Hall of Fame Class of 2018

Four individuals and one team to be honored Feb. 2-3

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications General 10/30/2017 2:10:00 PM

PEORIA, IL – Five honorees representing two different eras will be inducted into the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame during the ceremonies surrounding the Feb. 3 men's basketball game versus Drake, according to the announcement of the Class of 2018 Monday.

The Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2018 will include the 1968 men's tennis team, women's basketball player Sara Bailey (Washington, IL/Washington H.S.), men's basketball player James Gillingham (Guelph, Ontario/St. James Secondary), soccer player Preston Good (Newark, CA/Moreau Catholic H.S.) and 3-sport athlete Ernie Pierantoni (Washington, IL/Washington H.S.). The quintet will be the featured guests during the Feb. 2 Braves Club Game Day Luncheon at Renaissance Coliseum and officially will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during halftime of the Feb. 3 men's basketball game versus Drake at Carver Arena.

1968 Men's Tennis Team
Its induction into the Hall of Fame coincides with the 50th anniversary of the team's Missouri Valley Conference championship season, the only Valley title in the program's history. The 1968 Braves enjoyed an undefeated (16-0) dual match season, which included victories against DePaul, Illinois State, Northern Illinois and Notre Dame. In addition to out-pointing the field at the MVC Men's Tennis Team Championship, the Braves also won the Northeast Missouri Invitational, a 7-team tournament that also featured Drake, Illinois State and Iowa State, as well as the Chicago Invitational. The team's 16-0 dual match record made up a little more than half of an overall 31-match winning streak that began in 1967 (last four matches) and continued deep into the 1969 season.

After the Braves won the 50th MVC Men's Tennis Team Championship, team members Dennis Crawford, Jim Kennedy and Bill Lofgren all were selected to play in the 84th NCAA Tennis Championship, becoming Bradley's first NCAA men's tennis participants since their head coach, Tom Coker, competed in the 1936 NCAA Tournament.

1968 Tennis Team members included: Dennis Crawford (Canton, IL); Jim Kennedy (Danville, IL); Bill Lofgren (Peoria, IL); Rod Sprenkle (Millersville, PA); Brad Toburen (Granite City, IL); Dave Umbarger (Canton, IL); Gary Zumwalt (Peoria, IL); and head coach Tom Coker.

Sara Bailey, Women's Basketball (1999-2003)
One of four two-time, first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selections in Bradley women's basketball history, Bailey remains fifth in program history by scoring 1,541 career points, the most by a Bradley women's player in the last 27 years. Bailey's 15.0-points-per-game scoring average also is fifth-best in program history and she finished both her sophomore (19.3 ppg) and junior (18.0) seasons as the second-leading scorer in The Valley, trailing only national women's college basketball legend Jackie Stiles in both years. The 2001 Bradley University Varsity Club Most Outstanding Female Athlete, Bailey scored at least 20 points in 31 games during her career and she reached double figures in 78 games.

In addition to her play on the court, Bailey was a 2002 Division I-AAA Athletic Director's Association Scholar-Athlete, while also earning CoSIDA Academic All-District and MVC Scholar-Athlete first-team recognition. She was a three-time MVC Scholar-Athlete overall, also receiving honorable mention in 2001 and 2003.

James Gillingham, Men's Basketball (2000-04)
One of the most versatile players in Bradley Basketball history, the 6-foot-4 Gillingham often played as many as three positions (point guard, shooting guard, small forward) in a game and was known to defended the other team's power forward on occasion. One of two players (Eric Roberson) in Bradley history to be selected three times (2002-03-04) by the league's head coaches to the MVC All-Defense Team, Gillingham also was an offensive force, finishing his career 15th in program history with 1,416 career points. Voted second-team All-MVC in 2003 and 2004, Gillingham scored at least 30 points in a game twice – 34 versus Drake Jan. 15, 2003 and 31 at Evansville Jan. 11, 2004 – and he still owns the school record for consecutive free throws made by draining 44 consecutive charity attempts from Feb. 8-23, 2003. His 537 career free throws made remain third in program history and are still the most by any Bradley player since Hersey Hawkins set the school record from 1984-88.

In addition to his play for the Braves, Gillingham represented his native Canada throughout his collegiate career, playing for the country's senior and student national teams in the Goodwill Games and World University Games. Upon graduation, Gillingham played six seasons for TBB Trier in the German Bundesliga, one of the top European leagues. After retiring, he also spent three seasons (2011-14) as an assistant coach for the men's basketball team at the University of Guelph.

Preston Good, Soccer (2000-04)
A two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection, Good remains the fourth-leading scorer in Bradley Soccer history with 77 career points on 31 goals and 15 assists and his 77 points have not been surpassed by any Bradley player since his graduation 13 years ago. A member of Bradley Soccer's first NCAA Tournament team in 2000, he led the Braves back to the NCAA Tournament in 2002 as the team's leading scorer. Good led the team in scoring again in 2003 and his 13 goals during his junior season remain tied for the fifth-best single-season total in program history and have not been matched in the last 14 years. In addition to earning second-team All-MVC recognition in 2003, Good was voted third-team NSCAA All-Midwest Region following his junior season.

Two years following his graduation, Good returned to Bradley as an assistant coach from 2007-08, helping the Braves win a share of the 2007 MVC regular-season title and the program's first MVC Tournament crown in 2007, as well as a run to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in 2007.

Ernie Pierantoni, Baseball/Basketball/Football (1967-71)
Pierantoni is recognized as the last 3-sport participant (not including runners who participate in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track) in Bradley Athletics history, playing four years of varsity football, while also lettering as a member of the baseball and men's basketball teams. Collecting nine varsity letters in total, Pierantoni truly excelled on the gridiron and served as team co-captain as a senior during the football team's final season in 1970. As a junior in 1969, Pierantoni led the Braves with 44 receptions and six touchdowns, while finishing second with 595 yards, pushing his first three year career totals to 82 receptions for 1,240 yards and seven touchdowns.

Reservations for the Feb. 2 Braves Club Game Day Luncheon may be made by contacting the Braves Club Office at (309) 677-2667. Tickets will be $25 for the general public, $20 for Braves Club members. The luncheon will be held in the Renaissance Coliseum Basketball Performance Court with doors opening at 11:15 a.m. and buffet lunch service beginning at 11:30.

Tickets for the men's basketball game Feb. 3 versus Drake begin at just $8 and may be purchased in advance by visiting the Bradley Athletics Ticket Office inside Renaissance Coliseum, by calling (309) 677-2625 or online at www.BradleyBraves.com.

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