Kent State announces Varsity "K" Hall of Fame class of 2022

Allen Moff, Record-Courier
·5 min read
Georgia baseball coach Scott Stricklin, center, with his mother Brenda Stricklin and father Dave "Strick" Stricklin at Foley Field in the spring of 2019.
Georgia baseball coach Scott Stricklin, center, with his mother Brenda Stricklin and father Dave "Strick" Stricklin at Foley Field in the spring of 2019.

Kent State revealed its nine-member 2022 Varsity "K" Athletics Hall of Fame class on Thursday.

This year's inductees are Bob Clouse (men's soccer, 1971-75), Jessacca Gironda (women's soccer/softball, 2010-14), Jennifer Ha (women's golf, 2012-15), Emma Johnson (softball, 2012-15), Christina Lenny (women's gymnastics, 2008-11), Jimmy Rider (baseball, 2009-12), David Starn (baseball, 2009-12), Scott Stricklin (baseball coach, 2005-13) and Matthias Tayala (men's track and field, 2012-15).

Clouse is Kent State's career leader in goals against average (1.86), and ranks second all-time in saves (531). The three-time All-Mid-American Conference goalkeeper set a program record by allowing only 1.40 goals per contest to earn a spot on the first team in 1972.

Gironda totaled six letters as a member of the women's soccer and softball programs, and earned Academic All-America honors in both sports. She led the MAC in goals twice and finished her career with 32 goals and 77 points, which both rank second in school history. Gironda posted a .306 batting average with 33 hits during her two seasons on the softball team.

Ha became the second Kent State player to qualify for the NCAA Women's Golf Championships as an individual in 2013. She was a two-time MAC Golfer of the Year and two-time MAC Championships medalist, and a four-time First Team All-MAC honoree.

Johnson was a two-time MAC Pitcher of the Year who ranks second in Kent State history in wins (73) and strikeouts (935). During her senior season in 2015, Johnson led the Flashes to 41 wins and a MAC regular season title while ranking among the top five in the nation in earned run average, shutouts, strikeouts per seven innings and hits allowed per seven innings. She was selected in the second round of the 2015 NPF Draft by the Pennsylvania Rebellion, and recorded seven victories during her two professional seasons.

Lenny led Kent State to its first NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships appearance as a team in 2011, and went on to place 16th on floor exercise and 17th in the all-around competition at the national meet. The 2011 MAC Gymnast of the Year was a three-time conference champion on vault, and added a floor exercise title in 2010. She was a member of three MAC regular season championship teams and two squads that captured MAC Championships crowns.

Rider and Starn were key members of Kent State baseball teams that captured four MAC Tournament and three regular season championships while totaling 174 victories from 2009-12.

A First Team All-America selection by Baseball America in 2012, Rider is the all-time MAC leader in hits (353) and ranks second in runs scored (219), third in doubles (78) and RBIs (194), and fifth in total bases (486). He was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 26th round of the 2012 MLB Draft.

Starn earned All-America honors from the ABCA and Collegiate Baseball in 2012. The two-time MAC Tournament MVP is Kent State's career leader in wins (29), strikeouts (347) and innings pitched (341). He was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the seventh round of the 2012 MLB Draft.

The Flashes' baseball program recorded 350 victories during Stricklin's nine seasons as head coach. The two-time ABCA Regional Coach of the Year guided Kent State to five MAC regular season and five MAC Tournament championships. Stricklin's teams won nine NCAA postseason games, highlighted by a run to the College World Series in 2012. The Flashes had 34 student-athletes selected in the MLB Draft during his tenure, including first-round picks Emmanuel Burriss and Andrew Chafin. A three-year letterwinner from 1991-93, Stricklin was a two-time All-MAC performer at catcher and handled pitching staffs ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation in earned run average during his final two seasons in a Flashes jersey.

Tayala was the NCAA outdoor hammer throw champion in 2014, and added a runner-up finish the following year. A four-time All-American, Tayala recorded four top-six finishes in five NCAA Championships appearances. His national title-winning throw of 241 feet, 4 inches remains a KSU record, while his indoor weight throw record (75-1.75) was broken last February. Tayala earned Great Lakes Region Field Athlete of the Year and MAC Outdoor Championships MVP honors in 2014, and was named MAC Most Outstanding Outdoor Field Athlete in 2015. He went on to place sixth in the hammer throw at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.

Four other individuals will be recognized by the Varsity "K." Lois Youngen has been named the Distinguished Athletic Alumnus, Dr. Kathy Wilson is the Varsity "K" Person of the Year, Lori Wemhoff will be this year's Honorary Varsity "K" Member, and Scott Imhoff is the recipient of the Rudy Bachna Memorial Award.

The 2012 baseball team was selected to receive the Team of Distinction honor. The Flashes' historic season on the diamond was highlighted by the program's first College World Series appearance in Omaha, where they eliminated No. 1 ranked Florida. Managed by Stricklin and led by co-captains Rider and Starn, the team won a school record 47 games.

This year's ceremony will take place in the Student Center Ballroom on Friday, Sept. 16, at 6 p.m. The 2022 class will also be recognized the following day during Kent State's football game against LIU at Dix Stadium.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Kent State has released its 2022 Varsity "K" Hall of Fame class