Clayton State Athletics Hall of Fame

MORROW, Ga. – Clayton State University has announced the third class to be inducted into its Athletic Hall of Fame, a group that includes Robert Conley of men's basketball, Jackeline Nieto of women's tennis, women's basketball's Candi Wyatt and special inductee Dr. Harry S. Downs, who was Clayton State's first president and established the athletics program in 1990.
 
Not only does this group represent a majority of the first 25 years of Clayton State Athletics, and include members from the NAIA and NCAA era's, it also includes an individual that without whom that illustrious 25-year history would not exist. They will be inducted as the 2016 class and will be honored at the Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony on Friday, February 19.
 
ROBERT CONLEY (Men's Basketball 1997-99)
In just two years as a Laker, Robert Conley, produced a career that some players don't achieve in four years and reached levels that still have not been matched more than 15 years later. A member of Clayton State's men's basketball program from 1997-99, he left as the second-highest scorer in team history, is still just one of six 1,000-point scorers, currently ranking fourth with 1,219 points, and holds numerous records.
 
As a senior in 1998-99, Conley achieved something that no other Laker before or since has when he earned three All-American recognitions in one season. Named a Preseason All-American by Street & Smith's and the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook prior to the start of the season, he would follow that up with Daktronics All-American Third-Team honors following the year. He is still the only Clayton State men's basketball player to be named an All-American.
 
He was also a Daktronics All-Region First-Team choice that year after garnering Second-Team honors the year before and was named to the NABC All-Region Second-Team as a senior. Along with those accolades, Conley was named All-Peach Belt Conference twice, First-Team in 1998-99 and Second-Team as a junior in 1997-98. He was among the first two players to achieve that honor, was a three-time PBC Player of the Week selection and was the first Peach Belt All-Tournament selection in 1997-98.
 
Across career, single season and game records, Conley still appears on Top-10 lists a total of 28 times, including 10 first place rankings. The latter include being the career leader in points per game (22.2) and steals per game (2.2) as well as single season marks of 24.6 points, 664 points, 247 field goals, 72 steals and 2.7 steals per game, all from the 1998-99 season.
 
He also holds the single game record for points with 40 and steals with eight, both set at USC Aiken on January 27, 1999, and made field goals with 17 against Emmanuel on November 28, 1998.
 
DR. HARRY S. DOWNS (Special Inductee – Clayton State President 1969-94)
It is no stretch of the imagination to say that Dr. Harry S. Downs is perhaps the most important person in the 47-year history of Clayton State University and it is a certainty that without his leadership, Laker Athletics would not exist as we know it today.
 
The founding president of then Clayton Junior College in February 1969, Downs served in that role until January 1994 and guided the institution through many landmark moments. Those included the opening of its doors in September of 1969, the construction of five new buildings (three within the first 12 years), its elevation to four-year status as Clayton State College in July of 1986, the addition of numerous academic programs and the beginnings of the founding of the Athletics Department in 1987.
 
Under the guidance of Dean of Students Bo Bolander and Student Life Director Rob Taylor, a group of students led the charge to add intercollegiate athletics to the Clayton State campus. An idea that was fully endorsed by Dr. Downs, this movement grew into a committee of students, faculty and staff which presented a final plan to the campus. That plan was voted on by the entire student body, with 78-percent voting for the inception of intercollegiate athletics.
 
In September of 1989, Dr. Downs hired Mason H. Barfield as the Director of Athletics and head men's basketball coach. It would be a tremendous move as Barfield would go on to serve athletics for more than 20 years and become a member of the Clayton State Athletics Hall of Fame himself. Downs and Barfield laid out a five-year plan to ensure the growth of the department and the results cannot be denied.
 
In the years since Dr. Downs left Clayton State in 1994, the Lakers made the move to the NCAA, added nine more sports and have achieved unprecedented success. Among the accomplishments he made possible were 57 NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, 11 Peach Belt Conference Regular Season Championships, 14 PBC Tournament titles and 55 All-Americans. The crowning achievement from what started with his backing a student lead movement in 1987 – Clayton State women's basketball claiming the 2010-11 national championship – the first in Laker history.
 
Every Clayton State student, student-athlete, faculty member, staff member and Lakers fan – past, present and future - owes Dr. Harry S. Downs a debt of gratitude. Without his vision and direction, Clayton State Athletics may not have existed and certainly would not have grown to its current level of national prominence.
 
JACKELINE NIETO CLEMENTS (Women's Tennis 2001-04)
Jackeline Nieto is the first in a line of tremendous women's tennis players in the history of Clayton State, and the first to be enshrined in the Athletics Hall of Fame. Competing for the Lakers from 2001-04, she is the only individual in Clayton State history to become a five-time All-American and still holds major program records more than a decade after the conclusion of her playing career.
 
Joining a sixth year program as a freshman in 2001, Nieto wasted little time in establishing herself as one of the best players in the country. That year she played at the No. 1 position for the Lakers in both singles and doubles and teamed with Nathalia Collantes in the latter to set a new program wins record with 20. Their .909 winning percentage (20-2), as well as their win total, are marks that still stand to this day.
 
