FAU Athletics Announces 2007 Hall of Fame Class

BOCA RATON, FL - Oct 26, 2007, 6:30pm Florida Atlantic University has announced its 2007 inductees for the FAU Athletics Hall of Fame. Five Individuals and One Team to be Enshrined. The ceremony is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, October 26 at the Live Oak Pavilion on the Boca Raton, FL campus. The 2007 class includes five individuals - Oliver Agh (men's swimming, 1997-99), Craig Buchanan (men's basketball, 1993-97), Cecilie Lundgreen (women's golf, 1994-97), Kim Pruitt (volleyball, 1995-98), and Mike Ryan (baseball, 1982-84) - as well as the entire 2003 FAU football team. "This is our second hall of fame class," said Craig Angelos, FAU athletics director. "We are continuing to build upon the tradition for this young athletics program by recognizing the accomplishments of our past student athletes. They are the building blocks for today's success and tomorrow's future." Agh swam for the Hungarian national team from 1989 to 2000, participating in both the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games. He still holds numerous FAU records, including individual efforts in the 1,000m freestyle (9:17.51, 1998) and the 1,650m freestyle (15:34.03, 1996). Agh currently serves as an assistant coach for FAU swimming. Buchanan ranks first in career field goals made (582), and is second in all-time scoring (1,501 points) for FAU men's basketball. He was also the first FAU player to reach 1,000 points and the team's leading scorer during three of his four seasons, as the Owls transitioned into Division I and improved their record from 3-24 to 16-11 over that span. Lundgreen earned "Atlantic Sun Golfer of the Year" honors in 1994, winning the conference tournament as a freshman. The four-time all-conference selection also was named "FAU Female Student-Athlete of the Year" in 1997, and was the first FAU athlete in school history to earn a top league award. Pruitt helped lead the Owls' volleyball team to its first conference title - and the first NCAA Division I regional tournament appearance for FAU athletics - in 1998. Along the way, she earned Atlantic Sun tournament MVP honors. The three-time "FAU Female Student-Athlete of the Year" ('96, '98, '99) ranks among the top 10 in seven all-time Owls statistical categories and was named first-team all-conference in 1997. Ryan played a major role in building the FAU baseball program during its formative years in the early 1980s. The first baseman was a third-team Division II All-American in 1984, and his home run total (47) still stands as the best in FAU history. Ryan also spent four years in the Minnesota Twins' minor league system. The 2003 FAU football team achieved numerous landmark successes on the field. The Owls became the fastest program in NCAA history to register its first win over a Division I-A opponent, defeating Middle Tennessee State University (20-19) in FAU's 22nd football game. FAU rattled off a team-record 10 consecutive wins after a 1-2 start, on their way to hosting the NCAA Division I-AA national semifinal game. With a final record of 11-3, the team finished the season ranked fourth in the nation, prompting an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference. Last year's inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame class included Laurence Bensimon (women's swimming, 1986-87), Keith Foley (baseball, 1983-84), Yolanda Griffith (women's basketball, 1992-93), Whitney Kraft (men's tennis, 1981-83), Noemi (Lung) Zaharia (women's swimming, 1990-93), Nikki Myers (softball, 1999-2002) and Steve Traylor (head coach - baseball, 1981-87). Honorees are selected by a vote of the FAU Athletics Hall of Fame Committee, a nine-member panel comprised of representatives from several branches of the athletic department. Nominations for 2008 will begin in March, and may be submitted to the committee by any member of the general public on behalf of any eligible individual. Eligible individuals include former FAU athletes, coaches and administrators, as well as other FAU supporters meriting special consideration. Admission to the Friday reception is by invitation only. The 2007 class will also be introduced in an on-field ceremony scheduled for halftime of FAU's homecoming football game against Louisiana-Monroe at Lockhart Stadium on Saturday, October 27.