COLUMBUS – The Mississippi University for Women unveiled its Class of 2025 for the W Athletics Hall of Fame. The class includes student-athletes Lee Cole and Celeste Waguespack, administrator Doug May, volleyball coach Samye Johnson and members of his 1986 volleyball team, and Don Spaulding for his distinguished service to Owls athletics.
The class will be inducted in a ceremony at Pohl Gymnasium at 6 p.m. April 5 as part of the university’s homecoming celebrations.
Lee Cole (volleyball, women’s basketball)
Cole was a two-sport athlete at The W from 1985-88 and became the program’s only first-team NCAA Division II All-American selection. She was also a three-time All-South Region honoree who helped her team reach the national tournament in her freshman and sophomore seasons.
After graduation, Cole served in the U.S. Army, playing on the All-Army Volleyball Team and the Combined All-Forces Volleyball Team and was selected as an All-American.
Celeste Waguespack (volleyball)
Waguespack – now Vial – was a four-year volleyball player for The W from 1983-86. She helped lead the Owls to the NCAA Division II Final 8 in both her junior and senior seasons and was named a second team NCAA II All-American and All-South Region selection.
After graduation, she began a career in teaching and coaching. She made stops at Mount Carmel Academy, where she was named the Times Picayune Coach of the Year in 1989, Presbyterian Christian in Hattiesburg, where she petitioned the MAIS to start volleyball throughout the state of Mississippi and won three-consecutive state titles (2011-13), and Oak Grove High School, where her team was the state runner-up in 2016.
Doug May (athletic trainer)
May was the first professional athletic trainer for The W athletics from 1978-81, where he was also a faculty member from 1973.
It was his first stop in a lengthy career in physical care, which included the establishment of a full-time athletic training program at The W. Beyond Columbus, May was heavily involved in the National Athletic Trainers Association and served as the organization’s vice president and eventually joined its Board of Directors.
Don Spaulding (distinguished service to The W)
The only inductee not directly involved with athletics at the W, Spaulding has served the school in several roles as a student and alumni. He earned his nursing degree from The W in 1986, during which time he helped out in the sports medicine area and also drove the bus for the Blues’ teams.
After graduating, Spaulding has continued to support the University – and especially the athletics programs – with contributions that have benefitted numerous campus organizations and teams. His gifts have helped support the women’s sports teams and most recently, he assisted with upgrades at Don Usher Softball Field
Samye Johnson (coach)
Johnson was the architect of the W’s successful volleyball program as an NCAA
Division II program. She served as a coach for 15 years (1979-93) and presided over the team’s pinnacle seasons in program history, making back-to-back trips to the NCAA II quarterfinals in 1985 and 1986.
Johnson’s team achieved a remarkable combined record of 81-7 during these seasons, earning her the NCAA II National Coach of the Year award in 1985 and two-time South Region Coach of the Year awards in 1985 and 1986. In 1993, Johnson’s final season, they won the Gulf South Conference title, and she was named the GSC coach of the Year.
While at The W, Johnson also coached the Blues’ slow pitch softball program from 1979-83, and was the basketball coach for the Blues for six seasons from 1982-89. She went to coach Mississippi State University’s volleyball team from 1994-97.
1986 Volleyball Team
The 1986 Blues volleyball team was the most decorated in the program’s history. Led by Johnson, the squad made the last eight of the NCAA DII championships before losing to top-ranked Cal State-Northridge. The Blues won three of the five regular season tournaments they participated in and set a record with a 27-game winning streak.
The team took down several large programs that year, including Mississippi State, Southern Miss, North Alabama, Troy State, Florida International, Alabama State and Jackson State.
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