MONTGOMERY, Ala. ---- The Auburn University at Montgomery Department of Athletics has announced the addition of five new honorees to his Hall of Fame for the Class of 2018.
Albert Lewis (men's basketball), Ximena Rodriguez (women's tennis), Masego Ntshingane and Thorhallur Hinriksson (men's soccer) and Helga Osk Hannesdottir (women's soccer) will take their place alongside the greatest student-athletes, coaches and administrators in AUM history as the 12th class to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Lewis, a Montgomery, Ala., native, appeared in 114 games for AUM from 1991-95, scoring 1,698 career points, a mark which ranks fifth most in school history. He averaged 14.9 points per contest throughout his time with the then-Senators, posting the fourth-most points in a season during his senior year with 636. He helped lead the team to an appearance in the NAIA National Tournament in 1993-94, earning NAIA Honorable Mention All-American honors following the year. He holds the school record for points in a game with 45 against William Carey in 1994, hitting a record-tying 10 3-pointers in the contest. He also tallied a 44-point effort that same year against Voorhees. At the time of his selection, Lewis held the career record for free throws with 389 and was second in free throw attempts with 507. He ranked 11th in free throw percentage for his career at 76.8. He was third all time in 3-pointers made with 195 and fifth in field goals made with 534. He scored 20 or more points in 30 games during his career, scoring 30 or more six times and 40 or more on two occasions.
A four-time First-Team NAIA All-American, Rodriguez was a key contributor for the Senators from 1997-2001. The Colombia native helped the team to a 68-12 record and was a standout on three NAIA National Championship Teams (1999, 2000 and 2001). During her freshman season, Rodriguez teamed with fellow Hall of Famer Cecilia Hincapie to capture the Fall ITA Small College National Doubles Championship and the Fall Super Bowl Doubles Championship. The duo also won the NAIA National Tournament Doubles Championship that spring. Prior to her sophomore season, Rodriguez was one of two players in the program's history to be selected the ITA's National Player to Watch. Later that year, she repeated as the NAIA National Doubles champion, this time with Natalia Gonzalez, en route to helping the team to the national title. In 2003, Rodriguez was hired as the head women's tennis coach at Huntingdon College in Montgomery. At the time of her selection, she has recorded a career record of 203-97, touting 14 consecutive winning seasons and two NCAA Tournament appearances. She holds the school record for victories in women's tennis with the Hawks.
Ntshingane played from 2001-04 for the Senators, helping lead the men's soccer squad to a 77-14-3 record, four NAIA National Tournament appearances and two NAIA National Runner-Up finishes in 2001 and 2004. A two-time all-conference performer, he was named Second-Team NAIA All-American in 2002 and was a NAIA Honorable Mention All-America honoree in 2004. During his career, the Gabarone, Botswana, native started 65 of 67 games and tallied 38 goals and 19 assists. AUM won 20 or more games in three of his four seasons. Ntshingane played for the Botswana U-17, U-20 and U-23 teams, before earning 33 caps with the Botswana Senior National Team. He also participated for Botswana in qualifiers for theAfrican Cup of Nations and World Cup tournaments. Ntshingane has also been active with the Football Association of Botswana, where he has served as a National Executive Member and as the Chairman of the Technical Director and Youth Development committee of the organization.
A four-year standout from 2002-05, Hinriksson was a four-time all-conference performer, a three-time NAIA All-American honoree and a NAIA Academic All-American during his time at AUM. A native of Reykjavik, Iceland, Hinriksson helped lead the Senators to a 77-13-3 record overall and four NAIA National Tournament appearances, including a National Runner-Up finish in 2004. In 2003, he was named a Second-Team NAIA All-American after tallying 14 goals and 11 assists on the year. He also was named NAIA Honorable Mention All-American in 2004 and 2005, earning Academic All-American honors in 2005. At the time of his selection, he was tied for seventh all time in matches played with 83 to his credit and was 11th in total points with 88. Hinriksson tallied 38 goals and 22 assists during his AUM career. He played 13 games for the Icelandic U-17 National Team, 13 games for the Icelandic U-19 National Team, one game for the Icelandic U-21 National Team and five games for the Icelandic A National Team, scoring nine international goals for his country. Hinriksson earned both a bachelor's and master's degree in business administration from AUM.
Hannesdottir, a Reykjavik, native helped lead the Senators to four regional tournaments, a pair of national tournaments and a 66-19-6 record during her career. She was named a Second-Team NAIA All-American in 2002 and earned NAIA Honorable Mention All-American in 2005. In addition, she earned all-conference honors in 2002, 2003 and 2005, being named the Georgia-Alabama-Carolina Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2002. Hannesdottir started all 51 games during her career, tallying 14 goals and 27 assists. She recorded 17 assists during her freshman season, a mark that was the second-best season total in program history at the time of her selection. She also ranked fifth in career assists. Hannesdottir played in 16 games for the Icelandic U-21 National Team and 30 contests for the Icelandic A National Team. An excellent student off the field, she earned NAIA Scholar Athlete honors in 2003 and 2005 and graduated Magna Cum Laude from AUM with a bachelor's degree in business administration.
The 2018 Hall of Fame Classes will be formally inducted at a reception on Saturday, May 18, 2019 on AUM's campus. Tickets for the event are $20. For ticket information, contact Tim Lutz via email at tlutz1@aum.edu or phone at 334-244-3832.
