
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University Athletic Department and NSU Athletics Hall of Fame committee is proud to announce the 2024 NSU Athletics Hall of Fame class, which includes five former student-athletes and a NCAA National Championship winning team, forming an incredible group of exceptional Sharks.
The 14th NSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class includes Valentina Petrova (Volleyball), Carlos Asuaje (Baseball), Courtney DeVeny (Women’s Swimming), Anton Lobanov (Men’s Swimming), Megan O’Donnell (Rowing), Jasmine Wilkins (Women’s Basketball) and the 2016 NSU Baseball team.
“The inductees of the 2024 Hall of Fame Class symbolize what it means to be a NSU Shark. Each of these individuals and the 2016 baseball team embody our mission, by which we provide a first-class championship experience through the platform of intercollegiate athletics,” said Director of Athletics and Associate Vice President for Advancement Michael Mominey. “All of these student-athlete alums were and are great ambassadors of our institution who continue to pay it forward as leaders in their communities and in their professions.”
The Hall of Fame inductions will be held on Saturday, October 12th, 2024, in the Rick Case Arna at the Don Taft University Center. Information on tickets will be released at a later point in time.
Nova Southeastern Athletics’ storied history dates back to 1982 and since its inception, has enjoyed tremendous success. In the over 40 years of athletics history, the department has grown to support 17 varsity athletic programs, winning 13 NCAA Division II National Championships and 47 individual NCAA National Championships across its sports.
The Nova Southeastern University intercollegiate athletic department Hall of Fame was introduced in 2007 with its inaugural induction class. The Hall of Fame is designed to encompass the notable history of and accomplishments of the NSU Knights (1982-2004) and the present-day Sharks, while recognizing former coaches, student-athletes, and pioneers of the program that built the tradition of Nova Southeastern Athletics.
Listed below are the members of the 2024 Nova Southeastern Athletics
Hall of Fame Class
Valentina Petrova
Volleyball, 2007-09
Petrova’s name can be seen throughout the Nova Southeastern Sharks volleyball record book. Petrova finished her career as the most accomplished setter and is the all-time record holder for assists (3,827), ranks first in assists in a single season (1,520) and assists per-set in a single season (10.86), while also setting the single match record for service aces (10).
Petrova became the first NSU Volleyball player to earn multiple All-America honors, being recognized as a second-team AVCA All-American in 2008 and an honorable mention AVCA All-American in 2009. In addition to her All-America honors, Petrova was named an Honorable Mention All-Sunshine State Conference and Honorable Mention AVCA All-South Region member in 2007, a first-team All-SSC, first-team AVCA All-South Region honoree, as well as a second-team Daktronics All-South Region and second-team AVCA All-American member. In her final season at NSU, Petrova was a second-team All-Sunshine State Conference member, a first-team AVCA All-South Region honoree, in addition to being an Honorable Mention AVCA All-American.
Carlos Asuaje
Baseball, 2011-13
A career 0.356 hitter during his time at Nova Southeastern, Carlos Asuaje is one of the most decorated Sharks Baseball players in program history. Beginning his career in 2011, Asuaje was recognized as the Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year, as well as earning second-team All-SSC honors and second-team Daktronics All-South Region recognition. Asuaje elevated his game in his sophomore season, earning Sunshine State Conference Co-Player of the Year honors and was recognized to the first-team All-SSC, as a second-team Daktronics and second-team ABCA All-American, while also earning first-team honors to the Daktronics All-South Region and ABCA All-South Region teams. Asuaje was also recognized as an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove recipient at second base in 2012.
In his final season of collegiate baseball, Asuaje earned his third consecutive All-Sunshine State Conference honor, being named to the second-team, while also being recognized to the second-team Daktronics All-South Region and second-team ABCA All-South region teams.
Asuaje was an 11th round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox in the 2013 Major League Baseball first year player draft and made his major league debut in 2016 for the San Diego Padres. For his professional career, Asuaje was a 0.240 hitter in the major leagues and collected 125 hits.
Anton Lobanov
Men’s Swimming, 2015-17
The most decorated men’s swimmer in program history, Anton Lobanov is a six-time NCAA Division II individual national champion. Lobanov dominated in the pool beginning as a freshman in 2015, winning five individual Sunshine State Conference championships and was named as the Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year. During the NCAA National Championships in 2015, Lobanov won both the 100- and 200-breaststroke national titles, while setting a Nova Southeastern, Sunshine State Conference and NCAA record with a time of 51.62 in the 100-breaststroke, which is the sixth fastest time in the history ov. Following the NCAA National Championship, Lobanov was recognized as an All-American in both events.
Lobanov excelled the following year, winning three Sunshine State Conference championships and repeated as the 100- and 200-breaststroke NCAA National Champion, as well as earning All-American honors. In the final year of his collegiate career, Lobanov added another four Sunshine State Conference titles, earning Sunshine State Conference Swimmer and Male Athlete of the Year honors, while also winning the 100- and 200-breaststroke NCAA National Championship for the third consecutive season.
Courtney DeVeny
Women’s Swimming, 2015-18
A two-time NCAA National Champion, DeVeny is among the best women’s swimmers in Nova Southeastern history. In her freshman year, DeVeny won four Sunshine State Conference titles, was recognized as a first-team All-Sunshine State Conference honoree, an All-American and was crowned the NCAA National Champion in the 400-individual medley. DeVeny earned first-team All-SSC honors in 2016 and was named an NCAA All-American Honorable Mention.
