Tulane Athletics Announces Hall of Fame Class of 2022

NEW ORLEANS – The 2022 Tulane Athletics Hall of Fame class was announced today by Green Wave Ben Weiner Director of Athletics Troy Dannen and Hall of Fame Committee Chair Lenny Vangilder.

The five former student-athletes that were selected to the 2022 class include: three-time all-conference performer and NCAA regional participant Keith Graffagnini (1995-98) from the baseball team; first-team All-American and second round draft pick Mark Hamilton (2004-06) from the baseball team; one of the top performers in men's tennis history, Olympian Dominik Koepfer (2012-16); one of the most productive tight ends in school history Larry Route (1983-86) from the football team; and multi-All-American and conference champion winner Merritt Van Meter (2012-14) from the track and field team.

In celebration of the 50^th anniversary of Title IX, three teams - the first female recognized intercollegiate/varsity Green Wave teams will enter the Hall of Fame. These trailblazers are the 1975-76 volleyball team, women's basketball team and women's tennis teams. Each team began a legacy at Tulane and competed in the Louisiana Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (LAIAW) in the late 70s.

The Billy Slatten Award, given annually to someone who has given extraordinary service, commitment and support to Tulane University and its student-athletes, will be presented to the former Green Wave Director of Athletics Kevin White for his transformational leadership of the Green Wave. This award was established in 2004 in honor of William A. "Billy" Slatten, a longtime supporter of Tulane Athletics, a member of the Tulane Board of Trustees and the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee.

"This is a class that should bring a lot of pride for all Tulanians," Dannen said. "Each of these individuals played a significant role in elevating Tulane through their accomplishments. This will be a wonderful evening for all of our inductees and we are excited to welcome them back to campus in the fall."

The induction ceremony for the 2022 Hall of Fame Class has been set for Friday, October 7, 2022 inside the Glazer Family Club.

2022 Tulane Athletics Hall of Fame Class
Keith Graffagnini, Baseball, 1995-98

Served as a team Co-captain 1997 and 1998.
Played on teams went to three regionals and won a total of 163 games.
Earned All-Conference USA First Team (1997), Second Team (1996) and (1998).
Ranks in the top 10 All Time at Tulane in at bats, hits, doubles, RBI, total bases, hit by pitch, chances and putouts.
Played professionally in the Seattle Mariners organization.

Mark Hamilton, Baseball, 2004-06

A 2006 first-team All-America selection by Baseball America and Rivals.com and third-team selection by Collegiate Baseball
In his final season, despite playing his entire home schedule at Zephyr Field, led Conference USA in home runs (20), ranked second in total bases (151) and walks (51), and was third in RBI (69), slugging percentage (.643) and on-base percentage (.461).
Earned First Team All-Conference USA and All-Louisiana and was named Louisiana Hitter of the Year.
Ranked in the top 25 nationally in home runs per game (0.31) and walks per game (0.80)
Started 32 games on Tulane's College World Series team in 2005 and ranked fourth on team in home runs
Homered twice and drove in seven runs in Tulane's 2005 first-round NCAA Tournament victory over Southern University and went on to earn New Orleans Regional MOP honors, hitting .667 with three homers and 11 RBI
Started 30 games as a freshman in 2004 on Oxford Regional championship team, mostly as designated hitter
Selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in second round (76th overall) of 2006 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Played eight professional seasons and reached the major leagues for parts of two years (2010-11) with the Cardinals
After retiring from baseball, earned medical degree from Hofstra and is in the midst of a residency

Dominik Koepfer, Men's Tennis, 2012-16

Earned All-America honors as junior and senior and was named ITA National Men's Senior Player of the Year in 2016 in leading Tulane back to national prominence with top 30 rankings each year
Was ranked No. 1 singles player in country from January through April 2016 and finished the year at No. 4
Tulane's male student athlete of the year in 2015 and 2016
Won the ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship in fall 2015, capping a fall season in which he reached semifinals or better in the three major national championship events
Went 24-5 as a senior against ranked opponents, including eight wins over top 25 players
Was No. 3 overall seed in NCAA Singles Championship as a senior
With doubles partner Chi-Shan Jo, spent all of 2016 ranked in the top 20 and reached as high as No. 7
Finished his career ranked second in Tulane history in singles wins (102) and winning percentage (.780), third in doubles wins (68) and third in overall winning percentage (.734)
Named all-conference three times (once in Conference USA, twice in AAC) and was 2013 C-USA Freshman of the Year
Turned professional after eligibility expired and has reached as high as No. 50 in ATP rankings in singles, posting a 12-10 record in Grand Slam events
Played for native Germany in 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, reaching the round of 16 in singles

