SAN FRANCISCO (February 23, 2023) – The Pac-12 Conference announced Thursday the 2023 class to be inducted into the Pac-12 Hall of Honor, the Conference's most prestigious recognition of the greatest on and off-field contributors to Pac-12 athletics. The 2023 class will be the first ever all-female class inducted into the Hall of Honor in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX. Receiving the honor for Washington State this year is Washington State Hall of Fame volleyball player Sarah Silvernail.
Formal induction will take place on Friday, March 3 during a private ceremony prior to the semifinals of the 2023 Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev. Following induction, the class will be honored during a special halftime ceremony of the day's first semifinal matchup at Michelob Ultra Arena inside the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Tickets for the 2023 Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament are available at Pac-12.com/tickets.
The 2023 class is the 21st all-time to be assembled since the Hall's creation in 2002, and fifth since it expanded to include Pac-12 alumni from all sponsored sport programs to align with the Conference's historic, broad-based athletic excellence. The Hall of Honor illustrates the rich history of the Conference of Champions, as the Pac-12 leads all conferences with 546 national titles across 29 sports, over 200 more than the nearest league.
"The Pac-12 is honored to induct this class of legendary athletes, coaches and administrators into the Hall of Honor," said Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff. "The 12 inductees represented their respective universities at the highest levels of athletic excellence, and we are especially proud to recognize this first-ever all-female class as we continue to honor the historic legacy of Title IX."
The 2023 Pac-12 Hall of Honor class features another star-studded list of female inductees, including:
Susie Parra (Arizona, softball)
Jackie Johnson-Powell (Arizona State, track & field)
Dr. Luella Lilly (California, administration)
Ceal Barry (Colorado, women's basketball coach/administration)
Janie Takeda Reed (Oregon, softball)
Dr. Mary Budke (Oregon State, women's golf)
Jessica Mendoza (Stanford, softball)
Natalie Williams (UCLA, basketball/volleyball)
Barbara Hallquist DeGroot (USC, tennis)
Kim Gaucher (Utah, basketball)
Danielle Lawrie (Washington, softball)
Sarah Silvernail (Washington State, volleyball)
Among the many combined accolades of this year's class includes:
- 33 All-America accolades
- 32 years of service as athletic department administrators
- 19 national titles won as student-athlete or administrator (individual & team combined)
- Six annual recognitions as top collegiate athlete in a sport
- Five Olympic medals
- One Pac-12 Player of the Decade
- One WNBA championship as a General Manager
Sarah Silvernail, Washington State (1993-96)
Sarah Silvernail is one of the most honored volleyball players in Cougar history. She dominated Pacific-10 Conference and NCAA volleyball during her illustrious career from 1993-96. She was a two-time All-American, the 1996 Pacific-10 Conference Athlete of the Year, and a three-time All-District 8 selection. Silvernail established WSU records for career kills (1,848), single season kills (649), and most kills in a match (39). Born in Spokane, schooled in Yakima and Tacoma, the 6-1 middle blocker truly was the best Athlete in the state of Washington and was selected 1996 Female Athlete of the Year by both the Greater Spokane Sports Association and the Tacoma News Tribune, in addition to being a finalist for the Seattle P-I's Star Award. Silvernail was the backbone of Cougar volleyball teams that reached the second round of the NCAA tournament in 1993, the first round in 1994, the second round in 1995 and the regional championships in 1996, her final collegiate season when she won team MVP honors. During her career she tallied double-figure kills in 96 of 120 matches (.800). In March of 1997, she was named to the USA National Team and spent the summer in Colorado Springs training for the 2000 Olympic Games. Silvernail enjoyed a professional career in the United States Professional Volleyball League and overseas. She was inducted into the Washington State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001.
Washington State Pac-12 Hall of Honor Inductees:
2002 Craig Ehlo
2003 Jack Friel
2004 George Raveling
2005 Gene Conley
2006 James Donaldson
2007 Vince Hanson
2008 Mark Hendrickson
2009 Isaac Fontaine
2010 Paul Lindemann
2011 Ray Sunquist
2012 Steve Puidokas
2013 Jim McKean
2014 Ed Gayda
2015 Bennie Seltzer
2016 Keith Morrison
2017 Carlos Daniel
2018 Laura Lavine
2019 John Olerud
2020 Jeanne Eggart Helfer
2021 No Ceremony
2022 Drew Bledsoe
2023 Sarah Silvernail
