22nd Class inducted into Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame
Celebrating 22 years of the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame, five individuals represented the Class of 2021 at the Hall of Fame festivities held Saturday, February 6 in the Earle N. Wright Community Room.
Those inducted were basketball player Jack Crowder, volleyball player Eliane (Lilly) Domingos-Dillard, assistant baseball coach Scott Hennessey, track and field athlete Kelsey Poljansek, and Lady Tiger softball player Kashilia Young.
Cowley College athletic director Shane Larson said one of his favorite events of the year is the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Tiger Booster Club president James Schaefer, who served as the master of ceremonies, echoed Larson's sentiment. Schaefer said the Hall of Fame luncheon is an opportunity to celebrate all that is good about college athletics.
Hall of Fame Bios:
Jack Crowder
An All-American during the 2008-2009 season when he led the Jayhawk Conference in scoring at 20.6 points per game. Crowder is also No. 10 on the all-time scoring list at Cowley and ranked sixth all-time in points in a season at the time of his induction. The dynamic play-maker helped Cowley to back-to-back Jayhawk East titles and a No. 1 regular season ranking as the team went 60-8 during his two years at the school. He went on to play his final two seasons at Southern Illinois University in the Missouri Valley Conference.
After graduation, Crowder went on to spend five years as a mentor to children who are less fortunate and mentally challenged. At the time of his induction he owned his own business in Wichita, KS.
Eliane (Lilly) Domingos-Dillard
Two-time All-American that ranked second all-time in kills in the history of the Cowley College volleyball program at the time of her graduation. She was named the Jayhawk East Most Valuable Player as a sophomore. Helped the Tigers to a national runner-up finish and was the NJCAA Division II leader in blocks per game for each of her two years (2005-2006) at Cowley.
She went on to be named the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year in her first season playing volleyball at the University of Alabama Birmingham. She was an all-conference selection and named to the Conference USA All-Tournament Team.
Domingos-Dillard went on to serve as an assistant volleyball coach at six schools before becoming an elementary teacher. Her sister, Fernanda (Domingos) Raney was inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019.
Scott Hennessey
Scott Hennessey was on the Cowley baseball coaching staff from 1995-1998. During that time Cowley won four Jayhawk Conference Titles, four Sub-Region Titles, three Region 6 Titles, two Central Districts Titles, and two JUCO World Series titles. The Tigers were 199-44 during his four years as an assistant coach.
At the time of his induction, he had served as the manager of the Tulsa Drillers for the past four seasons. The Drillers are the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hennessey has led the team to appearances in the past three Texas League Championship Series and has compiled a 179-139 regular season record.
Hennessey has also won when it has mattered the most, leading the team to a 16-12 record in the postseason. The 16 playoff wins are the most ever for a Tulsa manager.
Hennessey served as a special assistant for the Los Angeles Dodgers during the team's run to the 2020 World Series title.
Kelsey Poljansek
This four-time national champion Kelsey Poljansek was the top-thrower in the history of the Cowley College women's track and field program at the time of her induction. As of her induction, she remained the school-record holder in the indoor and outdoor shot put and the outdoor discus throw. As a freshman she was a conference, region, and outdoor national champion in both the shot put and the discus. She was named the NJCAA National Outdoor Championship Field Event Athlete of the Meet.
She was a conference, region, and national champion in the indoor and outdoor shot put as a sophomore at Cowley. She was named the Female Field Event Athlete of the Meet for the second consecutive year at the NJCAA National Outdoor Championships.
After Cowley she went on to have success as a thrower at the University of Central Florida and the University of Oklahoma. While at UCF, Poljansek broke the school record in the discus and in the indoor shot put. She was named Conference USA athlete of the week and qualified for the NCAA National Outdoor meet in the discus. She ended up transferring to the University of Oklahoma and received both Academic All-Big 12 First team as well as USTFCCCA All-Academic Honors. At the time of her induction she was in the Top 10 performance list for the discus at the University of Oklahoma.
Kashilia Young
This power-hitting catcher remains one of the most feared hitters in the history of the Cowley College softball program. The two-time All-American held nine school records at the time of her induction. She was second in the nation with 29 home runs as a freshman. Was named the Jayhawk East Freshman of the Year. She went on to lead the nation in home runs as a sophomore (28). She helped the Tigers to a No. 3 national ranking as a freshman and was instrumental in Cowley placing fifth at the 2009 NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Normal, IL. After Cowley she was a First Team All-American both of her seasons at West Virginia Wesleyan University and was named the WVIAC and Atlantic Region Player of the Year as a senior.