LEBANON, Tenn.--Cumberland University Athletics is pleased to announce the 2024 Sports Hall of Fame Class featuring six individuals and one team. 

• Lindsay Kitson - Women's Soccer
• Aaron Wilkerson - Baseball
• Zeke Hunt - Wrestling
• Heath Springer - Football 
• Charles Shimukowa - Men's Track & Field
• Dr. Danny Bryan - Wrestling Coach
• 2006-07 Women's Basketball Team

"We look forward to honoring this special group of Cumberland legends," Vice President of Athletic Ron Pavan said. "We have a very rich history of Athletics here at Cumberland and we are excited to welcome this esteemed group of individuals and the 2006-07 Women's Basketball team into our Hall of Fame."
 
This year's Hall of Fame weekend will take place October 11-12, with the induction ceremony set for Friday, October 11 at 6:00 p.m. The following day, the group will be honored at Cumberland University's homecoming football game. 
 

Lindsay Kitson | Women's Soccer | 2011-14

Lindsey Kitson was a four-year member for Cumberland's Women's Soccer Team from 2011-2014. Kitson was a three-time NAIA All-American as a goalkeeper during one of the best runs in the women's soccer program's history. Kitson posted a 54-11-2 record in goal posting 39 career shutouts. She compiled 207 saves in net. 

Kitson is statistically the best goalkeeper in women's soccer history. She was named an NAIA Second Team All-American in 2012, Third-Team All-American in 2013, and is the only Cumberland player to be named a First Team All-American in 2014. 

She helped Cumberland climb to a No. 1 ranking in 2014. The program made three straight trips to Orange Beach in the NAIA National Championships making it to the quarterfinals and Sweet Sixteen twice. Cumberland produced three of the most decorated seasons in program history over the span Kitson was the keeper, posting marks of 19-3-0, 16-4-1, and 17-4-1 with one Mid-South Conference regular-season championship (2013) and one Mid-South Conference tournament title (2012).

Kitson was a three-time Mid-South Conference First Team selection. She was named the Mid-South Conference Defensive Player of the Week three times and was a two-time Mid-South Conference Scholar-Athlete. 

Kitson has since gone on to play professionally in Europe. She signed with Clube de Albergaria in 2021 in Portugal. She went on to have stents with SAA Tel Avie in Israel, Sampdoria in Italy 
 

Aaron Wilkerson | Baseball | 2010-11

Wilkerson is one of only two former Cumberland players to earn either First or Second Team All-American honors twice during their career. The Waco, Texas, native, posted a 12-0 record with a 1.49 earned-run-average in 90.1 innings of work in 2011, garnering First Team All-America accolades.

The righthander struck out 90 in 14 appearances with 13 starts and seven complete games, tossing three shutouts. Opponents batted just .179 against him this season. He ranked third nationally in victories, seventh in opponent batting average and hits allowed per nine innings (5.58), and ninth in ERA.

Wilkerson set a pair of NAIA records in 2011 as well, tossing 54.0 consecutive scoreless innings from February 19 to April 8. He also won 26 consecutive decisions to end his career.

He lost his first start of the year as a junior before reeling off 14 consecutive victories, with two in the NAIA World Series, including the championship game, earning Second Team All-America honors. Wilkerson allowed one run on four hits with 13 strikeouts in the World Series opener against Embry-Riddle and tossed a four-hit shutout in the final against Lee University before running into trouble in the ninth.

The right-hander started a game-ending double play that secured Cumberland's second national title and gave up three runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts altogether versus Lee. Wilkerson was 14-1 with a 2.13 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 101.1 innings of work, leading the nation in strikeouts and ranking eighth in ERA in 2010. 

Wilkerson was named the TranSouth Pitcher of the Week four times in his career.

Since Cumberland, Wilkerson has gone on to play professionally. Wilkerson is one of two former Cumberland players to reach the big leagues. He made his major league debut on September 20, 2017 for the Milwaukee Brewers in the heat of the pennant race. He was named the MiLB AAA Pitcher of the Month in September 2021 pitching for the Oklahoma City Dodgers and is still actively playing in Korea. 
 

Zeke Hunt | Wrestling | 2010-2014

A two-time NAIA All-American, finishing eighth as a junior at the national championships and sixth in 2014. He won the NAIA East Region Qualifier in both 2013 and 2014.

