Two Former Student-Athletes, Administrators to be Inducted into SLIAC Hall of Fame

St. Louis, Mo - St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Commissioner, Will Wolper, has announced the Hall of Fame Class of 2011. Highlighting this year's class are two former student-athletes and two administrators.

Webster University's Halley (Spann) Barke and Principia College's Laura (Williams) Saucedo were both SLIAC women's basketball standouts. Joining them in this year's Hall of Fame class are former SLIAC Commissioner, Rich Meckfessel, and former Fontbonne University Director of Athletics and current Men's Basketball Coach, Dr. Lee McKinney.

Barke was a three-year letter winner for the Gorloks women's basketball and softball teams. On the court, she was three times named the SLIAC Player of the Year (1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02), while also being named SLIAC Newcomer of the Year in 1999-00. Barke was a three-time First Team All-Conference recipient and DIII News All-American, and she also earned WBCA Honorable Mention All-America honors in 2001-02.

Barke finished her basketball career with 1,529 points, which ranks seventh in the SLIAC and is the highest three-year total. She also finished with 463 made free throws and 193 steals, which rank first and fourth respectively in Webster women's basketball history. Her 21.8 points per game in 2000-01 ranks third in the SLIAC and first for the Gorloks for single season scoring average. In 2001-02 Barke also led Webster to the NCAA Division III Tournament Sweet 16, and in that same season the Gorloks went undefeated in SLIAC play.

On the softball diamond, Barke was a First Team All-Conference recipient in her final season (2002). She finished with a .389 career batting average (74-for-190), went 58-of-62 in stolen base attempts and had a .965 fielding percentage. She hit .458 in 2002, which ranks fourth in Webster history for single-season highs.

Saucedo was also a three-year standout for the Principia women's basketball squad from 1991-94. She was a three-time First Team All-Conference selection and is ranked second in SLIAC history in points with 1,678. She led the SLIAC in total points and points per game in all three of her seasons, and Saucedo still holds the top two SLIAC points per game averages (27.0 in 1993-94 and 22.2 in 1992-93). She is also tied for most points in a game (42) and holds the top spot for most field goals in a SLIAC game (17).

In Saucedo's first two seasons she finished 21st and 22nd in NCAA Division III in scoring. By her final season (1993-94) she finished fifth among all NCAA Division III players.

Meckfessel held the position of SLIAC Commissioner from 2000-07. He was only the second Commissioner in Conference history and served the longest tenure in that position to date. During Meckfessel's time with the SLIAC Faculty Athletics Representatives were added to the Conference's primary governing body, the SLIAC Operating Manual was written and the SLIAC Post-Graduate Scholarship, which was unique in Division III at the time (2002-03), was established. Meckfessel also oversaw the reinstitution of Conference Tournaments in team sports in 2004-05 and helped the Conference to expand to an all-time high 10 members with the addition of Eureka College and Lincoln Christian College in 2006-07.

Meckfessel also represented the SLIAC and the Central Region on the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Committee and was a respected member of the Division III Commissioner's Association.

McKinney served 23 years as Fontbonne's Director of Athletics and is in his 24th year as Head Men's Basketball Coach. During his tenure the athletics department grew from three to 19 teams, with the number of student-athletes jumping from 35 to the current 350. He was instrumental Fontbonne's membership into the NCAA and in establishing the University as a founding member of the SLIAC. McKinney has also served on several NCAA committees including Management Council, Financial Aid Committee, Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee, Strategic Planning and Finance Committee, Convention Planning Subcommittee and Nominating Committee.

McKinney, who was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Fontbonne University Hall of Fame in 2000, has over 800 career coaching victories, with more than 500 coming at the collegiate level. As the Griffins men's basketball coach he has won three regular season SLIAC Championships, five SLIAC Tournament Championships and has led Fontbonne to five NCAA Division III Tournament appearances.

Barke and Saucedo will be formally inducted into the SLIAC Hall of Fame during a ceremony held at their respective alma maters. Specific information on date and time of induction ceremonies for all inductees is forthcoming.

There are 28 members currently in the SLIAC Hall of Fame, consisting of 23 former student-athletes and five administrators. After a four-year hiatus from 2003-06, the Hall of Fame was reinstated in 2007. In order to be eligible for consideration a student-athlete must have graduated from his/her institution and played at least two years in a SLIAC championship sport. Student-athletes are not eligible until at least five years after their last date of participation. To be eligible as a coach, administrator or meritorious service contributor, the individual must have served his or her institution or the conference for at least five years after 1991.