Larry Route, Football, 1983-86

One of the two most productive tight ends in school history, behind only Hall of Famer and NFL veteran Rodney Holman
Freshman All-American in 1983 and two-time honorable mention All-America selection
In four seasons at tight end, caught 123 passes for 1,366 yards and 14 touchdowns, the last of which still ranks in Tulane's top 15 all-time
Led Tulane with 38 receptions as a freshman and 46 catches as a sophomore
Had six catches for 120 yards in Tulane's on-field upset of top-10 Florida State in 1983
Selected to Tulane's "All-Dome" team in 2013

Merritt Van Meter, Track and Field, 2012-14

A USTFCCCA Second-Team All-American in the pole vault.
Competed in the 2014 NCAA Championships – was the only Green Wave track and field athlete to compete in the event.
Became just the fifth multi-All-American in Tulane history after placing 16th at the NCAA Indoor National Championships in 2014 with a leap of 4.00 meters (13-1.5).
Earned the Conference USA Gold Medal in the pole vault at the C-USA Indoor Championships (3/1), leaping 4.15 meters (13-7.25) for first place.
Earned USATFCCCA Outdoor All-American honorable mention honors in 2013.
Received First Team All-Louisiana Team honors in the pole vault.
Became the first Green Wave student-athlete to compete in the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor National Championships in the same event during the same season since 2001.
Was a Conference USA Gold Medalist after notching a jump of 4.02 meters (13' 2.25") at the C-USA Outdoor Championships.
Tied for first at the NCAA East Regionals in 2013 with a jump of 4.10 meters (13' 5.25").
Was a three-year member of the Green Wave 3.0 Club and the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll.

1975-76 Volleyball, Women's Basketball and Women's Tennis Teams

The first female recognized intercollegiate/varsity Green Wave teams.
The volleyball team posted a 20-10 record in 1975, winning the Louisiana Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (LAIAW) state title and advancing to the regional championships. The team was coached by Kay Metcalf.
The volleyball team co-captains Becky Dalby and Kim Shaw were also the captains of the basketball team in 1976. The women's basketball team was lead by Coach Karen Womack.
The 1976 tennis team ended the season 5-4, finishing strong by sweeping their last four opponents before taking second place in the LAIAW.

Billy Slatten Award
Kevin White

Tulane Director of Athletics from 1991-1996
During his final five semesters, more than 80 student-athletes earned a 3.0 or better grade-point average
Administered a prosperous 1994-95 campaign as the Green Wave reached the NCAA postseason in four sports (men's basketball, women's basketball, women's track and field, and men's tennis)
Oversaw the men's basketball team advance to postseason play five times during his tenure
Served on numerous NCAA committees, including the NCAA Council as well as the executive committee of the Division I-A Athletic Directors Association.
In 2006-07 served as president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and in 2005-06 as president of the Division I-A Athletic Directors Association
Has earned multiple high-profile awards throughout his career including the GeneralSports TURF Systems Division I-A Central Region Athletic Director of the Year (2006), the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Under Armour AD of the Year Award presented by NACDA (one of four recipients in 2013), the National Football Foundation's John L. Toner award (2015), Sports Business Journal's Athletic Director of the Year award (2015), Bobby Dodd AD of the Year (2015) and the Carl Maddox Sports Management Award (2015).
Prior to Tulane, White served as the director of athletics at the University of Maine and Loras College in Iowa. Following his time at Tulane, he was director of athletics at Arizona State University, Notre Dame and Duke University.

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Tulane Athletics Announces Hall of Fame Class of 2022

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