STUDENT-ATHLETES

Patrick Daly was a three-time First Team All-Conference performer while starring on the Ferrum College baseball team (1995-1998). In 1998, Daly was named Conference Player of the Year, collected All-South Region team accolades and earned First Team All-America honors as he led all of NCAA Division III in slugging percentage along with the per-game average categories of home runs, RBI and runs scored. Additionally during that spring, he was listed as one of the "toughest to strikeout" in NCAA Division III with just ten strikeouts during the season. Daly was a two-time Conference All-Tournament performer and ended his career with a .399 batting average. Daly spent a brief time playing professional baseball in Ohio after he time at Ferrum had concluded. In 2010, Daly was inducted into the Ferrum College Athletics Hall of Fame.

Jansen Evans was a captain (1985-1988) on the first Methodist University baseball team to reach the NCAA Division III World Series in 1986. He was a three-time All-Conference performer and a two-time First Team All-American. Evans helped lead the Monarchs to the NCAA Tournament in each of his four years on campus. He currently is the NCAA Division III career-record holder for runs scored with 267. Additionally, he holds the Conference and Methodist career records for games played, at-bats, runs scored, hits and triples to go along with seasonal records for runs scored and triples. In 2001, he was inducted into the Methodist University Athletics Hall of Fame.

Rob Pilewski was the 1990 NCAA Division III Individual Men's Golf National Champion while a member of the Methodist University squad (1988-1992). Also during the 1990 championship, Pilewski helped the Monarchs capture the program's first-ever men's golf national title. Methodist would go on to capture the following two national championships, in 1991 and 1992, greatly helped by Pilewski's performances on the course. He was a four-time team Most Valuable Player and is currently one of only two Methodist men's golfers to earn All-American accolades four times. In 1990, Pilewski was named Methodist's Athlete of the Year. In 1992, he represented the United States as a Division III delegate for matches versus Japan. Currently, Pilewski is a PGA Golf Professional at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina. In 1998, he was inducted into the Methodist University Athletics Hall of Fame.

Anne Thorpe, a star on the Methodist University women’s soccer team (1987-1991), is the institution’s only four-time NCAA Division III All-American in a team sport. Thorpe started for three Final Four teams and is currently Methodist’s and the USA South’s all-time career leader in both points and assists. She was a three-time All-Conference honoree and earned Academic All-American status during three consecutive campaigns. In 1990, Thorpe was named the Conference’s Player of the Year. In 1998, she was inducted into the Methodist University Athletics Hall of Fame.

COACH

Joe Pereira served as head coach of the Methodist University women's soccer program for 11 seasons (1984-1994). He is the winningest coach in program history, compiling 144 wins. Pereira was named Conference Coach of the Year seven times, the most of any women's soccer coach in Conference history. He led the Monarchs to eight Conference titles, seven NCAA Division III Tournament bids and three Final Four appearances. During his tenure, Pereira's players earned 44 All-Conference honors and 19 NCAA Division III All-American accolades. Pereira became the head coach at Old Dominion University in 1995, a position he held for 19 years. He led ODU to the program's first-ever Conference title and was named Conference coach of the year twice. In 2000, he was inducted into the Methodist University Athletics Hall of Fame.

ADMINISTRATOR

Vesa Hiltunen served Averett University in several capacities for 28 years (1976-2004). Hiltunen was the men's soccer head coach for 13 seasons, the head men's tennis coach for 28 seasons and the Director of Athletics for 23 years. During his time as a head coach, his teams captured 12 Conference championships, nine in tennis and three in soccer. Hiltunen earned the title of Conference Coach of the Year nine times and South Region Men's Tennis Coach of the Year twice. In 1981, he was named Director of Athletics and during the 23 years in that position Hiltunen added eight athletic programs and oversaw significant upgrades to Averett's fields and facilities. Prior to arriving on campus, Hiltunen served as YMCA program director in Helsinki, Finland and Queens, New York. In 1998, he was inducted into the Averett University Athletics Hall of Fame.