Huntingdon College to induct five into Athletic Hall of Fame
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Huntingdon College will induct five new members into its Athletic Hall of Fame this weekend. The ceremony will be held in Roland Arena at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
The five inductees represent five sports and two different decades of Huntingdon athletics. This year's inductees are Ben Brack (baseball, Class of 1997), Austin Hill (men's basketball, Class of 2014), Jeremy Murphy (football, Class of 2015), Katie Scott (women's tennis, Class of 2013) and Jenni Reynolds Wingard (women's soccer, Class of 1999).
Huntingdon College Athletic Hall of Fame
Class of 2019
Ben Brack ('97) was a baseball All-American in 1994 and an All-Conference selection in 1993 and 1994. He was a four-year starter for the Hawks, contributing 52 career home runs and a .340 career batting average.
Ben is originally from Lake City, Fla., where he graduated from Columbia High School. The son of Jim Brack and Carol and Bob Rosenthal, Ben says all three of his parents were an "awesome support team" who allowed him to pursue his dream of playing baseball. He credits his stepfather, a second dad to him most of his life, as a large reason he attended Huntingdon.
After Ben's college career, he coached baseball for 14 years at Faulkner University and Huntingdon College. As a coach, he was part of five conference championships, four regional appearances, one super-regional and one National Christian College National Championship. He recruited and coached five All-Americans, two National Players of the Year and three Major League Baseball draft picks. After his coaching career, he entered the world of corporate sales in health care.
Huntingdon College brought Ben to Montgomery, where he met and married the love of his life, Christy Cater Brack. They have two children, Baron and AnnaCate, whom he has enjoyed coaching during their youth games.
Austin Hill ('14), a native of Montgomery, began his college basketball career playing at Morehouse College. After transferring to Samford University for a year, he finished his collegiate career at Huntingdon
He worked his way into the starting line-up during the 2011-2012 season. As a senior, he was appointed captain and led the team in scoring (19.6 points per game) and rebounds (7.4 per game). In 27 games, Austin scored in double figures 24 times, scored 20 or more points in 16 games and scored 30 or more points in three games and hit 39.2-percent of his shots from behind the arc. He was selected first-team All-Conference, was named to the USA South All-Tournament team and was honored as the 2014 Huntingdon College Male Student-Athlete of the Year.
In addition to his success on the court, Austin served as a senator for SGA and a member of the Math Club, Business Club, American Chemical Society and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.
After graduating with a degree in biology, Austin played professional basketball internationally. He has played in Mexico, Peru, Germany, England and Australia. In 2016 he finished an undefeated season in Germany, winning a Regionaliga Championship.
Austin is also a professional 3X3 player ranked in the top 40 in the USA, and has been an ambassador of the game, coaching junior teams in Peru, Germany and Australia. While playing in England, Austin earned a master's degree in biomedical science from the University of the West of England in Bristol. This year, he'll continue his professional basketball and 3X3 career, aspiring to play in the 2024 Olympics.
Jeremy Murphy ('15) is a native of Sylacauga, Ala., and is the son of Lew and Nina Murphy and the brother of Chris and Nate Murphy. A three-sport athlete at Sylacauga High School, he was recruited to play football at Huntingdon by then-assistant coach Mike Rader.
During his freshman year, Jeremy appeared in four varsity games and started in all six junior varsity games. He recorded his first college interception against LaGrange College. Appearing in all nine varsity games during his sophomore season, Jeremy tied for fifth on the team with 31 tackles, while recording two tackles for loss and an interception. Jeremy's junior year saw him start in eight games before an injury ended his season. He finished eighth on the team with 29 tackles, three tackles for loss, an interception and a fumble recovery. During his junior year, Jeremy developed a national reputation for blocking kicks, including one he returned 24 yards for a touchdown.
As a senior, Jeremy set the record for the fastest 40-yard dash on the team with a 4.32. He was named team captain and started in every game, leading the USA South Athletic Conference in interceptions and blocked kicks while recording 10 passes broken up and five interceptions—tying for the third most interceptions in a season by a Hawk. He was named first-team All-Conference, earned first-team All-Region honors for special teams and second-team honors as a defensive back and received second-team All-American recognition for his special teams play.