DeVeny was instrumental in the Sharks Women’s Swimming program’s third Sunshine State Conference championship in 2017, winning six individual SSC titles and she was recognized as the Sunshine State Conference Swimmer of the Meet.
DeVeny excelled in the pool during her final season for NSU in 2018. In the Sunshine State Conference Championship, DeVeny won three SSC titles, setting Nova Southeastern, Sunshine State Conference and SSC Championship meet records in the 200, 400, and 800-medley relays. DeVeny was recognized as the Sunshine State Conference Women’s Swimmer of the Year and the Nova Southeastern Female Athlete of the Year. She capped her collegiate career with her second 400-individual medley NCAA National Championship.
Megan O’Donnell
Rowing, 2011-15
O’Donnell joins former teammate Lauren Boudreau as NSU Athletics Hall of Fame inductees. During her career, O’Donnell was a part of three Sunshine State Conference Championship winning teams and was a member of two NCAA National Championship winning boats.
O’Donnell was named to the All-Sunshine State Conference Freshman/Novice team, the first-team All-Sunshine State Conference, and as a first-team CRCA All-American. O’Donnell and the Sharks won the program’s fourth Sunshine State Conference title in 2011. The following year, NSU repeated as SSC champions and O’Donnell’s varsity-4 boat won the NCAA National Championship, never losing to another Division II boat during the 2012-13 season.
O’Donnell earned NCAA and CRCA All-American honors in 2014, while also being named to the first-team All-Sunshine State Conference and won the Sunshine State Conference title. O’Donnell also won the SIRA and FIRA championships with the Sharks.
Jasmine Wilkins
Women’s Basketball, 2010-15
A part of three NCAA South Region championship teams, Wilkins was an instrumental piece for the Sharks Women’s Basketball team during her collegiate career. Wilkins was a part of four Sunshine State Conference Championship teams – 2012-13 & 2014-15 regular season titles and 2013-14 & 2014-15 tournament champions.
Wilkins began her career by being recognized to the Sunshine State Conference Freshman/Newcomer team (2010-11). Wilkins most prolific season came during the 2014-15 season, leading NSU to both the Sunshine State Conference regular season and tournament titles. Wilkins was recognized as the SSC Player of the Year and the SSC Defensive Player of the Year, while also receiving a litany of honors that include – first-team All-Sunshine State Conference, SSC All-Tournament Team, Daktronics first-team All-South Region, NCAA South Region All-Tournament team, Daktronics All-American Honorable Mention and Women’s DII Hoops Bulletin third-team All-American.
Wilkins’ name is scattered throughout the women’s basketball program’s record books, ranking second in rebounds (827), blocks (132), games started (118), games played (119), third in field goals made (559), fourth in points (1,357), steals (166), fifth in minutes (2,844) and sixth in free throws made (227).
2016 NSU Baseball Team
Head Coach Greg Brown guided the Sharks to the program’s first NCAA National Championship, going a remarkable 10-1 during the postseason and went undefeated during the College World Series. The Sharks set a program record with 44 wins and Brown was named the ABCA Division II National Coach of the
Year.
After starting the season with an 11-10 record, Nova Southeastern rallied to go 33-6 including a 15-1 stretch in which the Sharks’ only loss was to the University of Miami, the top-ranked team in NCAA Division I.
As a team, the Sharks offense combined to hit 0.304, outscored opponents 435-247, while hitting 85 home runs. Brandon Gomez carried the offense, leading the team in hits (79), home runs (21) and runs batted in (75), while carrying a 0.333 batting average and an incredible 1.071 on-base + slugging percentage. Alex Mateo anchored a pitching staff that finished the season with a 3.39 earned run average, while Devin Raftery set the single season program record for saves with
(17).
The Sharks featured four first-team Sunshine State Conference honorees – Brandon Gomez, Devin Raftery, Alex Mateo, and Julian Loret de Mola – and two second-team All-SSC honorees – Jancarlos Cintron and Kevin Suarez. Mateo earned Sunshine State Conference Pitcher of the Year honors, finishing the season with a win/loss record of 9-4 in 18 appearances, totaling 107 innings pitched with a 3.11 earned run average and 92 strikeouts.
Mateo, Devin Raftery and Brandon Gomez were recognized with first-team NCBWA and D2 CCA All-South Region honors, while Gomez and Mateo were also honored with first-team ABCA All-Region recognition. Gomez also was named a first-team NCBWA All-American and a third-team D2 CCA All-American. Raftery was recognized as a third-team NCBWA All-American and a D2 CCA All-American Honorable mention.
The Sharks had four Major League Baseball draftees as Daniel Zardon (17th round/Philadelphia Philles), Alex Mateo (22nd round/Miami Marlins), Alex Kline (29th round/Philadelphia Phillies), and Jake Anchia (7th Round (2018)/Seattle Mariners) were all chosen during the first-year player draft. Additionally, Devin Raftery signed a professional contract with the Houston Astros and JanCarlos Cintron signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Greg Brown, Eric Cruz and Justin Ramsey, two assistant coaches on the national championship staff, moved into professional baseball and have impacted their respective organizations. Brown was hired by the Tampa Bay Rays as their minor league hitting coordinator and later was hired as the major league hitting coach of the Chicago Cubs. Brown currently is an assistant to the general manager and the minor league hitting coordinator for the Cubs. Cruz, the recruiting coordinator for NSU, has been a South Florida area scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks since 2016. Ramsey, NSU’s pitching coach, has been a part of the Baltimore Orioles organization since 2019, working as the pitching coordinator and AAA pitching coach since 2019.
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