ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Five former student-athletes and a former head coach have been selected for induction into the 2026 class of the Winthrop Athletics Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30 at the Richardson Ballroom, DiGiorgio Campus Center.
The five former student-athletes being inducted are Gary Baker (men’s soccer), Kandrick Cooper (men’s track & field), Emily Heckl (volleyball), Jeremy Keller (baseball), and Kim Segars (women’s basketball). Former Winthrop head men’s and women’s cross country/track & field coach Ben Paxton also headlines the 2026 induction class.
The Winthrop Athletics Hall of Fame was created in 2001 and this year’s inductees bring the membership to 105 individuals and 16 Teams of Distinction.
Here are more details:
Gary Baker (1991-94) – Baker was a four-year starter for the men’s soccer team as a defender. He was a four-time Big South All-Conference selection and a 1991 Big South All-Tournament Team selection. Voted to the Big South Conference 1990-99 All-Decade Team, Baker was a three-time first team selection as an NSCAA All-Academic Regional All-American and three-time NSCAA All-Academic All-Region. He helped the Eagles amass a record of 42-32-6 overall and 16-13-2 in Big South play. As a freshman, he started all 21 games and helped lead the Eagles to the championship match of the Big South Conference Tournament. As a senior, he played a pivotal role in the Eagles setting a program record for wins (13) as an NCAA DI member. That year the Eagles were 13-5-1 and had a 6-2 record in conference play which tied for the most league wins at the time. The 6-2 mark was also a program record for winning percentage in league play. Baker finished his career with seven goals and 20 assists over 76 games (74 starts).
Kandrick Cooper (2004-09) – Cooper is one of the most decorated athletes in Winthrop's history of track & field. He won seven out of a possible eight Big South titles between the 60m (indoor) and 110m hurdles (outdoor) during this career. He held the Big South Conference record for 55m hurdles, 60m hurdles and 110m hurdles. Cooper was also a member of the 4x100 relay team that earned all-conference honors in 2006 and 2007. He was a four-time NCAA qualifier and in 2007 was named to the NCAA All-East Region Team. His achievements prompted his selection to the 2000-09 Big South Conference All-Decade Team for Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field. Cooper owns the Winthrop record in the 60m hurdles which he accomplished while capturing the same event at the 2007 Big South Championship. He also still holds the program mark for the 110m hurdles which he set at the 2009 NCAA East Preliminary in 2009 which was also a Big South record at the time.
Emily Heckl (2003-06) – Heckl played a key role as the starting setter for the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Big South Conference Championship teams. She earned All-Conference honors in 2003, 2004 and 2006. In 2006, she was voted as the Big South Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year. She finished her career as the all-time leader in assists (4,890) as she ranked first, second and third for most in assists in a single-season. Heckl was named to the Big South All-Tournament Team and Big South All-Freshman Team in 2003. During her four-year career, she helped the team to three titles, as well as posting a record of 117-26 overall and 52-4 in the Big South. Heckl still owns the record for assists in a five-set match (74). In 2004 the Eagles became the 6th program in conference history to go undefeated in league play and then the 2005 team became the 7th all-time. Winthrop was the first league team in history to go undefeated in back-to-back conference seasons.
Jeremy Keller (1993-96) – Keller was a two-time Big South All-Conference selection and was picked as the 1996 Big South Conference Player of the Year. He played a big role in the success of the program as a player and later as an assistant coach. Voted to the 1990-99 Big South All-Decade Team, Keller was a key component to the 1995 Big South Championship team that made the first NCAA Regional in program history. He was eventually named to the 1995 NCAA All-Regional Tournament Team (East). That year the Eagles earned their first even NCAA D1 National Ranking, coming in at 24th. The Eagles also traveled to Tallahassee, Florida, and knocked off No.1 Florida State and won 27-of-33 games heading into the NCAA Regional. Keller hit the go-ahead home run in extra innings that lifted the Eagles past the top-ranked Seminoles. The 1995 team was 41 games (41-17-2), the team’s first 40-win season at the D1 level. In 1996, Keller was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 24th round of the MLB Draft. From 2002-04, Keller became an assistant coach, helping the team to a 2003 Big South Conference Regular Season Title. During his last two seasons, the Eagles combined for 52 wins and 31 wins in the Big South. Keller finished his career as one of the all-time leaders in a number of offensive categories. When he graduated, he held the record for home runs in a single-season, 4th in on-base percentage and 5th in slugging percentage. He currently still ranks among the career leaders in doubles, home runs, RBI, and walks.
Ben Paxton (1993-2025) – Paxton enjoyed a 32-year career coaching the men’s and women’s indoor/outdoor track & field teams, as well as the men’s and women’s cross country programs. Under Paxton's watch, 121 individual athletes captured both Big South track and cross country titles, while 420 athletes were named Big South All-Conference selections. Paxton also guided the Eagles to two Big South team titles in cross country in 2000 and 2001. Among his honors, Paxton was named the Big South Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2001 after back-to-back men's cross country titles for the Eagles. He was also named the outdoor track coach of the year in 1999 and 2004 and indoor track coach of the year in 2000. Paxton oversaw incredible success nationally as 46 athletes in the Garnet and Gold advanced to the NCAA Regional Qualifiers in cross country and both indoor and outdoor track. Ten of those athletes advanced to the NCAA Championships, with nine Top 20 finishes, four Top 10 finishes and five All-American selections on the biggest stage in the sport. With the induction of Kandrick Cooper, there are now eight former Track & Field/Cross Country athletes in the Winthrop Hall of Fame.
Kim Segars (1985-89) – Segars was a key player during the program’s transition from NAIA to NCAA Division. A three-time Big South All-Conference selection, she was the first three-time all-conference selection in program history and is just 1-of-6 all-time to garner all-conference selection three times. In 1988, Segars was voted to the Big South All-Tournament Team and was also voted to the Big South Conference 1986-89 All-Decade Team. She ended her career as the program’s all-time leading scorer and second all-time in rebounds. Segars is still ranked in the Top 30 all-time for career points in Big South Conference history at 28th with 1,517 and ranks 77th all-time in rebounds (633). She is 1-of-81 players in league history with 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. Segars led the Big South in field goals made in 1987-88 and 1988-89 while she also led the league in field goal percentage in 1988-89. Segars' career scoring average of 18.50 ppg still ranks third all-time in league history. She still owns a share of the program record for free throws made in a single-game (18). Following her career at Winthrop she eventually coached high school and AAU, coaching some familiar names along the way in A’Ja Wilson, Alaina Coates, Kaydra Ducket and India Farmer.
For more information, contact Brett Redden, assistant athletic director for athletic communications, at 803/323-2129, ext. 6246 (office) or at reddenb@winthrop.edu.
