The University of North Georgia names five new members for its Athletic Hall of Fame: they’ll be inducted in a ceremony in September. Courtney Pool played softball at UNG, Anders Oster was on the baseball team. Golfer Matt Elliot and women’s basketball player Jaymee Carnes Acton will be inducted, as will Vaughn Grizzle, a longtime staffer in the Athletic Department at the University of North Georgia.
From the UNG website…
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 class consists of Jaymee (Carnes) Acton, Matt Elliott, Vaughn Grizzle, Anders Oster, and Courtney Poole. The induction ceremony will take place on Sept. 15 with a social hour beginning at 5:30 p.m. followed by a dinner and the ceremony programming at 6:30 p.m. in the UNG Convocation Center. 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.
The UNG Athletics Hall of Fame honors individuals who have earned outstanding athletic achievements 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.
Jaymee (Carnes) Acton, ‘14, women’s basketball
In her first season in a North Georgia uniform, Acton 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 Peach Belt Conference (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.
Matt Elliott, ‘17, men’s golf
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 PBC individual medalist honors and was also the first golfer at North Georgia to appear in an NCAA regional. Elliott earned first-team All-PBC honors in 2017 as the first men’s golfer in program history to receive the honor.
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 for the Nighthawks Athletic Club and the Athletics Hall of Fame committee.
Anders Oster, ‘10, baseball
A Gold Glove winner in 2008, 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 PBC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2010 and earned Gold Scholar status on the PBC’s Presidential Honor Roll three times. He also served as team captain.
Courtney Poole, ‘16, softball
Named the National Player of the Year in 2015, Poole rewrote the record books as she led UNG 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 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-PBC first-team honors in all four years.