21.9 points per game.
The only All-American (AVCA - 2005) in the history of the UNC Asheville volleyball program, Unlu Englert was a three-time All-Big South Conference selection. She also garnered Big South All-Tournament Team honors twice and was named to the league's All-Freshman Team in 2003. Unlu Englert was tabbed as UNC Asheville's Female Athlete of the Year in 2006 and UNC Asheville's Woman of the Year in May of 2007. The native of Izmir, Turkey closed out her Bulldog career with 1,709 kills and 1,427 digs.
Cummings Melis was a four-time All-Big South Conference selection, which included first-team honors in 1995 and 1996. She finished her Bulldog career with 36 goals and 93 points. Cummings Melis, who holds the school record for most goals in a single game with four in 1995, scored the second-fastest goal in NCAA history with a goal in five seconds against Furman in 1995. A two-time All-Tournament Team selection (1995 and 1996), Cummings Melis helped lead UNC Asheville to the Big South title in 1995 and two regular-season second place finishes in 1995 and 1996.
Yearout served UNC Asheville for 29 years. An avid supporter of UNC Asheville athletics, Yearout first joined the university's Faculty Athletics Committee in 1988 before taking over as the Faculty Athletics Representative in 1989. A retired professor in the UNC Asheville Management & Accountancy program, Yearout received the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in 2006. He received the UNC Asheville Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award in 2000.
The goal of the UNC Asheville Athletics Hall of Fame is to continue to develop traditions, celebrate contributors of those who came earlier in our history and encourage pride in our student-athletes, the campus community and our alumni and supporters.
To learn more about the UNC Asheville Athletics Hall of Fame, please visit HERE. You can learn more about UNC Asheville athletics by visiting uncabulldogs.com.
Inducted into the UNC Asheville Athletics Hall of Fame the morning of Sept. 22 in the Ingles Mountain View Room at the Sherrill Center was men's basketball legend Guy Batsel (1966-68), volleyball standout Elif Unlu Englert (2003-07), women's soccer star Kristi Cummings Melis (1993-96) and beloved former faculty member Dr. Robert Yearout (1987-2016). After the induction ceremony all four had special Hall of Fame plaque unveilings on the Arby's Scholarship Deck.
"It truly was a special morning at the Sherrill Center," UNC Asheville Director of Athletics Janet R. Cone said. ""All of these individuals were more than well-deserving of induction into our Athletics Hall of Fame that celebrates our strong athletics history of building Champions and Leaders."
One of three Bulldogs to score 1,000 or more points in just two years, Batsel closed out his career for then Asheville-Biltmore College with 1,076 points after transferring in from Stetson. Batsel owns UNC Asheville's career per game scoring record with 21.9 points per game.
The only All-American (AVCA - 2005) in the history of the UNC Asheville volleyball program, Unlu Englert was a three-time All-Big South Conference selection. She also garnered Big South All-Tournament Team honors twice and was named to the league's All-Freshman Team in 2003. Unlu Englert was tabbed as UNC Asheville's Female Athlete of the Year in 2006 and UNC Asheville's Woman of the Year in May of 2007. The native of Izmir, Turkey closed out her Bulldog career with 1,709 kills and 1,427 digs.
Cummings Melis was a four-time All-Big South Conference selection, which included first-team honors in 1995 and 1996. She finished her Bulldog career with 36 goals and 93 points. Cummings Melis, who holds the school record for most goals in a single game with four in 1995, scored the second-fastest goal in NCAA history with a goal in five seconds against Furman in 1995. A two-time All-Tournament Team selection (1995 and 1996), Cummings Melis helped lead UNC Asheville to the Big South title in 1995 and two regular-season second place finishes in 1995 and 1996.
Yearout served UNC Asheville for 29 years. An avid supporter of UNC Asheville athletics, Yearout first joined the university's Faculty Athletics Committee in 1988 before taking over as the Faculty Athletics Representative in 1989. A retired professor in the UNC Asheville Management & Accountancy program, Yearout received the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in 2006. He received the UNC Asheville Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award in 2000.
The goal of the UNC Asheville Athletics Hall of Fame is to continue to develop traditions, celebrate contributors of those who came earlier in our history and encourage pride in our student-athletes, the campus community and our alumni and supporters.
To learn more about the UNC Asheville Athletics Hall of Fame, please visit HERE. You can learn more about UNC Asheville athletics by visiting uncabulldogs.com.
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