The Circle of Honor is a program that Wesleyan created in 2007 to recognize former Wesleyan athletes who made significant contributions to the athletic program while they were students at the school. Recognized as one of the highest honors, only a few people are inducted each year. In a recent interview, Head Athletic Director, Marc Khedouri, said, “[Throughout high school] a lot of students did a lot of really important things that are worthy of recognition and [they] accomplished a lot [too]. There is a character component to [this honor] as well, so we are not just recognizing students who were good athletically. [Instead], we are recognizing students of high character who were also good athletically.”
There are numerous qualifications to be eligible for this honor, including but not limited to: a five year waiting period after the inductee graduates from Wesleyan, significant contribution to one or more of Wesleyan’s athletic programs and excellence in professional life in the years after Wesleyan graduation. Nevertheless, anyone can make a nomination for the Circle of Honor, but the submissions are filtered by an executive and nominating committee before ultimately being decided via secret ballot by the Head Coaches Committee. The process is extremely thorough, and this year, as in the past, it has resulted in numerous talented individuals being inducted.
This year’s inductees are: Grace Leah Baughn, Erin Hall, Erika Ramsey and Kyle Karempelis. Each individual is an alumni of Wesleyan School, who once made “significant contributions on and off the field,” Khedouri said.
Grace Leah Baughn, while at Wesleyan, had many achievements in both basketball and volleyball. One of her main accomplishments was setting the Wesleyan record for second most 3-pointers in a single basketball game. Baughn went on to play college basketball at Pepperdine.
Erin Hall made her mark in high school on the basketball court as well. One of the many records she set at Wesleyan was the second most 3-pointers in a career. After high school, Hall went on to play basketball at the College of Charleston and Wake Forest.
The third female being recognized this year is Erika Ramsey. Ramsey made significant contributions to both the cross country and track teams, setting the school record for 800 and 1600 meter run, as long as some others as well. She continued her track and cross country career at the University of Georgia.
The final inductee, is Kyle Karempelis. Karempelis is being honored for his accomplishments on the football field. Karempelis set nine school records while at Wesleyan, including most career points. After graduating, he traded his green and gold for the red and black of University of Georgia.
All four athletes being inducted this year set numerous records for the school and contributed greatly to their team(s). It is important that they are honored for their accomplishments, so they feel a sense of appreciation for all they have done. Khedouri said, “It is important for schools to recognize alumni who have contributed in critical ways and tie them back to the school. We appreciate all that they did while they were here.” This year’s inductees will be honored at the varsity basketball games Friday the 27th.
