RMAC Commissioner Smith to be inducted into Metro State's Hall of Fame

Metro State Announces 2010 Hall of Fame Class

by Andy Schlichting, Metro State Sports Information Director

DENVER, Colo. - Metro State athletic director Joan McDermott announced the College's 2010 Hall of Fame class on Tuesday. Five individuals and one team will make up the ninth Hall of Fame class in Roadrunner athletics history and the first since 2007. The 1989-90 men's basketball team, former men's basketball player Lee Barlow, former volleyball player Devon Herron, former women's soccer player Amy Leichliter (pronounced "leck-lighter"), former women's soccer coach Ed Montojo (pronounced "mon-ta-joe") and former assistant athletic director Joel R. (J.R.) Smith will all be inducted on Saturday, Feb. 20.

The Hall of Fame ceremony and lunch will take place at 11 a.m. in the lobby of the Auraria Event Center on campus. The Roadrunners host Nebraska-Kearney for a basketball doubleheader following the ceremony. The men's game is slated for 3 p.m. and the women will tip off at 5 p.m.

"We are very proud of our 2010 Hall of Fame class," McDermott said. "The accomplishments of this group played a pivotal role in the success we continue to experience today with our programs.

"Our men's basketball team had a phenomenal season in 1989-90 and really put Metro State on the map. Coach Montojo laid a strong foundation for women's soccer and took us to our first NCAA Tournament. Amy and Lee were both integral in Metro State's first national championships in soccer and basketball. Devon helped lead our volleyball team to three straight conference championships, and J.R. (Smith) showed great leadership with Metro State and that's continuing today with the RMAC."

Metro State's Hall of Fame currently includes 31 individuals and three teams.

J.R. Smith   

Smith was an integral member of the Metro State athletic department for 11 years, beginning as a student assistant in 1985 and finishing as an assistant athletic director in 1996. As a student assistant, he supervised game management, tickets and on-campus promotions. In 1987, he was promoted to coordinator of athletic development, where he helped the department flourish. He was in charge of fund raising, game operations, facilities, travel and budget.

His continued success led to another promotion in 1990 when he became Metro State's assistant athletic director. Smith continued to wear many hats, overseeing compliance, sports information, equipment and business operations. Metro State hit many milestones while Smith was a member of the athletic department, including its first NCAA postseason appearances in volleyball, men's and women's basketball and men's and women's swimming.

Smith left Metro State in August, 1996, when he accepted the athletic director position at Fort Lewis College. After spending five years at FLC, he became the commissioner of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 2001, a position he has held since.

He received his bachelor's degree from Metro State in 1987 in history and marketing.

1989-90 Men's Basketball Team 
The 1989-90 men's basketball team marked the beginning of a dynasty at Metro State with the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The Roadrunners went 28-4 that season and won the Great Northwest Conference championship with an 8-2 mark, the first conference championship in school history. Coached by Bob Hull (Hall of Fame class of 1998), Metro State posted winning streaks of 11 and 10 games during the season. Hull went on to earn GNC Coach of the Year honors and led the team to an NCAA Tournament first round win over the University of South Dakota.

Led by a pair of All-America teammates in Shun Tillman and Gene Edwards, Metro State was ranked as high as No. 2 during the season and finished the year ranked third in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II top-25 poll. The Roadrunners knocked off NCAA Division I opponent University of Mississippi at the Illini Classic hosted by the University of Illinois, where they made the school's first national television appearance on WGN-TV Chicago. Two other future All-Americans, Adrian Hutt and Ralph Rivers, were also key parts of the 1989-90 team.

A number of records were set by the 1989-90 men's basketball team. Its 28 wins were a school record at the time, though that record has since been topped by a pair of national championship teams. However, many records still stand, including Edwards' single game record of 38 points, a record that has been tied twice. His records for points in a season and points per game still hold, as does Tillman's record for total rebounds.

Lee Barlow 
Barlow was a three-year letterwinner for the Metro State men's basketball team from 1997-2000. The native of Melbourne, Australia, led the Roadrunners to their first-ever national championship in men's basketball in 2000 as a senior, earning Division II Bulletin first team All-America and RMAC Player of the Year honors. A 6-foot-9 forward, he averaged 14.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in 2000.

