University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville Athletics announces 2022 Hall of Fame Class
12.22.2021 | Men's Basketball, Track and Field, Athletics News
Dickey, Pearson, Primm and Gradman to be inducted
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville Athletics Department announced its 2022 Hall of Fame Class on Thursday, with four new members garnering the prestigious honor. The 2022 class inductees are: Matt Dickey (Men's Basketball), Natalie Pearson (Women's Track & Field), J.P. Primm (Men's Basketball) and Barney Gradman (Contributor).
Graduating in 2012 with a degree in health and wellness promotions, Dickey poured in 1,778 points during his four years as a Bulldog, ranking him third on the all-time scoring list and first in the Division I era in that category. Dickey could light it up from the outside, knocking down 199 3-pointers during his career, ranking sixth all-time at UNC Asheville. Leading the team in scoring in both his junior (15.7 ppg) and senior (16.1 ppg) seasons, Dickey helped the Bulldogs win back-to-back Big South Tournament Championships. After being named to the All-Big South First Team and earning All-Academic and Big South Tournament MVP Honors in 2011, Dickey's game-tying shot against Arkansas Little Rock helped lift the Bulldogs to a First Four win in the NCAA Tournament. In 2012, Dickey garnered Big South Player of the Year honors and was an Associated Press All-American Honorable mention, as the Bulldogs finished with a program-record 24 wins and 16 Big South victories. Among program all-time ranks, Dickey sits in a tie for first in games played (130), fourth in steals (188) and fifth in assists (429). Currently, Dickey resides in Trussville, Alabama, where he is a student pastor at First Baptist Church of Trussville.
Pearson accumulated no shortage of accolades during her time at UNC Asheville, holding the school records in the: 60 meter (7.57 seconds), the 100-meter spring (11.61 seconds, 11.59 wind-aided) and 200-meter (23.47 seconds, 23.25 wind-aided). Pearson excelled in conference competition, claiming the 2007 Big South Outdoor Championship 60m, 2010 Big South Outdoor Championship 200m and the 2011 Big South Outdoor Championship in both 100m and 200m. Qualifying for the NCAA Championship in both 2010 and 2011, Pearson was named the 2011 Big South Conference Female Athlete of the Year. A native of Sheffield, England, Pearson competed in the United Kingdom Olympic Trials in 2008 and 2012, and would later compete for the United States bobsled team in the winter of 2014-15, winning a silver medal in Lake Placid, New York. Today, Pearson lives in Long Beach, California, where she is a Digital Marketing Specialist for her company Carmen and Grace Communications.
Like Dickey, Primm was a centerpiece of the UNC Asheville Bulldog men's basketball team from 2008-12, helping lead Asheville to its 2011 and 2012 Big South Championship and NCAA Tournament appearances, earning Big South Second Team and All-Tournament honors in both seasons. A four-year starter for the Bulldogs, Primm is the school's all-time leader in assists (607), ranking second all-time in steals (248) and is fourth on the all-time scoring list, totaling 1,689 points during his career. Primm was also a key figure in Asheville's NCAA Tournament victory over Arkansas Little Rock, scoring 22 points in the school's only tournament win. After being named the Big South Tournament MVP in 2012, Primm scored a game-high 18 points in the first round of the NCAA tournament, nearly lifting the Bulldogs to an upset of top-seeded Syracuse. Graduating with a degree in mass communications, Primm currently resides in Dickson, Tennessee, where he works as a basketball official and runs the WHBH Elite Basketball Training.
Gradman rounds out the 2022 UNC Asheville Hall of Fame Class, serving as a longtime supporter of Bulldog athletics. A member of the local community, Gradman started the first ever Bulldog Booster Club. While at Asheville-Biltmore, Gradman was a two-year starter on the junior college conference championship team as well as the baseball team. Gradman, who enjoys playing tennis, having been ranked in the top-six nationally in his last two age groups, the 85's and 90's. Gradman currently resides in both Asheville and Naples, Florida.
The quartet now gives the UNC Asheville Hall of Fame a total of 63 members. The event will take place on February 25 at 6:00 p.m. in the Wilma M. Sherrill Center. To view the Hall of Fame and all of its past inductees, click here.
Hall of Fame Streaming Link
Topic: UNC Asheville Athletics 2022 Hall of Fame Ceremony
Time: Feb 25, 2022 - 7:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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https://unca-edu.zoom.us/j/97518277832?pwd=OGxzNXorRkE3eFRrNlFVUFdha1lWQT09
Meeting ID: 975 1827 7832
Passcode: Bulldogs22
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