AUGUSTA, GA – As the highlight of its 25th Anniversary celebration, the Peach Belt Conference is pleased to announce its inaugural Hall of Fame class. Twenty-five former student-athletes, coaches and administrators will be inducted into the newly created Hall of Fame, the induction ceremony will be held on Tuesday, May 31, at the Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island. You can see the entire 2016 class here.
“This inaugural class really demonstrates what makes the Peach Belt Conference so special,” said PBC commissioner David Brunk. “You see some of the finest student-athletes to ever play in Division II and a group of coaches and administrators whose talent and dedication have created a conference that has stood among the best in the nation for the past 25 years.”
The inductees were selected by the PBC Hall of Fame committee:
- Clint Bryant, Athletic Director at Augusta University
- Randy Warrick, Athletic Director at the University of South Carolina Aiken
- Bob Stoner, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Media at Lander University
- Michael Hawkins, Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations at Francis Marion University
- Michael MacEachern, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Communications at Young Harris College
- Christie Ward, Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator at Georgia Southwestern State University
Dane Burkhart – USC Aiken
Dane 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.
Ben Madgen – Augusta State University
Madgen finished his four-year career in 2010 as one of the most accomplished men’s basketball players in Peach Belt history. Named the PBC Freshman of the Year in 2007 and the PBC Player of the Year in 2010, he is one of only two men’s basketball players in league history to be named All-Conference four times. As of his inauguration into the PBC Hall of Fame, he remains the PBC’s all-time leading scorer with 2,306 points and is the only PBC player to surpass 2,000 career points.
Aside from his many individual accomplishments, Madgen was an integral part of the Augusta University teams that made league history by appearing in three straight Elite Eights from 2008-10; something no other league team has ever done. He played in the 2008 National Championship game and was the leader on a squad that won three straight PBC regular-season championships and the 2009 PBC Tournament championship where he was named tournament MVP.
A native of Williamstown, Australia, Madgen is ranked third in the PBC record books in three-pointers made in a career with 277 and is 15th all-time with his 17.5 scoring average. A two-time All-American, he was a finalist for the National Player of the Year in 2010.
Madgen had his number, 1, retired by Augusta University in 2010 and received his BBA degree in Management. He played for five years in the NBL, the professional basketball league of Australia, leading the league in scoring in 2013, before moving on to play professionally in Belgium in 2015.
Madgen and the Jaguars celebrate winning the 2009 PBC Tournament.
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