FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Tickets are now on sale for the NSU Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Banquet, to be held Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. in the NSU Arena. The class of 2014 is headlined by Detroit Tiger and former NSU Baseball Player J.D. Martinez. Tickets are $60 for the general public and $40 for NSU faculty, staff and students.
The banquet will be a part of a loaded 2014 Homecoming Week, which runs from Nov. 8 through NSU’s basketball doubleheader on Nov. 14. The banquet is one of multiple alumni events throughout the week. All tickets must be purchased prior to Oct. 31. For more information, please contact:
The class ranks among the best in the hall’s eight-year history, highlighted by Martinez, one of the greatest players in NSU baseball history and a big contributor to the Detroit Tigers’ World Series hopes.
Martinez, who began his MLB career with the Houston Astros in 2011, joined the Tigers this year and has flourished. Martinez has been a power source for the Tigers offense, and as of Sept. 15, has 22 home runs and 71 RBI. He ranks second on the team in home runs, tying MVP Miguel Cabrera and trailing only perennial All-Star Victor Martinez.
Martinez will be joined by women’s rower Taylor Liput, men’s golfer Greg O’Mahony, women’s soccer player Stephanie Quinones and women’s tennis player Ulia Talalenko in the eighth NSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class.
“The Hall of Fame class of 2014 is very special to the history and tradition of NSU athletics,” said NSU Director of Athletics Michael Mominey. “These student-athletes certainly helped establish traditions and continued traditions that had been established by fellow student-athletes who came before them. They all have exemplified the commitment, character and high achievements to be recognized for this ultimate honor. They all embody these characteristics today in their personal and professional lives – for that we should all be proud.”
The following former NSU student-athletes will be inducted into the NSU Athletics Hall of Fame as the class of 2014:
J.D. Martinez
Baseball 2007-2009
J.D. Martinez is considered a trailblazer for future Shark baseball players, after becoming the first NSU player to reach the Major League level. While at NSU, Martinez posted offensive numbers that rewrote the record books. He is currently the program’s all-time career home run leader with 32, ranks second in career batting average .(394), ranks third in career RBI with 142, and ranks fourth with a career slugging percentage of .691. In 2009, he posted a .428 batting average, 15 home runs and a program-record 73 runs scored. That year, he also earned Rawlings/ABCA All-American honors, was recognized for the second straight year on both the All-Sunshine State Conference Team and the All-South Region team selected by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Following his junior year, he was selected in the 20th round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros. In 2010, he was tabbed as the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year after hitting .340 with 13 home runs during the 2011 season with Double-A Corpus Christi. Martinez made his Major League debut for the Astros on July 29, 2012 after only two seasons playing in the minor leagues. He took to the majors quickly, as he led the Astros in RBI during his first month in the big leagues. Following spring training in 2014, Martinez signed with the Detroit Tigers where he continues to flourish at professional baseball’s highest level.
Taylor Liput
Women’s Rowing, 2004-2007
Taylor Liput was a member of the inaugural women’s rowing team and was instrumental in laying the foundation for the program’s culture of success on the water and in the classroom. She began her collegiate career by earning 2004 CRCA National Scholar-Athlete honors, and replicated that achievement to become the program’s first repeat Scholar All-American. She made four consecutive trips to the NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships, while also being named to the SSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll List from 2004-07.
Liput initially competed in the varsity-4 boat, later transitioning to the varsity-8 boat. As a sophomore, she received the 2005 Flo Hyman award for community service efforts, the Stuey Award for Female Athlete of the Year, and was the recipient of the Leadership Roundtable Scholarship. In 2006, she captured the Lightweight Varsity 4 Cups at SIRA and Dad Vails, highlighting an undefeated season. She received a second Stuey Award in 2006 for Undergraduate Student of the Year, while also receiving the 2006 Young Women Leader’s Award. She was also the founder and president of the NSU Surf Club, which earned Organization of the Year in 2006. In 2007, Liput solidified herself as a member of the varsity-8 crew and led the Sharks to their first ever SSC and SIRA Championships. She finished her career by earning the Rowing Coach’s Award at the 2007 NSU Athletic Banquet. Liput graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2006 and a master’s degree in cross-disciplinary studies in 2008.
Greg O’Mahony
Men’s Golf 2006- 2009
Greg O’Mahony laid the foundation in what has become an extensive line of premier men’s golfers. He initially served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee from 2006-07. As a team captain from 2007-2009, he helped lead the Sharks to two Sunshine State Conference Championships in 2007 and 2009 and was instrumental in qualifying the team for their first NCAA Division II National Championship in program history in 2008. From 2006-09, he was honored three times as an NCAA All-American, won the SSC Championship individually in 2008 and 2009, and was the program’s first SSC Men’s Golfer of the Year, following his 2009 senior season. He captured NSU’s Co-Athlete of the Year honors with fellow Hall of Famer, J.D. Martinez in 2009. He finished his final year ranked No. 15 in the nation.
At the culmination of his NSU career, he held the men’s records for season scoring average (72.87), season par or better rounds (14), birdies in a season (121), eagles in a season (8), career scoring average (72.97), career par or better rounds (43), career birdies (296), career eagles (14) and a single-round score, twice shooting a 65. His 285 at the 2008 NCAA Championship still stands as the record for the low 72-hole total. He graduated from NSU with a bachelor’s degree in business in 2009. He is currently a professional golfer, playing on numerous tours around the country.
Stephanie Quinones
Women’s Soccer 2005-2009
Stephanie Quinones has a long ledger of awards from her time with the Sharks’ women’s soccer program. A midfielder, Quinones was named team captain from 2006-2009, and also served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee from 2005-2009. She earned All-Sunshine State Conference honors from 2005-2009, including a first-team nod in 2006-07. She was named to the NSCAA South Region First Team in 2006 and 2007, and Second Team in 2008. She also took home Daktronics South Region Second Team honors in 2006 and 2007. She earned NCAA All-American honors in 2006 and 2007, establishing herself as the only two-time NCAA All-American in the team’s history.
She received CoSIDA Academic All-District honors in 2007 and was the recipient of the Arthur Ashe, Jr. Scholar Award in the same year. Today, she still ranks among the program’s leaders in both career assists (15) and career points (35). She graduated from NSU with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Florida State University in 2012.
Ulia Talalenko
Women’s Tennis, 2006-2009
Ulia Talalenko was a key player for the Nova Southeastern tennis team during an era when the Sharks were a national contender from 2006-09. She finished her career as the program’s first three time NCAA All-American and also earned All-Sunshine State Conference honors from her sophomore to senior seasons. At the culmination of her NSU career, Talalenko held school records with 69 singles victories, an .831 singles winning percentage and 68 career doubles wins.
As a freshman, Talalenko made an immediate impact and teamed with Alexa Korotkevich to form NSU’s first All-American doubles team, going 21-6 on the season, and while also being tabbed a Scholar All-American. During her sophomore campaign, she established herself as an NCAA All-American singles player by going 18-2 on the year. From then on, Talalenko would not lose more than three singles matches in a season and at times was ranked as the No. 1 player in the South Region. She was named the team’s Most Valuable Player her final two seasons. Over the course of her dominant career, Talalenko notched 26 perfect 6-0 sets and finished with an overall singles record of 69-14. She graduated from NSU with a bachelor’s degree in biology and went on to earn her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree in 2013.