North Richmond Today

Quintet to Join R-MC Athletics Hall of Fame

Five former Yellow Jacket standouts, including four multi-sport performers, will be added to the R-MC Athletics Hall of Fame.

Jared Mills '03 of men's basketball, Hunter Price '03 of football and men's lacrosse, Erin Sammons '99 of field hockey and women's lacrosse, Mike Thorell '94 of men's soccer, baseball and men's basketball, and Gregg Waters '78 of football and baseball were voted in as the Hall of Fame Class of 2023.

Mills was an NABC First Team All-American as a senior. During the 2002-03 season, he was ODAC Player of the Year, College Division State Player of the Year by VaSID, Richmond Times-Dispatch College Division Player of the Year, All-Region First Team and ODAC Tournament Most Valuable Player. Mille was ODAC Rookie of the Year as a freshman and All-ODAC First Team each of his final three seasons. R-MC was 82-30 during his four-year career. Mills helped the Yellow Jackets win the 2003 ODAC Tournament title and reach the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament in 2002 as well as 2003. Mills is eighth on the school's career scoring list with 1,560 points, eighth in career rebounds with 751 and ninth in field goal percentage at 55.1%.

Price was a four-year letter winner in both football and lacrosse. He owns the career marks in program history with 1,036 pass attempts, 571 completions, 6,359 passing yards and 7,360 yards of total offense. Price was All-ODAC First Team in 2002 after being named Honorable Mention in 2000 and 2001. He was named Virginia State Offensive Back of the Year for Division II/III by the Touchdown Club of Richmond. In lacrosse, Price is 12th in program history with 82 goals and 124 points. He was All-ODAC First Team as a junior as well as Honorable Mention as a sophomore and senior.

Sammons was a four-year letter winner in both field hockey and lacrosse. She owns the field hockey program career records with 59 goals, 34 assists and 152 points. Sammons has the single-season record for assists with 16 and is second for goals in a season with 19. She was All-ODAC Second Team once and All-ODAC First Team twice. Sammons was All-South Region First Team in 1997 and Second Team in 1996. She had nine career goals and four career assists for the women's lacrosse team.

Thorell was the George P. Compton Award winner in 1994 as the top male student-athlete at R-MC. He earned four letters in soccer, four in baseball and one in basketball. Thorell was All-ODAC First Team once and Second Team twice for soccer. He was All-VISA First Team once and All-VISA Second Team once as well as a two-time VISA All-Star. Thorell was All-Region Second Team and a member of the Regional All-Academic Team. Thorell had a career batting average of .294 on the baseball team and led the team in runs in two different seasons.

Waters served R-MC as a student-athlete, coach, and administrator. He was a four-year member of the football team and earned two letters as an offensive lineman for head coach Ted Keller. The Yellow Jackets went 21-13-3 during his four years and won the initial ODAC Championship in 1976. Waters was a four-year letter winner for the baseball team as a catcher and first baseman for head coach Hugh Stephens. R-MC went 68-32 during his four years and earned a bid to the 1977 NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament. Waters succeeded Coach Stephens as baseball head coach and recorded 260 victories in 22 seasons. He was three-time ODAC Coach of the Year. The Yellow Jackets won the 1987 ODAC title and Waters was State College Division Coach of the Year that season. Waters coach seven different ODAC Players of the Year, including six consecutive. Waters was an assistant and associate head coach for the football team from 1982-96, helping R-MC win five ODAC Championships and earn a bid to the 1984 NCAA Playoffs. He coached four football All-Americans. Including football and baseball, Waters coached 11 players who became ODAC Hall of Fame inductees. Waters was Director of Athletics at R-MC from 1998 to 2003.

The induction ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023.

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