Her performance that season helped lead the Lakers to a 17-3 overall record, No. 10 final national ranking, the first Peach Belt Conference Regular Season Championship in team history and the program's second NCAA Division II Tournament appearance. Amazingly, that would not be one of her All-American seasons – but it would be the last that didn't end with that award.
 
As a sophomore in 2002, she went 16-10 in singles and 17-11 in doubles with Collantes to finish No. 15 and No. 16 in the country, respectively. The Top-20 finish in singles action earned her her first Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American honor and her performance earned the Lakers a trip to somewhere they had never been – the NCAA Division II National Championships.
 
They would earn that trip to Kansas City, Missouri with convincing postseason victories over Lees-McRae and North Florida before falling to Abilene Christian in their third match, finishing with a 16-8 overall record and No. 10 ranking. Following that season, Nieto garnered a pair of impressive awards in the ITA Division II Player to Watch Award and the ITA Division II Mid-Atlantic Regional Player to Watch Award.
 
These would be well deserved and validated during the 2003 season. That year she once again paired with Collantes and delivered a 19-4 overall record to earn All-American honors for the first time. Their .826 winning percentage that year is still tied for second all-time. Nieto wasn't done as she earned All-American recognition in singles for the first time, marking the third such honor of her career. In doubles they finished No. 5 in the country and she was the No. 14 singles player.
 
Her senior season of 2004 would be another stellar one as she took home two more All-American awards, finishing No. 6 in doubles (16-5) and No. 14 in singles. She also led the Lakers to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in her career and fourth in the program's history, as well as a No. 12 final national ranking.  
 
Nieto would close her career as one of the most decorated individuals in program history – a fact that remains true today. She was an All-Peach Belt Conference selection in singles and doubles in each of her last three seasons for a total of six such honors. Paired with Collantes, she is part of the only pairing in Clayton State history to earn three All-Conference honors in doubles and one of just two individuals to accomplish that feat while being the only women's tennis player to earn three All-American honors in singles play.
 
CANDI WYATT (Women's Basketball 1991-95)
Something great doesn't just appear, it is created over time and Candi Wyatt was a tremendous part of making Clayton State women's basketball what it is today. A member of the inaugural team in 1991, she was the team's first 1,000-point scorer and helped lay the foundation for success over her four years as a Laker.
 
A native of Madison, Georgia, Wyatt was Clayton State's second-leading scorer in the 1991-92 season with a 10.5 average and was one of just four players to appear in all 24 games, starting 23. She also averaged 2.3 assists and nearly a steal a game. After a respectable eight win first season, the Lakers took a huge step forward, led by Wyatt.
 
They would finish with a 14-13 overall record and qualify for the NAIA District 25 Playoffs as Wyatt played in all 26 games, starting all but one, and averaging 9.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals. She would be even more impressive as a junior in 1993-94 when she averaged 11.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.0 steals. That season Wyatt would once again play in every game (29) and lead the team in scoring nine times with five of those surpassing 20 points. That included a career-high 23 points at Kennesaw State and career-best 11 boards vs. St. Leo.
 
It would all come together for Wyatt and the Lakers during the 1994-95 season. That year she would start all 31 games and lead the club in scoring at 15.3 per game to go along with 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals in what would be the program's most successful season.
 
That year she helped lead a fourth year Clayton State team to a program record 19 wins against only 13 losses, claiming the first ever league championship as they won the Georgia Athletic Conference. In the GAC title game, they knocked off Georgia Southwestern by an 81-70 score to make more history.
 
That victory earned the Lakers the athletic department's first ever appearance on the national stage with a trip to the NAIA National Tournament. Following the season, Wyatt would earn All-GAC Second-Team honors, becoming just the second student-athlete to do so. On top of that, the team's 19 wins would remain a program record until the 2004-05 season when that year's team made the first of 10 straight NCAA Tournament appearances with a 25-7 record.
 
Wyatt would finish that season with 475 points to surpass the 1,000-point barrier and finish her career with 1,315 points, both marks that still rank third all-time after more than 20 years. She ranks in the Top-10 in three more single season categories, all from that year, with 15.3 points per game (3^rd), 174 field goals (4^th) and 117 free throws (4^th).
 
Her 106 games started are the most all-time for a career, followed by 302 free throws (3^rd), 490 field goals (4^th), 323 assists (4^th), 206 offensive rebounds (6^th), 110 games played (T-7^th), 12.0 points per game (9^th) and 2.9 assists per game (10^th).
 
History
Established in 2013, the Clayton State Athletics Hall of Fame was created to honor former Laker student-athletes, coaches, administrators, faculty/staff and community members who have, by their outstanding achievements, contributed to the ideals of the Clayton State Department of Athletics. Including this year's honorees, the Clayton State Athletics Hall of Fame has named three classes and enshrined eight former student-athletes, coaches, administrators and special inductees. This year's class of four will be inducted on Friday, February 19, bringing that total to 12 honorees.
 
Purchase Tickets Online for 2016 Hall of Fame Ceremony
For the second consecutive year, individuals will be able to purchase their Clayton State Athletics Hall of Fame Ceremony tickets online. Tickets for the event at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 19 are $25 each prior to February 15 and $35 after that date.
 
That link will be available in the near future at https://giving.clayton.edu/HOF. This year's Hall of Fame Ceremony will be held on campus at the Clayton State Harry S. Downs Continuing Education Center in Room 101.