His success was not limited to his senior season, however, as he was an all-conference performer as a sophomore in 1998 and was named to the Elite Eight All-Tournament team as a junior after leading Metro State to the national championship game in 1999. He scored 19 points in the 1999 national championship game in a 75-60 loss to Kentucky Wesleyan. However, he helped the Roadrunners to redemption in the 2000 championship game, scoring 17 points with seven rebounds in a 97-79 win in a rematch against Kentucky Wesleyan. He was named to the 2000 Elite Eight All-Tournament team again.

For his career, Barlow still ranks eighth on the all-time scoring list at Metro State with 1,392 points and seventh in points per game at 13.8. He is also among the rebounding leaders and free throw leaders, ranking sixth with 674 rebounds. His career free throws made record of 393 was finally broken last season by fellow-Aussie Jesse Wagstaff. Barlow also ranks in the top-10 in steals and blocked shots.

Devon Herron 
Herron was a four-year letterwinner for the volleyball team from 2000-03, where she set numerous school records and earned All-America honors following her junior and senior seasons at her setter position. She carried the Roadrunners to the NCAA Tournament in each of her four years and conference regular season and tournament championships in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Herron was named all-conference each season and earned RMAC Player of the Year honors in 2002 and 2003.

Her 14.33 assists per set in 2000 are still a Metro State single season record, and her assist average in each of her other three seasons also rank among the top-five in school history. She also holds the record for career assists with 6,286, nearly 3,000 more than the next-closest player on the list, and assists average in a career with 13.85 per set.

Herron was also an excellent student, earning academic all-conference all three years she was eligible. She graduated from Metro State in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in human performance & sport (sport industry operations concentration) and a minor in marketing.

Amy Leichliter 
The beginning of Metro State's national prominence in women's soccer coincided with Leichliter's four years (2002-05) as a star for the Roadrunners. In 2002, Leichliter and the Roadrunners took home the RMAC regular season and conference tournament championships, and appeared in the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in school history. That year marked the beginning of eight straight years that Metro State has won the RMAC championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, a streak that remains active today.

She also led the Roadrunners to their first-ever women's soccer national championship in 2004. Metro State reached the NCAA quarterfinals or beyond in each of her four years.

Leichliter was also a part of a number of NCAA record winning streaks, as Metro State started the longest unbeaten streak (59 games), longest home winning streak (61), longest home unbeaten streak (61), longest conference winning streak (57) and longest conference unbeaten (72) streak during her career. All five NCAA records still remain. Leichliter was also a part of Metro State's school record 46-game winning streak from Sept. 5, 2004, to Nov. 13, 2005.

The native of Greeley, Colo., was a two-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-America forward, earning first team honors as a sophomore in 2003 and third team honors as a senior in 2005. She also garnered RMAC Freshman of the Year hardware in 2002 and remains the only player in school history to earn first team All-RMAC honors four years (Renee Richie also achieved the feat in the Colorado Athletic Conference from 1990-93).

Leichliter finished her career as the College's all-time points, goals and assists leaders in 2005 with 163 points on 67 goals and 29 assists, though teammate Kylee Hanavan topped all three records one year later. Leichliter remains in the top-three in all three categories today. However, she has still played in more games than any player in school history, appearing in 97 contests.

She graduated from Metro State in December, 2006, with her bachelor's degree in hospitality, meetings and travel administration.

Ed Montojo 
Montojo was the head coach for the Metro State women's soccer team for 16 years (1985-2000). He remains the program's all-time wins leader with a career record of 163-109-22 (.591). He was named Colorado Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1990 after leading the Roadrunners to the regular season and tournament championships, the first conference championship in school history.

In 1998, he led Metro State to a school record 17 wins as it reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. For his efforts in 1998, he was named RMAC Coach of the Year and National Soccer Coaches Association of America Great Plains Region Coach of the Year. During his tenure, his players were named All-America three times, all-region 33 times and all-conference 51 times.

Montojo earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1970.