CHARLESTON, S.C. – The 2017 College of Charleston Athletics Hall of Fame Class has been selected and includes one former administrator and two former student-athletes.
 
This year's induction class is highlighted by former College of Charleston President Lee Higdon (2001-06), men's soccer star Chad Carithers (1991-94) and men's golf All-American Jedd McLuen (1998-01).
 
The Hall of Fame ceremony will be held on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, at 10:30 a.m. (ET) in the McAlister Hospitality Suite located on the third floor of TD Arena. Tickets to the brunch can be purchased for $20. To make your reservation(s), please RSVP by Monday, Jan. 16, to Terri Mattie at: (843) 953-8254 or mattietl@cofc.edu.
 
CHAD CARITHERS (1991-94)
(Class of '98)
 
The most decorated College of Charleston men's soccer player in program history, Carithers still ranks first all-time in career goals (41) and career points (103). A two-time first team all-conference selection, he ranked No. 2 nationally in scoring with 20 goals and 14 assists while leading the Cougars to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament in 1994 – just falling short of reaching the Final Four to UCLA. The team's NCAA Tournament run included wins over Charlotte and NC State and remains the furthest any soccer team has advanced in postseason play at The College. Tabbed to the 1994 Soccer America MVP National Team recognizing the top players in the country equivalent to the first-and second-team All-America squads, Carithers also led the Cougars to back-to-back Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) championship titles in 1993 and 1994 and was crowned tournament MVP in 1994. Along with career records, the two-time team MVP still holds single-season records for points (54), goals (20) and assists (14) as well as ranks second in points per game (2.16), goals per game (0.88) and game-winning goals (6). Carithers went on to play for the United States Under-23 National Team and earned two caps for the full U.S. National Team in 1994. He played professionally in Japan for Albiereo Niigatta (1995) and in the U.S. for the South Carolina Shamrocks (1996), Charleston Battery (1997-98) and Raleigh Express (1999-2000). Carithers earned his bachelor's degree in elementary education in 1998.
 
JEDD McLUEN (1998-01)
(Class of '12)
 
One of only two College of Charleston men's golfers in program history to be tabbed a PING All-America Honorable Mention selection, McLuen was a two-time All-Southern Conference First Team honoree in 2000 and 2001. He still ranks first all-time in career scoring average (72.70), career starts (50), career rounds played (146.0), career finishing percentage (82.7%), career birdies made (421) and tied for third all-time in career tournament wins (2). In the school single-season records, he ranks first and second all-time in birdies made (125 in 2000-01 and 123 in 1999-2000) and third and fourth all-time in scoring average (72.11 in 1999-2000 and 72.36 in 2000-01). McLuen was nationally ranked in the Top 50 individually as a sophomore, junior and senior. During his junior campaign, he was ranked as high as No. 40 in the nation – the second-highest individual national ranking in school history. McLuen tied for medalist honors at the 1999 Southern Conference Championship (lost in a playoff) and became the first-ever Charleston golfer in 2000 to qualify for NCAA Regionals as an individual. In 2001, he shot a second-round 64 at the LSU Spring Invitational – the second-lowest round by a CofC golfer – and was a member of the program's first-ever NCAA Regional invitation squad. The Cougars would go on to finish fourth at regionals earning a spot to nationals where they placed 16th overall as a team. McLuen remains the highest individual finisher at nationals in program history. In addition, he became the first golfer in school history to qualify for a spot in one of the four majors - the U.S. Open in 2000 at Pebble Beach (one of six amateurs). He also reached the Round of 32 at the 1998 U.S. Amateur and the Round of 16 in match play at the 2000 U.S. Amateur. In his first attempt as a professional, McLuen successfully qualified for the 2001 PGA TOUR Greater Milwaukee Open. The former Hooters Tour professional earned his bachelor's degree in business administration in 2012. He currently resides in Mt. Pleasant and is a partner in Bennett-McLuen Homes on Kiawah Island, S.C.
 
LEE HIGDON (2001-06)
Honorary
 
Former President Lee Higdon led the College of Charleston from July 2001 to June 2006. He was a dedicated supporter of CofC Athletics and is credited with doubling the athletics budget in his time, which provided the needed support and resources to become a top-flight NCAA Division I program. Higdon was also instrumental in the building of Carolina First Arena (now renamed TD Arena) and the CofC Tennis Center. Facility upgrades and enhancements of the baseball and softball stadiums at Patriots Point were also under his watch and direction. The former Wall Street executive and his wife, Ann, famously hosted teams at their home and were vociferous fans from the stands traveling in-state and out-of-state with all sports teams at CofC. The most memorable trip – traveling with men's basketball as the Cougars defeated Wyoming, Oklahoma State and Villanova to win the Great Alaska Shootout title in 2002 in Anchorage, Alaska. President Higdon's legacy lives on at The College with the dedication of the Ann and Lee Higdon Student Leadership Center on campus in March of 2007. Prior to CofC, he served as the Dean of the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia and president of Babson College. He currently teaches and serves on corporate boards after retiring as president of Connecticut College in 2013.
 
2017 COFC ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CLASS
Chad Carithers – Men's Soccer (Class of '98)
Jedd McLuen – Men's Golf (Class of '12)
Lee Higdon – President (Honorary)