HENRICO COUNTRY, Va. (WTKR) — For the first time in its five decade existence, the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame celebrating its induction ceremony away from Hampton Roads.
Nine new members took their place amongst the state's very best on Saturday with two representatives of the 757 joining them.
Former William & Mary soccer star Jill Ellis was one of the first to speak during the ceremony. In her career with the Tribe, Ellis scored 32 career goals and earned a third-team All American honor in 1987.
"I feel so fortunate by that choice," Ellis said. "It really did prep me up for the rest of my life, the foundation that I built there. Obviously the competition, I went and played four years there. It was a great memory."
What she built during her time in Williamsburg would only grow as one of the sport's most decorated coaches.
In 14 seasons as an NCAA coach, she collected 248 total wins and qualified for eight College Cups. She would then take the reigns of the United States Women's National Team, guiding the squad to back-to-back World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019.
"There's a ton of fingerprints when a trophy is lifted," Ellis said. "Much like my journey and this honor, there's a ton of people that have supported me on this and helped me get to this point."
Joining her in the class was Portsmouth's LaShawn Merritt. After taking home multiple VHSL state track titles while running at Woodrow Wilson High School (now Manor High School), Merritt would go on to achieve international stardom.
He won 23 medals, 19 of them gold, while competing on the worldwide stage. That includes a trio of Olympic gold medals, which he won during the 2008 and 2016 Games.
"I had people around who'd always say, 'Man you were just born fast.' And I'd say, 'No it's a lot more than that,'" Merritt said. "I've always taken pride in putting it together mentally but also being a great person of character."
In the years since hanging up the running shoes, Merritt has remained committed to trying to help the next generation learn from his example.
"My mom works in the school systems, I'd always come back to Virginia and talk to the kids," he said. "I know the people that came before me, I wanted to give hope to the people that came after me."
"There's something in the water in Hampton Roads, and I'm glad amongst one of the greats."
Also included in the nine-person class were included a trio of Charlottesville representatives: former Virginia defensive star and Super Bowl champion Chris Long, longtime UVA athletic director Craig Littlepage, and Cavalier women's basketball standout Monica Wright Rogers.
Legendary Randolph-Macon men's basketball coach Hal Nunnally, former Special Olympics Virginia president Rick Jeffrey, longtime Virginia Tech sports information director Dave Smith, and Paul Woody, who was a columnist at the Richmond News Leader and Richmond Times-Dispatch for four decades, rounded out the newest inductees.
The Norfolk Tides were also honored as the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame's Steve Guback Sportsperson of the Year Award recipient, honoring the team's run to a Triple-A national championship in 2023.
