POPLARVILLE— Pearl River Community College announced Thursday the addition of four new members to its Sports Hall of Fame.
This year's inductees have a variety of accolades and skillsets that helped set them apart from their counterparts while wearing the maroon and gold.
The Class of 2018 includes professional baseball player Ashley Graeter, soccer All-American Lyndsey Lee, football all-star Ed Porter III and former NBA player James Singleton.
The PRCC Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony luncheon will be at 11 a.m. Oct. 20 in the Olivia Bender Cafeteria in Crosby Hall on PRCC's Poplarville campus. The luncheon is open to the public. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased through the Alumni Foundation by contacting Traci Spence at tspence@prcc.eduor 601-403-1193.
The four Wildcats will be recognized before the PRCC-Gulf Coast football game at Dobie Holden Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
ASHLEY GRAETER
An All-State performer at Poplarville High, Graeter only improved his game while playing for James McMahon at PRCC. He hit .373 as a freshman infielder in 2009, collecting 47 hits with six homers, 31 RBIs, a .426 on-base percentage and .603 slugging percentage. He was named first-team all-state following his sophomore campaign in 2010 after hitting .349 with 10 homers, 37 RBIs, 20 extra-base hits, .459 OBP and .617 slugging percentage. Graeter continued to hit at nearby Southern Miss. As a junior, the former Wildcat hit .331 with a .395 OBP and .449 SLG after being inserted into the lineup as a regular. He landed on the All-Conference USA Second Team as a senior in 2012 when he led USM with a .346 average while also collecting 74 hits and 15 doubles. Despite going unselected in the MLB draft, Graeter made his mark in professional baseball. After signing with the Colorado Rockies, Graeter spent six seasons climbing through the minors. He hit .263 across five levels, with 30 homers, 186 RBIs and a .709 OPS. Graeter has returned to Pearl River County and is currently an assistant baseball coach at Pearl River Central High.
LYNDSEY LEE
Lee was one of the more prolific goal scorers in program history while playing for Jack Byrd. Although she had a pair of ACL injuries while playing at Our Lady Academy in Bay St. Louis, Lee was determined not to fall short of her potential. After playing as a freshman at Southern miss in 2014, the Picayune native transferred to PRCC and immediately made defenders quake in their boots. Lee finished her sophomore year atop the MACJC with 46 points. Her 17 goals were good enough for 32ndnationally, while her 12 assists ranked 12th. In addition to leading PRCC to a MACJC State Championship in 2015, Lee was also a third-team All-American, an Academic All-American, an all-Region XXIII selection, and picked up the South's MVP honor in the annual MACJC All-Star Game. Following her year at The River, Lee transferred back to USM to finish out her collegiate career. Lee has remained in the Southeast and recently began substitute teaching in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. She's also focusing on her faith and watches infants during service at the First Baptist Church in Covington.
ED PORTER
A Bay St. Louis native and 1974 graduate of Bay High, Porter was a standout offensive guard and defensive nose guard for the Tigers, earning all-conference in football under coach J.E. Loiacano as well as all-conference, all-district and all-state honors throwing discus for the track team. Porter transitioned seamlessly to PRCC in '74, where he immediately became a standout along the offensive line under coach Harvey Sleigman. Voted a team captain by his teammates the following season, Porter helped Hall of Fame coach J.C. Arban lead the Wildcats to a 7-2 campaign while blocking for one of the more potent rushing attacks in the league. Thanks to his standout play, Porter earned a starting spot in the Mississippi Junior College All-Star Game. Porter went on to sign with Delta State, where he lettered two years as a starting right guard.
Although Porter's playing days are well behind him, the Coast native has never forgotten about PRCC. He's a strong supporter of the PRCC Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is instrumental in purchasing Bibles for student athletes. He was also instrumental in driving the effort to secure a state of the art videoboard at Dobie Holden Stadium.
Porter currently lives outside of Ft. Worth, Texas, in Weatherford, with his wife of 40 years, Michele Vicknair Porter. They have three children, Ed Porter IV, Ryan Porter and Lauren Porter, and three beautiful grandchildren.
Following his playing career, Porter joined the insurance business and has held executive positions as president, SVP or CMO with several of the leading insurance companies and Insurance Marketing companies across the country. Porter is also the founder and president of Provideo Insurance Marketing LLC out of Austin, Texas.
JAMES SINGLETON
Singleton was one of the best to ever lace up sneakers at "The River". Nicknamed "Chicago," Singleton's JUCO career actually got off to a difficult start under coach Richard Mathis as the Illinois native was forced to miss most of his freshman season in due to a torn ACL. He came back stronger than ever in 2000-01, leading PRCC to a MACJC South Division title. Singleton averaged a double-double — including a streak of 10 straight double-doubles — with 13.8 points and 13.9 rebounds, including a career-high 24 blocks in one game. He also collected 59 blocks and converted 61 percent of his field goals while being named to the MACJC All-State team as well as the All-Region XXIII squad. The following year Singleton signed with Murray State and continued to thrive. By the end of his Racers career, Singleton was named the 2002 Ohio Valley Conference's Newcomer of the Year and was a two-time All-OVC selection. His name is still scattered throughout the prestigious program's record books. Going undrafted in the NBA Draft, Singleton still found himself in professional basketball. He played with the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers as well as multiple teams overseas. During his playing career, Singleton earned a handful of titles for himself and his teams, including MVP, Rookie of the Year and championships. Singleton retired as a player following the 2016-17 season — capping a 13-year playing career — and seamlessly transitioned into a new career as a professional coach. In his debut as an assistant coach, Singleton helped lead the Austin Spurs, San Antonio's G-League affiliate, to the 2018 NBA G League Championship.
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