USTFCCCA NCAA Division III Track & Field Athlete Hall of Fame Class of 2024 Announced

NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced six inductees into the NCAA Division III Athlete Hall of Fame inductees on Thursday afternoon.

SEE MORE: USTFCCCA NCAA Division III Track & Field Athlete Hall of Fame

The Class of 2024 includes Keelin Godsey of Bates, Ryan Kleimenhagen of UW-Platteville, Ted McMillan of Augustana (Ill.), Melissa Norville of Illinois College, Brad Parris of McMurry and Mary Proulx of Keene State.

Mary Proulx ran so fast that it took nearly two decades for anybody to catch up with her. Back in the spring of 2003, Proulx was well on her way to capping an illustrious collegiate career that saw her win five NCAA titles and earn 15 All-America honors. One month before the NCAA DIII Outdoor Championships, Proulx stepped on the track at the Penn Relays and left her mark on the record book by shattering a longstanding divisional record in the 10,000 meters with her 33:21.80 clocking to win the College Women’s 10,000 Meter Championship. Nobody came within 20 seconds of Proulx’s all-time best until it was finally broken in 2022. Proulx later won the NCAA 10,000-meter crown in what was the second-fastest winning time in meet history.

Melissa Norville turned in a set of performances at the 2013 NCAA DIII Indoor Championships that other athletes could only dream about accomplishing in their careers. Then, Norville did it again at the Outdoor Championships that same year. Norville won three NCAA titles in each venue, culminating in a sweep of both the hurdling and horizontal jump crowns. Norville’s indoor triple made her just one of two women in NCAA DIII history to accomplish that feat (2009 inductee Sheila Trice won four in 1989). Her marks were impressive too, especially in the triple jump where she set a meet record of 12.58m (41-3¼). Norville won three other national titles and earned 19 All-America honors during her illustrious career.

Before Ryan Kleimenhagen stepped on the track for the anchor leg of the distance medley relay at the 2004 NCAA DIII Indoor Championships, male athletes from UW-Platteville hadn’t won an NCAA title in nine years. That soon changed as Kleimenhagen’s final 1600-meter effort sent the Pioneers across the finish line first in a meet record of 9:57.05. Kleimenhagen added three more national titles to that trophy case, as well as several more All-America honors, by the time he wrapped up his legendary career. All of his NCAA crowns came indoors: the final 1500-meter title awarded in meet history in 2004; and both the 800 meters and the inaugural mile in 2005. He was named the USTFCCCA National Men’s Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year following his historic double in that last year.

Brad Parris graduated from McMurry University as one of the most accomplished pole vaulters in NCAA Division III history. Parris was a five-time NCAA champion, achieving a sweep of the indoor and outdoor pole vault titles in both 1999 and 2000, as well as securing an indoor crown in 2001. If we consider only his indoor titles, Parris was only the second man in NCAA DIII history to win three consecutive pole vault crowns at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Additionally, Parris set an NCAA DIII pole vault record of 5.41m (17-9) as a junior and established the meet record of 5.34m (17-6¼) at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the same year. After graduation, Parris became an assistant coach at McMurry and was later elevated to head coach in 2014, a position that he held for several years following the retirement of USTFCCCA Hall of Famer Barbara Crousen.

Ted McMillan was the first male athlete in NCAA history to win both the 400-meter hurdles and high jump at the same NCAA Outdoor Championships. Read that again: NCAA history, not just NCAA DIII history. McMillan accomplished that unprecedented – and yet still unmatched – feat back in 2007, as a sophomore. He won the high jump on the first day of the Championships when he was the only athlete to clear 2.06m (6-9). Then, McMillan took to the track to top the hurdling podium, thanks to a divisional season’s best of 51.50. McMillan racked up accolades in addition to history. He finished his legendary career with three NCAA runner-up finishes, 12 total All-America honors in four events, and captured 18 conference titles across six events.

Keelin Godsey was a giant in what was perhaps the Golden Age of Women’s Throwing in NCAA DIII history. Godsey ruled the hammer throw with an iron fist. The Bates legend won back-to-back national titles in the event with unprecedented marks. Godsey’s first NCAA crown came in 2005 with a heave of 59.55m (195-4) that obliterated both the division record and the meet record. The following year, Godsey one-upped that throw with a majestic 62.92m (206-5) effort that remained the division and meet record until 2017. Godsey, a 16-time All-American across four throwing events, also ranked second in NCAA DIII history in the weight throw following a jaw-dropping duel with 2017 inductee Robyn Jarocki of UW-Oshkosh at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships in Bloomington, Illinois.