2001 OCU women's soccer regional champion

Women's Soccer 10/30/2017 1:06:00 PM

OCU Athletics Hall of Fame induction set for Dec. 2

2001 OCU women's soccer, McLaughlin, Van Aswegen and Wilkerson to enter OCU Athletics Hall of Fame

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University inducts its latest Athletics Hall of Fame class 11:30 a.m. Dec. 2 at the Great Hall in the Tom & Brenda McDaniel University Center.
The 2017-18 OCU Athletics Hall of Fame inductees will include the 2001 Stars women's soccer team which finished as national runner-up, all-American pitcher Jeff McLaughlin, current PGA TOUR player and individual men's golf national champion Tyrone Van Aswegen and late football standout Basil Wilkerson.
Order tickets to the induction ceremony by going here or contacting Toni Adams at (405) 208-5309 or e-mail tjadams@okcu.edu. Tickets to the ceremony cost $25.
Oklahoma City's 2001 women's soccer squad advanced to the NAIA championship game, falling 1-0 to Westmont (Calif.) on Nov. 20 in St. Charles, Mo. The Stars went 22-2-1. Sally Cole and Cristy Womack collected first-team all-American honors, while Heather Rivera made third-team all-American. Mindie Meek was an honorable-mention all-American. Cole, Jule Benanzer and Sara Methany took NAIA scholar-athlete awards.
Womack led OCU with 22 goals, 15 assists and 59 points, while Benanzer produced 16 goals, five assists and 37 points. Tash Anderson and Melinda Keirsey contributed 11 goals, nine assists and 31 points each, and K.C. Cornett added 12 goals, one assist and 25 points. Amanda Loyall notched 56 saves and 13 shutouts. The Stars recorded 17 whitewashes as a team, including nine shutouts in a row during an 11-match win streak. Cole and coach Brian Harvey already have been inducted into the OCU Athletics Hall of Fame.
"It was a complete team," Harvey said. "We had scorers. It was built to win games, and they certainly did. They didn't have a weakness. We had great team speed. It was a group of girls who played for each other."
McLaughlin was a part of three NAIA World Series teams, helping the Stars to the 2005 NAIA baseball championship and two runner-up finishes. McLaughlin will enter the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2017-18.
McLaughlin pitched in 95 games in his Oklahoma City career, notching a record of 29-6 and 3.32 earned run average. He is the Stars' all-time leader in career saves (35) and strikeouts (270) and also holds the OCU single-season saves record (19). He set the NAIA single-season record with 19 saves in 2004. As a senior, McLaughlin posted a 13-2 record, 3.65 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 101 innings.
"Jeff is the epitome of our idea of what an OCU baseball player should be," OCU coach Denney Crabaugh said. "There has not been another OCU baseball player who has worn the uniform and all it represents better than he did, and continues to do so."
He was an NAIA all-America selection in 2006, a two-time NAIA World Series all-tournament team selection (2003, 2005), a two-time NAIA scholar-athlete honoree (2005, 2006) and two-time all-Sooner Athletic Conference ('05, '06). McLaughlin also was the inaugural recipient of the Jim Wade Award as OCU's men's student-athlete of the year. The Jim Wade Award recognizes leadership, community service, academic and athletic achievement.
Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, Van Aswegen became a three-time all-American while leading Oklahoma City to four national titles from 2000-04. On May 16, 2002, Van Aswegen took the individual national crown by one stroke with a 69-75-74–218 while leading the Stars to their second consecutive national championship in Palm Harbor, Fla. He posted a 72.88 career scoring average while setting an OCU career record with seven wins.
Van Aswegen earned $806,410 On the PGA TOUR in 2016-17. In his fifth year on the PGA TOUR, Van Aswegen has collected four top-10 finishes, one top-three finish, 16 top-25 showings and $2,616,332 in earnings through 109 starts.
In 2015-16, Van Aswegen entered the NAIA Hall of Fame. The Stars have 10 NAIA men's golf championships won in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2016.
"Tyrone is very deserving of this honor," OCU coach Kyle Blaser said. "He has been a big part of the OCU family and has represented us well. He has set the bar high for all the players who have come through our program. They all know can reach the highest level with work and determination."
Wilkerson led the 1931 Oklahoma City football team to a 12-0 record. As an offensive lineman, Wilkerson helped the Goldbugs outscore opponents 269-45.
In a 14-0 win over the University of Tulsa, Wilkerson recovered a fumble in the Tulsa end zone. OCU finished the season with a 6-0 victory over the University of Oklahoma. Wilkerson collected all-American acclaim, all-Big 4 Conference honors three times and two all-state nods.
Wilkerson earned a spot in the East-West Shrine game after the season. He was nicknamed "Tarzan" because of his imposing 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame. Wilkerson played in the NFL for the Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds and Staten Island Stapletons.
While at OCU, Wilkerson picked up 11 letters in three sports from 1928-32. Wilkerson lettered four times in football, four times in track & field, three times in basketball and once in baseball. He took the Oklahoma state golden glove heavyweight boxing championship in 1928.
"It's clear to me that Basil Wilkerson is one of the greatest athletes in the history of Oklahoma City University," OCU athletic director Jim Abbott said. "He earned the nickname "Tarzan" by becoming a dominant force in multiple sports, including boxing, during his time on campus. While the honor is belated, it is a thrill to recognize someone like Basil who contributed so much to OCU's tradition of excellence."
Wilkerson served in the U.S. Navy during World War II on Johnson Island, becoming a lieutenant commander. He was part owner of Vance Oil Supply Co., and became co-founder of the Globe of the Great Southwest Shakespearean Theater and the Presidential Museum in Odessa, Texas. Odessa College named its science building Wilkerson Hall in his honor.
A Duncan, Okla., native, Wilkerson was born Jan. 22, 1907 and died Sept. 1, 1967 in Odessa, Texas. He married Jessie Lee Row in 1941. His family includes four children, 14 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
OCU owns 66 national championships won in all sports and captured its first Directors' Cup title in 2016-17.

10277 — Jeff McLaughlin helped OCU win the 2005 NAIA baseball championship.

1233 — Tyrone Van Aswegen won the 2002 NAIA individual men's golf championship.

10633 — Basil Wilkerson (inset) stood out for OCU football from 1928-31.

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