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Jameer Nelson heads St. Joe's Hall of Fame class

Jameer Nelson, who led the St. Joseph's men's basketball team to the Elite Eight in 2004 and now plays point guard for the NBA's Orlando Magic, headlines the Class of 2011 for the school's Athletics Hall of Fame, with the induction set for November 5 at McShain Hall. Joining Nelson as inductees will be: Steve Ave '87 (men's track), Vicki Boyer '94 (cross country/track), Phil Greipp '64 (men's rowing), Mike Hauer '70 (men's basketball), Dan Kelly '70 (men's basketball), Kevin Kirkby '01 (baseball) and Terri Mohr '86 (women's basketball).

The event will be held in the Haub Executive Center, on the Fifth Floor of McShain Hall. For tickets, call 610-660-1707 or email athletics@sju.edu.

The winner of the 2004 John R. Wooden Award, Nelson, a Chester native, was a first team All-America selection. He finished his Hawks career as the all-time leader in points (2,094), assists (713) and steals (256). He was chosen in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft by Denver and then traded to Orlando.

Ave set a number of school records on the track, four of which still stand today.  The New Hope, Pa., native was part of the Hawks' fastest-ever indoor distance medley relay squad that qualified for the 1985 NCAA Championships. He still holds the records for the 1,500 meters and 5,000-meter outdoors and the 1,000 meters indoors. Ave was inducted into the SJU Track Hall of Fame in 1998.

Boyer was one of the top distance runners in SJU history, earning Atlantic Ten All-Conference honors for three seasons. As a senior, she became the first Saint Joseph's runner to win an individual title at the 1993 A-10 Cross Country Championship, while helping the Hawks to the team title. She is just one of five SJU runnersto qualify for the NCAA Indoor Track Championships. She was inducted into to the Saint Joseph's Cross Country and Track Hall of Fame in 2002.

Greipp was a leader on the men's rowing teams of the early 1960s, which were among the most successful in the East. During his career he rowed as the stroke in the Hawks Freshman 8, the Junior Varsity 8 and the Varsity 8 boats. A native of Springfield, Pa., he was a member of Saint Joseph's Varsity 8 that placed second at the Dad Vail Regatta in 1964.

Hauer and Kelly teamed up to be the Hawks' most prolific scorers of that era of SJU basketball. Hauer, a 6-foot-4 forward, scored 1,496 points and at the time of his graduation, was Saint Joseph's third all-time leading scorer. He is fifth on the school's career rebounding list with 976. Kelly a 5-10 guard from Glenside, Pa., tallied 1,524 points and was second on the all-time scoring list when he finished his career and now ranks 15th. He was selected to the All-Big 5 First Team in both 1968 and 1970. Kelly and Hauer were both inducted into the Saint Joseph's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.

Kirkby played in all but one game for the Hawks baseball squad from 1998 to 2001. He is SJU's all-time leader in hits (263) and runs scored (163), and is tied for the most games played in a career (206). Kirkby holds single-season records for hits (84), runs scored (58), and doubles (24) and also ranks in the top three all-time in batting average, doubles, and at bats.  Originally from River Vale, N.J., he also stood out on the mound, setting school records for saves in a single season (7) and a career (12). He was inducted into the SJU Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Mohr helped Saint Joseph's to consecutive NCAA Tournament bids in women's basketball. After transferring to SJU from Auburn, she started all 30 games helping the Hawks to a 25-5 overall record, the Big Five title and the program's first NCAA bid in 1985. Mohr was inducted to the Saint Joseph's Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.

Gary Potosky