Saint Mary’s will have its first athletics Hall of Fame

Saint Mary’s School will induct its inaugural athletics hall of fame class on April 7. The first class includes longtime tennis coach Mary Lou Jones, the undefeated 1975-1976 college tennis team; and the undefeated 1976-1977 college tennis team.

Jones, of Sanford, is a North Carolina Tennis Hall of Famer. She coached the Saints from 1961-98 and had a 330-95 record between her college and high school teams. She led her teams to 12 undefeated seasons, the 1980 N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association title and six consecutive N.C. Women’s Colleges State Tournament titles (1984-1989).

The 1975-1976 Saint Mary’s College girls tennis team went 18-0 and the 1976-1977 went 16-0.

The following 1975-1976 Saint Mary’s College team members are: Emily Bass Baumgartner of Frisco, Colo.; Anna Neal Blanchard of Raleigh; Marty Marshall DeVine of Alexandria, Va.; Hunter Dortch (honored posthumously); Margaret Scott Freeman of Wilmington; Mabel Geoghegan Pace of Raleigh; Beth Taylor Russell of Raleigh; Mary Virginia Swain of Raleigh and Wilmington; Terri Kirk Wesel of Myrtle Beach; Kim Davis Winslow of Greenville, N.C.; Lore White Fariss of High Point, N.C.; and coach Jones.

Members of the 1976-1977 Saint Mary’s College tennis team being inducted are: Mary Fanjoy Armistead of Statesville; Emily Bass Baumgartner of Frisco, Colo.; Marty Marshall DeVine of Alexandria, Va.; Allison Hines Ficken; Mary Fondren of Palm Beach, Fla.; Margaret Scott Freeman of Wilmington; Meredith Reid Graves of Charlotte; Amy Lipsitz of Emerald Isle; Kathy Sawyer Mann of Wilmington; Martha Boisseau Mattheisen of White Stone, Va.; Lanier Brown May of Chapel Hill; Mary Virginia Swain of Raleigh and Wilmington; Terri Kirk Wesel of Myrtle Beach; Prince Dixon Witt of Charlotte; Tori Bradsher of Roxboro; Mary Foy Ragsdale of Smithfield; and coach Jones.

Until the 1998-99 school year, Saint Mary’s was made up of high school juniors and seniors and college freshmen and sophomores and the athletes competed on the same teams from 1961-1978.

This story was originally published March 31, 2017 at 9:09 PM with the headline "Saint Mary’s will have its first athletics Hall of Fame."