South Atlantic Conference to Add Five New Members to its Hall of Fame with 2025 Induction Class

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The South Atlantic Conference will induct five members into the 2025 Hall of Fame Class, the League announced today.  Receiving honors will be Tusculum's Tommy Arnett, Wingate's Anna Atkinson Caparaso, Catawba's Jim Baker, and Mars Hill's Jonas Randolph.  The SAC will also honor the recipient of the Conference's Distinguished Alumni Award, which will be awarded to Tusculum's Kyle Cavanaugh. 

"We are honored to induct these five individuals into the SAC Hall of Fame," said SAC Commissioner Patrick Britz. "Three of these individuals have embodied what it means to be a SAC student-athlete in both academic and athletic excellence during their time at their various institutions, as well as success after graduating. The other two were long-time and very successful head coaches in our league and helped mold and guide hundreds of student-athletes during their tenures. We look forward to celebrating their numerous accomplishments on May 29."

Arnett, a 1972 graduate of Carson-Newman, is one of the most decorated tennis coaches in SAC history. From 2001 until his retirement in 2015, Tommy Arnett orchestrated the most successful period in the history of not only the sport of tennis at Tusculum, but in the history of the TU athletic department, overall. Under his leadership, the Pioneers advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament in nine of his 14 seasons, while combining for 10 South Atlantic Conference Championships and five SAC Tournament titles. In all, he led his tennis teams to 12 NCAA II Tournament appearances. Arnett's teams posted a 439-152 combined record (.742 winning percentage) including 172-45 league record (.792 winning percentage). His women's teams accounted for 14 consecutive winning seasons while the men had winning campaigns in 13 of his 14 years at Tusculum. Arnett mentored 87 All-SAC selections (47 men, 40 women) including four-time SAC Women's Player of the Year and SAC Hall of Famer Lesley Murray Hawk, three-time SAC Men's Player of the Year Lukas Winkelmann and 2008 SAC Men's Player of the Year Carlos Garcia. He was named SAC Coach of the Year on six occasions. At Carson-Newman, he played on two nationally ranked teams and earned All-America distinction. He is a member of the Tusculum Sports Hall of Fame, Carter County Sports Hall of Fame and the Elizabethton High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Atkinson, a 2009 graduate of Wingate, is considered one of the best players in Wingate basketball history. Atkinson took home a major overall league award in 3 of her 4 years at Wingate (Athlete of the Year, two President's Awards), while leading the Bulldogs to a pair of regular season SAC titles, a SAC Tourney championship and a regional title. Atkinson ranks second in SAC history with 776 career assists, while also ranking second with her 357 steals. The 3-time SAC Scholar-Athlete also ranks second in league history in assists per game, with her 281 assists in 2007-08 and piled up a league-record 125 steals that year. She scored 1,494 points in her four-year career. In addition to her two first team Academic All-America nods, Atkinson was an NCAA Woman of the Year nominee.

Baker, a 1978 graduate of Catawba, is one of the winningest coaches in SAC Men's Basketball history. Throughout Baker's 20 seasons as head coach of the Catawba Indians, the team recorded nine 20-win seasons, won six SAC regular season titles, won six SAC Tournament championships and earned nine NCAA Tournament berths. Additionally, Baker earned the SAC Coach of the Year award five times, tied for second most in SAC MBB history, as well as being named the 1998 NABC Southeast Region Coach of the Year. Baker's teams graduated 94 percent of its student-athletes and five of his athletes have gone on to earn a spot in the Catawba Sports Hall of Fame. Baker himself was enshrined into Catawba's Hall of Fame in 2021. After his time at Catawba, Baker went on to coach at Central Cabarrus HS in Concord, NC, building the program into a powerhouse in 3A North Carolina HS basketball, as the Vikings won the 2023 and 2024 3A North Carolina HS state championships, finishing his final three seasons with a combined 95-1 record. Baker was the South Piedmont Conference Coach of the Year in each of his final four seasons at Central Cabarrus, was the Charlotte Observer Boys Coach of the Year in 2023 and the North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association Boys Coach of the Year in 2023 and 2024.

Randolph played at Mars Hill from 2008-11 and is one of the most decorated football players in league history. Randolph is the only player in the South Atlantic Conference to win the Harlon Hill Trophy, which is awarded to the best player in Division II football. Randolph holds every Mars Hill football rushing record, including career rushing yards (5,608), most yards in a season (2,170), most yards in a game (373), and highest per game average (197.3). All of those marks serve as South Atlantic Conference records as well. His achievements do not stop there as he also holds the MHU and SAC record for most attempts in a game (49) and MHU records for season attempts (366) and career attempts (982). He scored four touchdowns in three separate games, 19 in the 2009 season, and 53 for his career, all school records. He holds the all-time marks in most games with 100 yards or more on the ground with 24, 200 yards or more with 10, and two 300-yard games, as well as stringing together 12 straight games with 100 yards or more rushing. His 2011 accomplishments also led the Lions to a SAC Championship and appearance in the NCAA postseason as they hosted North Greenville. The Lions were ranked as high as 19th in the nation.

Cavanaugh is a 1980 graduate of Tusculum and the Pioneer men's basketball student-athlete has accounted for an outstanding professional career in administration and human resources spanning more than 30 years. In his current position as President of Administration for the National Basketball Association, he reports directly to the NBA Commissioner, and is responsible for global facilities, benefits, information technology, security, risk management, medical operations, human resources, diversity and inclusion, and administration affairs of the NBA, WNBA, G League, 2K League, and Basketball Africa League. He served 13 years with distinction at Duke University and Duke Health. As Vice President for Administration at Duke, he was responsible for human resources and benefits, labor and employee relations, executive compensation, international employment, security and police, emergency management, and other administrative functions for a workforce of 43,000 and a student population of 15,000. He was instrumental in the creation of Duke's affiliated campus in China and supported numerous global activities. In February 2020, Cavanaugh was appointed by the university president to lead Duke's COVID-19 management strategy. Duke created the Kyle J. Cavanaugh Award for Leadership and Service in his honor and was named the award's inaugural recipient in 2022. Prior to his tenure at Duke, Cavanaugh served as Senior Vice President for Administration at the University of Florida and previously held senior administrative positions at The University of Texas at Austin, Rice University and Vanderbilt University and Medical Center.

The 2025 South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame Banquet will take place as a part of the Conference's Spring Meetings in Charlotte, N.C. on May 29.  

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