MISENHEIMER — Pfeiffer University’s athletic department recently announced the five members of its 2024 Sports Hall of Fame class who will be inducted inside the Stokes Student Center on Oct. 19.
The Falcons Hall of Fame will soon include student-athletes Ben Case, Nancy Ingram, Jenny Deans Martin, Jonathan Sawyer and Chris Woods.
Founded in 1990, the Pfeiffer Sports Hall of Fame began with seven members in its inaugural class. It now has 118 individuals and nine teams that have made impacts on Pfeiffer’s athletic department, according to the hall’s selection committee.
Case (men’s golf, ‘02) was a star Pfeiffer golfer from 1998-2002, earning three-time All-America and two-time Academic All-America honors.
In 2002, he was named as the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC) Player and Athlete of the Year, leading Pfeiffer to a CVAC title in addition to his individual conference championship with a 209 total.
Post-college, he played professionally on the Tarheel Tour, Europro Tour, and PGA Tour, participating in the 2003 Wachovia Championship.
Ingram (softball, women’s field hockey ’80) excelled as both a two-sport student-athlete and coach for the Falcons. She was the starting outfielder for the 1978 softball team, batting .381 with 30 runs and helping them finish as state runners-up.
In field hockey (1977-1980), she started all four years, leading the Falcons to 52 wins, state and regional championships, as well as top-15 national rankings.
As a coach from 1982-1992, her teams won 85 games — the most in school history — with two teams ranked fifth nationally. She also coached 23 All-Conference players and received the Franny Homer Award in 1992 for promoting field hockey.
Representing the 2007 and 2008 Pfeiffer women’s lacrosse teams, Martin (women’s lacrosse ‘08) excelled as a defender with First-Team CVAC All-Conference honors both seasons and was named CVAC Player of the Year in 2007.
She also achieved all-region and First-Team IWLCA All-American status in 2007, and Second-Team IWLCA All-American honors in 2008.
Over 37 games, she scored three goals, made five assists and collected 83 ground balls; her 67 caused 67 turnovers and 69 draw controls rank ninth and 15th, respectively, in program history.
As a 1984 Pfeiffer graduate, Sawyer (men’s tennis, ‘84) made waves as the No. 1 singles and doubles tennis player on his Falcon teams.
He later continued his success in amateur leagues across the state, winning NC Men’s Singles Championships five times (1991, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017) and NC Men’s Doubles Championships seven times (1993, 1994, 1995, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2017).
More recently, Sawyer won USTA National Championships in doubles in 2020, 2021, and 2023. Adding to a competitive career spanning over 40 years, he has also served as an assistant tennis pro at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville.
Over on the basketball court, Woods (men’s basketball ‘11) played for the Pfeiffer men’s hoops team from 2007-2011, notching All-Conference honors in 2009, 2010, and 2011.
In 2010, he was a NCCSIA All-State player and National Player of the Year Runner-Up. A year later, he was named the Conference Player of the Year, All-Region honoree, and the NCAA East Regional Player of the Year.
Woods ranks third in career points (2041) and holds several other records at Pfeiffer. Post-college, he played eight seasons in Europe, earning his league’s all-star recognition as he led all players in points and rebounds.
Tickets to the 2024 Pfeiffer Sports Hall of Fame Banquet are on sale for $20 online at Pfeiffer University’s website or by phone at 704-463-3034.