STEPHENVILLE – The Tarleton Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony, presented by Tanglewood Pharmacy, commenced on Saturday night for the 2024 class on the Tarleton State University campus.
There were five inductees, including eight members, who joined the Tarleton Athletics Hall of Fame in front of hundreds of onlookers on a special night in Stephenville. Four individuals and one team joined the prestigious Tarleton Athletics Hall of Fame; Texan Football’s Kyle Masters, Texan Softball’s Alicia Petersma (now Alicia Mathney), Texan Track and Field’s Lane McNamara, Texan Women’s Basketball’s JoAnne Jones (now JoAnne Kingcastle), plus Texan Track and Field’s 1992 Women’s 2-Mile Relay Team, consisting of Audra Bierman, Carmen Colon, Linda Garcia (now Linda McAfee) and Michelle Musgrave (now Michelle Heavyside).
“I think one of things that’s important to know as former student-athletes, that very few people are ever recognized as Hall of Famers, it’s a unique and a distinct title that you’ve earned,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Steve Uryasz said. “It’s a title that’s earned and not given, it’s an honor that represents hard work and dedication and commitment to your sport.
“The sacrifices that each of you have made have paved the way and built the foundation for our current student-athletes, and I think that’s important,” Uryasz continued. “Being a member of the Hall of Fame represents the highest honor a student-athlete can earn at Tarleton State University, and I congratulate you on that.”
The individuals inducted became the 180th, 181st, 182nd, 183rd and 184th members of the Hall of Fame.
“Over the last four years, we’ve encountered a tremendous transition from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I, led by previous vice president Lonn Reisman, who did an incredible job of transitioning us from NAIA, to D2, to D1,” Tarleton State President Dr. James Hurley said. “Lonn and I often said that had it not been for the success of our previous student-athletes, the Western Athletic Conference would have never given us an opportunity to become a Division I institution. The NCAA only selects those that are the very best to be part of the very best, and that’s Division I athletics.
“Without each of you here, paving a smoother path for these athletes today, we would not be experiencing the athletic and academic success, and as your president, I just want to say thank you to each of you, for demonstrating excellence inside the classroom, on the playing courts and fields that you competed, and now more importantly, in the communities in which you lead,” Hurley continued. “So, excellence well done, and we’re so proud of each of you.”
Masters became the 180th member of the Tarleton Athletics Hall of Fame, one of the best tight ends in Texan Football history. He is the 73rd football player to enter the Hall of Fame as an individual, and the 76th football member.
Masters played for the Purple and White from 2000-04, accumulating 76 receptions for 1,087 yards and seven touchdowns while helping Tarleton to its first two NCAA playoff appearances. He was an NCAA All-American honorable mention in 2003 after tallying 20 receptions for 259 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Wheeler, Texas, native, was a four-time All-Lone Star Conference selection, including back-to-back first-team honors in 2003 and 2004, and was named LSC Freshman of the Year in 2001. As a freshman that year, he caught the second NCAA playoff touchdown pass in program history against No. 3 Chadron State on Nov. 17, en route to Tarleton’s first NCAA playoff victory 28-24.
Masters came to Tarleton State as part of the 2000 recruiting class in head coach Todd Whitten‘s return, and played for the all-time winningest head coach for five seasons. The Texans won the LSC three straight years during Masters’ tenure from 2001-03.
Petersma entered as the 181st member of the Tarleton Athletics Hall of Fame, one of the best hitters in Texan Softball history. She played four seasons for the Purple and White from 1999-2002, serving as a designated player her first two years, a third baseman in 2001 and a utility player in 2002. She is the fifth player from the Texan Softball program to earn Hall of Fame honors.
Petersma still holds her spot on the top-five in most of Tarleton’s all-time hitting categories from her time on the team nearly 25 years prior. She is tied-second in career walks with 83, third in doubles with 49, tied-fourth in home runs with 31, tied-fourth in runs scored with 128, and fifth in RBI with 129. She’s also played in the fifth most career games at 203.
Petersma made All-LSC four times in four seasons, including twice as First Team All-LSC in 2000 and 2002. Her freshman year she was also named Second Team NFCA All-South Central Region, and was named the LSC Hitter of the Week three separate times.
McNamara was inducted as the 182nd member of the Tarleton Athletics Hall of Fame, one of the top student-athletes from Texan Track and Field. He became the 29th track and field individual to enter the Hall of Fame, and the 31st overall.
McNamara competed in Stephenville from 1975-78, cementing his Tarleton career by making the finals in the NAIA Nationals Decathlon. He also ran in the NAIA National Track and Field Meet in Mile Relays three separate times, in 1975, 1976 and 1977.
The Plano, Texas, native, was named Tarleton’s most valuable in field events by head coach Joe Gillespie in 1978 as he helped the Texans become TIAA champions in both 1977 and 1978.
The 183rd member of the Tarleton Athletics Hall of Fame was Texan Women’s Basketball’s JoAnne Jones. She is the 17th women’s basketball student-athlete to enter as an individual, and the 18th overall member.
Jones is one of 22 Texans in the program’s 1,000-point club, finishing with 1,148 points (10.2 PPG) and 636 rebounds (5.7 RPG) across 111 career games played from 2006-10. Across Tarleton’s all-time career records, she’s second in blocks (158), fourth in offensive rebounds (266), ninth in field goal percentage (.532, minimum 350 attempts), 11th in rebounds, 12th in free throw makes (252) and 15th in points.
Jones was twice named All-Conference, including First Team All-LSC honors in 2009-10 and Second Team All-LSC in 2008-09. That season she led the team in both scoring (13.6 PPG) and rebounding (7.1 RPG). She also led the Texans in rebounding in 2006-07 at 6.0 RPG, the same season she became one of three players in Tarleton’s NCAA era to secure 20-plus rebounds in a game, recording 18 points and 21 rebounds in the Texans’ 58-46 win at Midwestern State on Jan. 2, 2007. The Arlington, Texas, native, helped the Texans to a 23-7 overall record in 2009-10, where they won their first Lone Star Conference tournament game and advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
The final inductee of the Tarleton Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024 was the 1992 Texan Track and Field Women’s 2-Mile Relay Team. This is the seventh team of student-athletes and the third Tarleton Track and Field team inducted, serving as the 184th member. The other six teams in are the 1959 Track and Field Sprint Relay team, the 1977 Football team, the 1978 Football team, the 1986 Football team, the 1991 Track and Field Mile Relay team, and the 1992 Women’s Basketball team.
This team of women consisting of Bierman, Colon, Garcia and Musgrave became All-Americans in the 2-Mile Relay. They were the only Tarleton State All-American Indoor Women’s Track and Field members for a 23-year period until 2015.
They competed in the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships in March 1992 in Kansas City, where they took fifth place with a time of 9:37, then a school record.
It was an unforgettable day in Stephenville on Saturday, and the five inductees will forever be remembered in Tarleton Athletics history.
For more information on the Tarleton Athletics Hall of Fame, visit TarletonSports.com/HallOfFame.
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