Winthrop Athletics Introduces Newest Class at Feb. 1 Hall of Fame Banquet

October 18, 2018

Quick Facts

bullet point The selections for the 2019 class are: Mark Cooke (softball coach), Ashley Fann (women's basketball), Michael Jenkins (men's basketball) and Heath Rollins (baseball).
bullet point The Winthrop Athletic Hall of Fame was created in 2001, and this latest class brings the membership to 86.

/uploadedImages/news/Articles/Mark-Cooke.jpg Mark Cooke /uploadedImages/news/Articles/Ashley-Fann.jpg Ashley Fann /uploadedImages/news/Articles/Michael-Jenkins.jpg Michael Jenkins /uploadedImages/news/Articles/Heath-Rollins.jpg Heath Rollins

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA Winthrop Athletics has selected four members for the 2019 Hall of Fame class and will honor them at its Feb. 1 induction banquet.

The selections for the 2019 class are: Mark Cooke (softball coach), Ashley Fann (women's basketball), Michael Jenkins (men's basketball) and Heath Rollins (baseball). The Winthrop Athletic Hall of Fame was created in 2001, and this latest class brings the membership to 86.

Information about each inductee is below:

Mark Cooke (1990-2018) — Cooke coached collegiate softball for 33 years and spent 29 seasons leading the Winthrop program. He ranks first in Big South history for all-time victories (757) and conference only victories (217). He earned Big South Coach of the Year honors three times and guided the team to the Big South Championship game on 11 occasions. Cooke also led the team to Big South Championships in 1990, 1991, 2007 and 2008. In 2007 he became just the second Big South coach to lead his program to 50 wins in a single-season and remains 1-of-2 in league history.

Ashley Fann (2005-09) — Fann is a three-time All-Big South selection and was the 2005 Big South Conference Freshman of the Year. When she graduated in 2009 she ranked 2nd all-time in rebounds, 2nd in games started, 3rd in games played, 3rd in minutes played, 3rd in free throws attempted, 3rd in free throws made and 3rd in career points. Her 1,603 career points currently rank 5th all-time. Fann was also a three-time selection to the Big South All-Academic Team.

Michael Jenkins (2004-08) — Jenkins was a key contributor for the program for three seasons, a two-year starter and was a member of four Big South Championship teams. Jenkins earned All-Big South honors twice and was the 2008 Big South Conference Tournament MVP. He earned Big South All-Tournament Team honors in 2007 and 2008. His 33-point performance in the 2008 Big South Championship game set both a Big South and Winthrop record for most points in a championship contest. That record still stands today. He became the first Eagle in program history to hit 100 or more threes in a single-season.

Heath Rollins (2005-06) — Rollins spent two seasons with the Eagle baseball program amassing numerous honors. He earned All-Big South honors in 2005 and 2006 and was named the 2006 Big South Conference Player of the Year. He earned All-American honors in 2006 by three different national publications. In 2006 he won 13 games on the mound and led the team with 143 strikeouts. In just two seasons he cracked the program's all-time Top 10 in on-base percentage, triples, stolen bases, lowest opponent batting average, strikeouts per nine innings, wins and strikeouts. He helped lead the Eagles to NCAA Regional appearances in 2005 and 2006. In 2006 he was selected in the 11th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

For information about attending the Hall of Fame banquet on Feb. 1, contact Natalie Hozak at hozakn@winthrop.edu call 803/323-2129, ext. 6225.


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