Concord University Athletics Unveils 2012-13 Hall of Fame Class - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

Concord University Athletics Unveils 2012-13 Hall of Fame Class

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By Bryan Levin, Sports Director/Anchor - email
ATHENS -

The Concord University Athletic Department is happy to announce five former CU greats have been selected to be enshrined into the Concord Hall of Fame this year.

This year's class consists of baseball standout Joe Besl, former cheerleading coach Lisa Blankenship, three-sport athlete Crystal Kestner, football star Robert Majors and men's basketball great Sterling Tate.

Besl starred on the diamond for Concord from 2003-06. In 130 games played, Besl hit .434 with 160 runs scored, 26 home runs, 158 RBI and a .729 slugging percentage. As a junior, Besl led the nation in batting average (.500) and runs scored per game (1.51). He racked up a variety of postseason awards for his performance as a Mountain Lion. Besl was a three-time All-WVIAC selection, the conference's Hitter of the Year and Player of the Year in 2005 while also earning All-America honors as a junior and senior by both the NCAA and the National Collegiate Baseball Association.

Blankenship coached the Concord cheerleading program for 20 years, building her squad to be one of the best in the nation. CU made 16 consecutive appearances at the National Collegiate Cheerleading Championships under Blankenship.

Kestner did it all at Concord, playing softball (1999-02), basketball (1998-02) and competing on the track team (2001-02). Kestner was a two-time first team all-conference honoree in softball in 2001 and 2002. As a freshman she ranked second in the nation in triples with nine while her 45 RBI were also the fourth-most in the country. As a basketball standout, Kestner was named to the All-WVIC Tournament Team in 2002 after averaging the most points per game of any player at the event. To top it all off, she also holds CU's shot put record.

Majors helped lead Concord to a pair of conference championships (1989, 1990) in his storied career. For his efforts, Majors earned All-WVIAC honors three times and received All-America accolades twice (1990, 1991). In 36 career-games, Majors totaled 12 interceptions and 186 tackles.

Tate played at Concord from 1996-00. For his career, he scored 1,815 points and grabbed 712 rebounds. Tate ranks seventh in CU history in scoring and ninth in rebounding. He earned first team All-WVIAC honors as a junior and senior. Tate was also an all-region selection as a senior.

A formal induction ceremony for the group will be held in May.