HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Dr. Robert Alexander, Dane Burkhart, Jami Cornwell and Mandy Gerolstein Wilkinson were inducted into the inaugural Peach Belt Conference Hall of Fame, which was revealed Tuesday evening.
Twenty-five members of the Hall of Fame were formally inducted on the 25th anniversary of the league. The class was divided into Founding Fathers, Student-Athletes and Coaches and Administrators.
Alexander was named Chancellor of the University of South Carolina Aiken in 1983 and served in that capacity until his retirement in 2000. He was at the forefront of the discussions for a new Division II athletic conference in 1988 at a meeting in Greenville, S.C., and later hosted the December 3, 1989, meeting where the foundations for the Peach Belt Conference were laid. A tireless advocate of creating a league that emphasized both athletic and academic success, Dr. Alexander was elected by the other Presidents and Chancellors as the Chairman of the PBAC Board of Directors, hosted the first PBC annual meetings in Aiken and served as chairman and was also elected the first PBAC President. He negotiated the contract for the hiring of the first PBAC Commissioner, Marvin Vanover.
Under Dr. Alexander's leadership, USC Aiken, once a small branch of the University of South Carolina, began to thrive. Enrollment doubled, and student/faculty ratios are among the lowest within South Carolina's state assisted four year public institutions. Undergraduate degree programs tripled, and several graduate programs became a part of the university.
During his tenure as Chancellor, Dr. Alexander was a strong advocate for Pacer athletics and was instrumental in getting the initial funding for the Convocation Center. The following intercollegiate sports were added at USC Aiken while Chancellor: men's soccer (1984), softball (1987), women's cross country (1989), men's tennis (1992), women's tennis (1996) and women's soccer (1997).
USC-Aiken saw dramatic improvements in its infrastructure during Dr. Alexander's tenure. Among them are the expansion of the Gregg-Graniteville Library and the Etherredge Center for Fine Arts in 1986, and the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center and the School of Nursing Building in 1999; construction of a state-of-the-art Sciences Building in 1989; the Children's Center and the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center in 1991; the Business Education Building in 1994; the DuPont Planetarium in 1995; the natatorium in 1997; relocation of the historic Pickens-Salley House to the USC-Aiken Campus; and acquisition of Pacer Downs student apartments.
In 1999, he received the Earl Kaufftman Award from the USC-Aiken Academy for Lifelong Learning for his commitment to providing educational opportunities for senior citizens. The Student Personnel Association at the University of South Carolina awarded him the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 1996. In 1990, the University of South Carolina Black Faculty and Professional Staff Association honored him with an honorable mention award for Affirmative Action. The South Carolina Association of Higher Continuing Education presented him with the Outstanding President's Award in 1987. In 1985, Dr. Alexander was selected as Man of the Year by the Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce.
He reached the pinnacle of service to the State of South Carolina in May of 2000 when he was bestowed the Order of the Palmetto, the highest designation the governor awards to an individual.
In 2000, Dr. Alexander announced his retirement after 17 years of service. He was named Distinguished Chancellor Emeritus and remains a vital and active part of the Aiken Community. He established the Pauline F. & Joseph C. Alexander Memorial Scholarship, named for his parents, and with his wife founded the Robert & Leslie Alexander Program Endowment, which provides funds to enhance programs, scholarships and learning at the University of South Carolina Aiken.
Burkhart was at the center of the USC Aiken golf dynasty that won three straight national championships at USC Aiken from 2004 to 2006. From Aiken, S.C., he was the 2003 PBC Freshman of the Year and named the co-Player of the Year in 2005. A three-time All-Conference selection and three-time All-American, he helped the Pacers to three straight NCAA Southeast Regional titles and three Peach Belt Conference championships.
Burkhart never finished lower than seventh in any of the four Peach Belt Championships he played. He won the 2005 PBC Individual Medalist honor with rounds of 68-70-67=205 which, at the time of his induction, remains the lowest 54-hole score in PBC tournament history.
He set a school record with a 71.74 stroke average in 2004-05 which is sixth on the PBC's All-Time list. He won six total tournaments in his career, also tied for sixth in the PBC record book.
In addition to his All-America and conference honors, he won the Jack Nicklaus award in 2005 given to the DII National Player of the Year. He also won the Arnold Palmer award given to the medalist at the DII National Championships, which he won with scores of 71-68-68-72=279 (-5). He finished as the runner-up in the National Championship the following year.
Burkhart, who graduated with a degree in Business Administration in 2006, was also selected to play on team USA against Japan in Stanford in 2005.
Cornwell was a two-sport star at USC Aiken, earning numerous accolades in both softball and women's basketball.
Cornwell was a three-time All-Peach Belt Conference selection in softball (2001, 2002 and 2004). She was also named to the All-Tournament team in the Peach Belt Conference in 2001.
A shortstop, Cornwell (1999-2004) led the Pacers to two 30-win seasons during her time with the program, leading the team in batting average in all four of her seasons with the Pacers.
Cornwell concluded her Pacer softball career second in school history in batting average, hits, on-base percentage, total bases and sacrifice hits. She concluded her career owning the Peach Belt Conference record for most assists with 561. She still holds the mark to this day.
In total, Cornwell concluded her softball career in the top five in school history in 12 different categories.
Cornwell was named the Peach Belt Conference Softball Freshman of the Year in 2000, which was the same year that she was named the Peach Belt Conference Women's Basketball Freshman of the Year. She is the only student-athlete in Pacer history to claim Freshman of the Year accolades in two sports in the same year.
In addition to claiming Freshman of the Year plaudits in 2000, Cornwell, a point guard, was a three-year team captain on the women's basketball team at USC Aiken. She helped lead the Pacers to back-to-back Peach Belt Conference North Division titles (2000-01 and 2001-02) and the program's first ever appearance in the NCAA Division II top 25.
A four-time All-PBC selection (2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003) in women's basketball, Cornwell was a Dodge Trucks Honorable Mention All-America selection in 2001. She was a women's Division II Bulletin Freshman All-American in 2000.
Strong in the classroom as well, Cornwell was a three-time ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District choice (2001, 2002 and 2003).
A three-time Peach Belt Conference women's basketball Player of the Week, Cornwell is one of three women's basketball players at USC Aiken to have their jerseys retired. She is the only softball player to have their jersey retired.
Both of Cornwell's jerseys were retired at the USC Aiken annual athletic banquet in May of 2004.
Mandy Gerolstein (married named Wilkinson) was a dominant force in PBC volleyball from 2004-08. A three-time All-Conference selection, she was the 2007 Player of the Year and an Academic All-American.
A seven-time PBC Player of the Week selection, she was named the MVP of the 2006 PBC Tournament and helped the Pacers to back-to-back tournament championships and NCAA appearances. She led the PBC in hitting percentage in 2007 at .404 and led in blocks in 2006 with 1.41 per set. At the time of her induction, she is ninth on the PBC's all-time kills list with 1,455 and fifth on the all-time blocks list with 484.
Wilkinson was equally impressive in the classroom. She was named the USC Aiken Female Freshman Student-Athlete of the Year in 2004, the USCA Biology Student of the Year in 2008 and the 2007-08 Peach Belt Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She is one of only five PBC volleyball players to ever be named a CoSIDA Academic All-American.
Upon graduating from USC Aiken, she attended Johns Hopkins University where she received her master's degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. Her jersey was retired by USC Aiken in 2008 and she was inducted into the USC Aiken Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014. She lives in North Carolina and is the mother of two girls.
Complete Hall of Fame List
