Skip to content
USAW

Olympian Haley Augello selected Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Amateur Female Athlete of the Year

Share:

by Travis Chell, King University

Haley Augello hits a double leg takedown at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors.


BRISTOL, Tenn. – King University women's wrestler Haley Augello had a memorable 2016, and she will add another award to her mantle this summer. The Olympian was selected as the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame's Amateur Female Athlete of the Year.


Augello and the three other honorees will be recognized at the 51st Induction Banquet on Saturday, June 3 at the Omni Nashville. The other honorees are Justin Gatlin, Professional Male Athlete of the Year, Christian Coleman, Amateur Male Athlete of the Year and the Rhodes College women's golf team as the Amateur Team of the Year.


Augello became the first King athlete to compete for the United States at any Olympic Games when she competed in women's wrestling at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, placing ninth at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. At the event, Augello went 1-2, winning her first match 7-0 over 2015 World bronze medalist Jessica Blaszka of Netherlands before falling to eventual gold medalist and three-time World Champion Eri Tosaka of Japan. Augello then had a chance to comeback and wrestle for bronze, but fell to two-time World bronze medalist Zhuldyz Eshimova of Kazakhstan 3-2.


Following the Olympics, Augello returned to campus and went 9-1 on the season with six wins by technical fall. Her only loss came two weight classes higher than her regular 116-pound weight class. She helped King win their fourth straight National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Duals title and fourth straight Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) national championship. In the process, Augello won her third WCWA national title in three tries.


In conjunction with the honoree class, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame will be inducting 10 members into the Hall of Fame: Ashley McElhiney Ayers, Vanderbilt University Women’s Basketball player and the 1st female coach of a male professional basketball team, Nashville Rhythm; Chantelle Anderson, Vanderbilt University Women’s Basketball star and former 2nd overall pick of the 2003 WNBA Draft; Julius Chuck Meriwether, former Major League Baseball Umpire; Chad Clifton, University of Tennessee and Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame Offensive Lineman; Al Wilson, University of Tennessee All-American Linebacker and 1st Round selection of the 1999 NFL Draft. Additional inductees include Haskel Stanback, University of Tennessee and Atlanta Falcons Running Back; Candy Reynolds, Knoxville-born Professional Tennis player; Willie Gault, University of Tennessee All-American Wide Receiver and 1st Round selection of the 1983 NFL Draft. Rounding out the class are posthumous inductions for Graham Vowell, University of Tennessee’s 1st AllAmerican, and Burnis “Wild Bill” Wright, a Negro League All-Star and Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame member.

King to receive Champion Within Award from Tennessee Sports HOF


BRISTOL, Tenn. – The last four years for the King University women's wrestling team has included eight national championships, as head coach Jason Moorman has brought the program into a perennial power. This summer, the program can add another award to their list when they are recognized by the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame as a Champion Within on June 3.


The Tornado will be receiving one of six Champion Within awards from the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. King will be recognized as Champions as Pioneers.


"This recognition is a great honor for our program and for King," head coach Jason Moorman said. "We are so thankful for those student-athletes and coaches who have been a part of our women's wrestling team these past years and all they have accomplished. This is something we all should be very proud of."


The nationally prominent King University women's wrestling team took home their seventh and eighth national championships during the 2016-17 season, all coming in the last four years. The top-ranked Tornado earned their fourth straight National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Duals championship, when they defeated fourth-ranked McKendree University 24-19 in the championship dual.


A month later, King took their fourth straight Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) national championship, defeating their nearest competitor, Simon Fraser University, by nearly 20 points. At the WCWA National Championships, King had three individual national champions, three runners-up and nine All-Americans.


"We're extremely proud of our student-athletes in the women's wrestling program," Director of Athletics David Hicks said. "They are indeed champions in every way. Champions aren't made during the competition, they're made in the hours, weeks and days spent sacrificing and training. They're made from the inner discipline and strength that indeed comes from within. This award exemplifies our ideals at King – we value the traits that win championships more than we value the championships. And that is why these women are champions."


Over the four year run, King has had 14 individual WCWA National Champions and 47 WCWA All-Americans while winning the WCWA Team Scholastic Award each season. Jason Moorman, the Tornado head coach, has been named WCWA Coach of the Year three times. In the history of the program, the Tornado have had 19 individual WCWA National Champions, all coming since 2011, and 85 All-Americans as well as winning six WCWA Team Scholastic Awards.


The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame will host their Champion Within Luncheon, June 3 at the Omni Nashville Hotel. The Champion Within Luncheon gives the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame the opportunity to celebrate the success of outstanding individuals who display great character and embody the belief that champions are made from a passion they have deep inside of them – a desire, a dream and commitment. The incredible people that we honor inspire each of us with their dedication and hard work that has led to their success.

2017 Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Champion Within Recipients

Tim Shaw – Character Award

Jeff Jacoby – Courage Award

Tennessee SC 16 – Championship Award

Mario Reed – Perseverance Award

King University Women's Wrestling – Champions as Pioneers

Matthew Drumright – Heart of a Champion


The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame's goal is to enshrine successful teams and individuals who display sportsmanship, good character and success by creating a legacy for others to follow. The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame is housed inside the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and is celebrating 50 years of Tennessee Sports history (1966-2016).

Read More#