The Chattanooga Athletics Department and Office of Alumni Affairs announced the Class of 2012 inductees into the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame on Wednesday. The Mocs will welcome six new members at the annual ceremony on Feb. 22 at the Chattanooga Country Club.
This year’s inductees include Josh Cain (football), Susan Carson (women’s tennis), Neil Connolly (men’s golf), Catherine Neely (volleyball & women’s basketball), Katasha Brown Flatt (women’s basketball) and Scott Zaccaria (men’s tennis).
“We are excited to welcome in such a deserving and qualified group to the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame,” said UTC Interim Director of Athletics Laura Herron. “They all represented UTC in an exemplary fashion during their time as student-athletes and we are proud to honor them with their induction into the Hall of Fame.”
Josh Cain, football (1999-2002)
Cain was a two-time All-American for the Mocs and is widely remembered for recording an NCAA FCS-record 30 tackles against The Citadel on Nov. 3, 2001. He was named to the All-Century team as one of the top linebackers in the first 100 years of UTC football.
Cain led the Southern Conference in tackles in both his junior and senior seasons. He recorded 144 stops in 2001, topping that with a school-record 192 in 2002. He was named All-SoCon in his final two years at UTC.
Cain, a two-time team MVP, is currently second all-time at UTC with 511 total tackles.
Susan Carson, women’s tennis (1975-78)
Carson was an All-American women’s tennis player for the Mocs, helping start one of the most dominant runs by any sport at UTC, which included three-straight national championships.
She was a member of the Lady Mocs 1977 and 1978 AIAW Small College National Championship teams, earning All-American honors in 1978. Carson was also a member of the volleyball team throughout her career at UTC,
Neil Connolly, men’s golf (1983-93)
Connolly was a three-time All-Southern Conference selection for Chattanooga. He was the first Moc to advance to the NCAA Regionals, earning an at-large bid in both his junior and senior seasons.
In 1992, he helped the Mocs to a fifth-place finish at the SoCon Championships, then went on to compete at the NCAA Regionals hosted by Colgate, but did not make the cut for the NCAA Championships.
As a senior in 1993, Connolly and the Mocs tied for second at the SoCon Tournament, and he again earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Regionals hosted by Virginia. There he was the top golfer to advance to the NCAA Championships at Champion Trace Golf Club in Lexington, Ky.
Katasha Brown Flatt, women’s basketball (2003-06)
Brown Flatt was a two-time Southern Conference Women’s Player of the Year, and helped lead the Lady Mocs to their most successful four-year run in school history. UTC compiled a 107-17 record during her career, winning the SoCon regular season title and advancing to the postseason all four years.
In 2004, Brown guided the Lady Mocs to a 29-3 record and a memorable 74-69 win over Rutgers in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. She won her first SoCon Player of the Year honor that season, leading UTC to both the SoCon regular season and tournament titles.
She was named SoCon Player of the Year for the second time as a senior in 2006 when UTC finished 27-4 and returned to the NCAA Tournament. Brown is currently seventh all-time in scoring with 1,472 points, and she’s third in three-point field goals with 216.
Catherine Neely, volleyball & women’s basketball
Neely is a legendary high school volleyball and basketball player in the Chattanooga area, and she was also one of the pioneers in the early years of women’s sports at UTC. She led a group of female student-athletes who organized some of the first intercollegiate competition in volleyball and women’s basketball at Chattanooga.
Neely is a member of the National High School Hall of Fame and will coach her 50th season of volleyball at East Ridge High School in 2013. Her career record is 1,381-648. She was also coach of the Lady Pioneers’ basketball team for 43 years, compiling a 625-364 record.
Scott Zaccaria, men’s tennis (1981-84)
Zaccaria was a standout member of the Mocs men’s tennis team, and was the 1984 Southern Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Year — the first UTC student-athlete to take home the league’s top honor.
The Mocs won four Southern Conference team titles during Zaccaria’s career. He won the SoCon individual title at No. 3 singles as a freshman in 1981 and again as a senior in 1984. He also won three doubles titles in his career.