Claire Jackson Hemphill, Zach Wilson, David Simon, Amy Gearlds
Winning Wednesday Hall of Fame Edition - 2016
2/17/2021 11:59:00 AM | General
Presented by Lutheran Health Network
Normally for Winning Wednesday we take a look back at some memorable wins for the 'Dons, but for 12 weeks we'll be featuring the best of the best in Mastodon history. Each week, we'll highlight a class of the Mastodon Hall of Fame.
2016 Hall of Fame Class
Amy Gearlds - Women's Basketball - Gearlds, who played for the Mastodons from 2000 until 2004 was named the 2003-04 NCAA Division I Independent Co-Player of the Year, and was a three-time Independent First Team honoree. She averaged in double-figures during all four seasons with the Mastodons, including averaging 17.6 per game as a senior. The Beach Grove, Indiana native stands second in career steals (224) in program history, third in career three-point field goals (239), sixth in career points (1,572), and eighth in career field goals made (524). She also has the sixth-most single-season steals and seventh-most single-season three-point field goals made in school history.
Clair Jackson Hemphill - Women's Volleyball - Hemphill, one of the top blockers in Mastodon women's volleyball history, was the school's first-ever NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Recipient, and was a CoSIDA Academic All-American, the second in school history. On the court, she stands first in career blocks (481) and second in blocks per set (1.18) in school history. She has the highest single-season block total in school history with 154 blocks in both 2004 and 2006. She was also a four-year Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) member, and was the team's Vice President in 2005-06 and President in 2006-07.
David Simon- Men's Basketball - Simon, who is currently playing professional basketball in Japan, was a two-time selection to the NCAA Division I Independent First Team, and was the 2005 Lindy's Basketball Magazine 2005 Preseason Independent Player of the Year. He was the first player in program history to play in the NBA Summer League, when he suited up for the Minnesota Timberwolves, participated in the 2005 New Jersey Nets Training Camp, and was drafted into the Continental Basketball Association by the Idaho Stampede with the 21st overall pick. He stands first in Mastodon career history in blocked shots (141), and third in rebounds (623). He has the second, fifth, and 10th-highest single-season block totals in school history, and the sixth-highest single-season rebounding total with 275 from 2003-04. He has played overseas since 2005, where he now is averaging 20 points per game.
Zach Wilson - Baseball - Zach Wilson, who played baseball for the Mastodons in 1999 and 2000, has been a mainstay of the baseball community for decades, working as a Senior Director of Player Development in the Major League. A native of Fort Wayne, where he attended Northside High School, Wilson also spent time as the Assistant Director of Player Development, Assistant Director of Scouting, and Manager of Scouting in the MLB. During his time as a Mastodon he batted .329 in 1999 with a dozen doubles and four home runs, and had a career batting average of .309 despite playing during a wooden-bat era of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
2016 Hall of Fame Class
Amy Gearlds - Women's Basketball - Gearlds, who played for the Mastodons from 2000 until 2004 was named the 2003-04 NCAA Division I Independent Co-Player of the Year, and was a three-time Independent First Team honoree. She averaged in double-figures during all four seasons with the Mastodons, including averaging 17.6 per game as a senior. The Beach Grove, Indiana native stands second in career steals (224) in program history, third in career three-point field goals (239), sixth in career points (1,572), and eighth in career field goals made (524). She also has the sixth-most single-season steals and seventh-most single-season three-point field goals made in school history.
Clair Jackson Hemphill - Women's Volleyball - Hemphill, one of the top blockers in Mastodon women's volleyball history, was the school's first-ever NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Recipient, and was a CoSIDA Academic All-American, the second in school history. On the court, she stands first in career blocks (481) and second in blocks per set (1.18) in school history. She has the highest single-season block total in school history with 154 blocks in both 2004 and 2006. She was also a four-year Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) member, and was the team's Vice President in 2005-06 and President in 2006-07.
David Simon- Men's Basketball - Simon, who is currently playing professional basketball in Japan, was a two-time selection to the NCAA Division I Independent First Team, and was the 2005 Lindy's Basketball Magazine 2005 Preseason Independent Player of the Year. He was the first player in program history to play in the NBA Summer League, when he suited up for the Minnesota Timberwolves, participated in the 2005 New Jersey Nets Training Camp, and was drafted into the Continental Basketball Association by the Idaho Stampede with the 21st overall pick. He stands first in Mastodon career history in blocked shots (141), and third in rebounds (623). He has the second, fifth, and 10th-highest single-season block totals in school history, and the sixth-highest single-season rebounding total with 275 from 2003-04. He has played overseas since 2005, where he now is averaging 20 points per game.
Zach Wilson - Baseball - Zach Wilson, who played baseball for the Mastodons in 1999 and 2000, has been a mainstay of the baseball community for decades, working as a Senior Director of Player Development in the Major League. A native of Fort Wayne, where he attended Northside High School, Wilson also spent time as the Assistant Director of Player Development, Assistant Director of Scouting, and Manager of Scouting in the MLB. During his time as a Mastodon he batted .329 in 1999 with a dozen doubles and four home runs, and had a career batting average of .309 despite playing during a wooden-bat era of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
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