By Shaylee Souza,
Sun Devil Media Relations Student Assistant
Olympic gold medalist, two-time World Series champion, national and school record holders, and individual and team NCAA champions are just a few accomplishments the Sun Devil Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2015 has obtained over the years.
The induction ceremony, held at the Phoenix Country Club, honored athletes Ike Diogu (Men’s Basketball), Derek Hagan (Football), Agnes Kovacs (Women’s Swimming), Dustin Pedroia (Baseball), Joona Puhakka (Men’s Diving), and Chez Reavie (Men’s Golf), as well as head coach Randy Lein (Men’s Golf).
In a Q&A-style presentation, the Sun Devils for Life reflected on their time both at Arizona State and beyond campus, and also talked about their futures. After leaving the university, many continued to pursue their respective sports, such as Diogu, drafted ninth overall in the 2005 NBA draft, Hagan, taken in the 3rd round of the 2006 NFL draft and Pedroia, selected in the 2nd round of the 2004 MLB draft. Some eventually pursued higher education, including Kovacs, who earned her Master’s Degree in Sociology and is currently pursuing her PhD, and others, like Hagan and Puhakka, are pursuing business ventures in soft-shelled helmets and software development, respectively.
This year’s class hailed from different countries, played different sports, and ended up in different places after leaving the university. The one thing they all agreed on, however, was the importance of academics.
“It was an easy pick for me,” Puhakka said. “The second most important thing for me was the quality of college. I found out that ASU has a great business school, and I knew I wanted to go in there, so it was an easy match for me.”
The class of 2015 will again be honored on the field during halftime of the football game against Colorado on Saturday, Oct. 10, where they will receive their plaques. Honoree Dustin Pedroia could not make this weekend’s activities, but he will be honored during halftime of Territorial Cup football game on Nov. 21 as a part of the Sun Devil Baseball program’s alumni weekend.