Hunt earned the prestigious Lindsey Donnell Award in 2013-14 presented annually to a Phoenix student-athlete who excels in both academics and athletics. He graduated with a 3.731 grade-point-average with his bachelor's in Mathematics. Hunt also went on to earn a Master of Arts in Education from Cumberland. He is a two-time NAIA-Daktronics Scholar-Athlete and a three-time Mid-South Conference Scholar-Athlete as well as the team's Champions of Character nominee as a sophomore and junior.

He posted a 25-9 mark with wins over six ranked opponents as a senior and was 37-13 with eight victories against ranked foes as a junior. Hunt ended his career with 97 victories and is a two-time First Team All-Mid-South Conference selection.

He was member of the Dean's List at CU all four years and is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies. Hunt is an active member of The Bridge Fellowship in Lebanon and volunteers with the local Cub Scouts, Next Step Community Service and at the Byars Dowdy Elementary School Roar Run 5K.
 

Heath Springer | Football | 1995-1997

Heath Springer was a 1997 NAIA First Team All-American and the Mid-South Conference Player of the Year. Springer to this day is the only defensive lineman to be named Mid-South Conference Player of the Year. 

In 1997, he had 78 solo tackles, 64 assists and was named conference player of the week 5 out of 9 weeks.


Springer finished his Cumberland Career leading the team to 17-12 record over three years with 34.5 sacks in 28 career starts as a defensive lineman. 

Springer later signed and played with the Nashville Kats of Arena Football in 1998 and also played professionally in Canada.

Once he retired from playing, Springer coached at Cumberland from 1999 to 2001 as defensive line coach. He now runs a dog grooming business in Lebanon and coaches youth sports.
 

Charles Shimukowa | Men's Track & Field | 2018-19

Charles Shimukowa was the first NAIA National Champion in the Track & Field program's history. Shimukowa claimed the 800 meter Indoor National Championship with a time of 1:52.50. 

He is a two time NAIA All-American, later claiming third place at the Outdoor National Championships. 

Shimukowa ran in the 200m, 400m, 600m and the 800m events while at CU. During his senior season he won the Conference Championship for indoor track in the 400m and the 800m event twice. 

 A native of Lusaka, Zambia, Shimukowa became the fourth individual to win a National Title at Cumberland.

After graduating, Shimukowa served as the team's graduate assistant for two seasons. He now lives in California and runs professionally for Under Armour. 
 

Dr. Danny Bryan | Wrestling Coach

Dr. Danny Bryan began the Cumberland wrestling program and was the team's coach for five seasons. The program that was started with Dr. Bryan has blossomed into a perennial powerhouse with four individual national champions. 

Dr. Bryan had athletes qualify for nationals in four out of his five years as coach and notably earned the program's first NAIA All-American honor. Dr. Bryan coached from 1997 to 2001. 

Dr. Bryan spent 33 years teaching at Cumberland University as a biology professor. He was awarded the Cumberland University's President's Award in Teaching Excellence in 2015. 

2006-07 Women's Basketball Team

The 2006-07 Cumberland Women's Basketball team finished the year as the NAIA National Runner-Ups making it to the National Championship game played in Jackson, Tennessee. 

The team finished the season with a 27-8 record. Cumberland entered the 27th NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship as a No. 5 seed. Cumberland picked up a first round win against No. 4 seed Oklahoma Baptist 72-58. Moving on to the second round, Cumberland bested Lewis-Clark State 86-83. 

Cumberland then went through two No. 1 seeds, beating Langston, out of Oklahoma, 72-71 and Vanguard (Calif.) 68-64 in the Fab Four game. Cumberland lost the National Championship to in-state and TranSouth rival Lambuth University 63-50 to finish as National Runner-Ups, the best finish Cumberland Women's Basketball has ever had in the national tournament. 

Ashley Cross and Kiana Robinson were each named All-Tournament First Team recipients and Cross earned the Charles Stevenson Hustle Award. 

The team includes CU Hall of Famer Renae Williams, Keshia Forrest, Ashley Cross, Juliana Fernandes, Tomika Hall, Hilary Bauer, Isabelli Cunico, Lauren Dugger, C'Kala Humes, Ewa Bukowska, Kiana Robinson, Kari maddox, Kristin Kirkland, Mariel Ruis, and Kendall Agee. The team was coached by Clint Mason and Tony McLeod.