Graduating with a degree in business administration, he spent a year coaching defensive backs for the Hawks before beginning work as a retail sales manager. Still committed to football with a passion, Jeremy spends his summers helping former high school teammates with camps (Next Level Football Camp) they have developed for the kids from his hometown. He is married to Kyndall Murphy and has recently started working in human resources for New South Express, the logistics company for Honda Manufacturing in Lincoln, Ala.
Katie Scott ('13), is a native of Panama City, Fla. and the daughter of Michael, Class of 1979, and Cindy Scott. A four-year varsity player at A. Crawford Mosley High School, she was the school's first women's tennis player to make it to Florida's state tournament in singles, with a 17-0 record her senior year. Growing up, she played competitive USTA junior tennis, earning a national ranking and played against current WTA professionals Sloane Stephens and Danielle Collins. After persistent recruiting by Coach Ximena Moore and the women's tennis team, Katie chose Huntingdon, settling in as the Hawks' No. 1 seed in her freshman year.
During four years at Huntingdon, Katie played 174 matches, earning a 117-57 record, mostly at the No. 1 position. She holds Huntingdon's NCAA-era records for singles wins (63) and total wins (117) and held the record for doubles victories when she graduated. Katie was selected first-team All-Conference in the Great South Athletic Conference and was named to the GSAC All-Academic Team all four years.
In 2011, Katie made it to the final eight of the ITA Regional Tournament, becoming the first Lady Hawk to reach the quarterfinals. Her success propelled her to earn a year-end regional ranking of 14th, the highest ranking for a Huntingdon women's tennis player. In 2015 Katie returned to her alma mater to serve as assistant women's tennis coach. She coached her former teammate, Hannah Still, who tied her career doubles record that year. Today, Katie is back in Panama City practicing real estate and plans to sit for her broker's license soon.
Jenni Reynolds Wingard ('99), a native of Franklin, Tenn., is the daughter of Joe and Kathy Reynolds and a graduate of Franklin High School, where she lettered in soccer and swimming. She was a key member of three state soccer championship teams (1991–1993) and was named team captain her senior year. She and her team were also honored in the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame as the Tennessee Team of the Year following her senior state championship season of 1993.
Entering Huntingdon in1994, Jenni redshirted her first season while rehabbing her torn ACL. She made her first start in the fall of 1995 and went on to start a school-record 75 consecutive games. As a midfielder and striker her redshirt freshman season, Jenni scored seven goals and added four assists. Following a sophomore campaign that saw Jenni finish with nine goals and five assists, she had a breakout junior season from the midfield, where she led the team with 13 goals and eight assists. She was rewarded by being named second-Team All-Region and was voted Best Offensive Player by the team.
Jenni concluded her career with a stellar season in which she recorded a season-record-breaking 20 goals and 13 assists. Included in her senior season was a week in which she had a five-goal performance against Wesleyan College, at which time she surpassed the career-goals-scored record of 35, and a five-assist, one-goal performance against Spring Hill College that led her to her second Southeast Region Player of the Week honor for the year.
Following her senior season, she was selected first-team NAIA South All-Region, nominated Southeastern Region Player of the Year and second-team NAIA All-American. Academically, Jenni was named Scholar Athlete All-Region, Dean's List of High Honors and graduated Kappa Delta Epsilon. Jenni finished her illustrious career as Huntingdon's all-time leader in goals scored (49), assists (30) and total points (79).
After graduating with a degree in early childhood and elementary education, Jenni moved back to Franklin, where she taught 6th grade at Woodland Elementary School and coached soccer at Centennial High School. In the spring of 2001, Jenni married Huntingdon alumnus and former baseball player Art Wingard '98 and in Feb. 2005 gave birth to their only child, Paxton. After 15 years of service to the Williamson County education system, they decided to return to the Montgomery area, where she teaches fourth grade and coaches at Saint James School.