Southeast adds to its hall of fame

~ Five individuals and a team will be inducted in December

Former basketball standout William "Bud" Eley is among five individuals and one team that will be inducted to the Southeast Missouri State University Hall of Fame in December.

Eley, the 1999 Ohio Valley Conference Male Athlete of the Year and the 1999 OVC basketball Player of the Year, will be joined by Rich Eichhorst (basketball, 1952 to 1956), Tuba Meto (volleyball, 1994 to 1997), Andrew Presberry (track, 1980 to 1982) and Linda Wells (softball, 1968 to 1972) and the 1988-1989 men's basketball team.

The induction ceremony will be Dec. 11 at the Show Me Center, beginning with a reception at 6 p.m. Dinner and the induction ceremony will follow.

Eley (1995 to 1999) was a three-time all-OVC selection and is the leading rebounder and fourth-leading scorer in Southeast history. During the 1998-1999 season, the 6-foot-10 center led the nation in double-doubles with 19 and had the nation's only triple-double. He is currently playing professional basketball in Spain.

Eichhorst was a four-year letterman in basketball and a three-year starter who earned all-MIAA honors as a junior and senior. He led the team in scoring and rebounding as a senior. Eichhorst is the only Southeast player to advance to the NBA, where he played for the St. Louis Hawks in 1961.

Meto was the starting setter for Southeast volleyball for four years and the OVC Player of the Year in 1996 and 1997. She helped the Redhawks to a 105-43 record during her time at Southeast, including a 62-6 mark in the OVC. Southeast won the OVC title in each of her four seasons and made two NCAA appearances. Meto currently plays professional volleyball in Turkey.

Presberry was a three-time All-American at Southeast, gaining honors in the hurdles and on the mile relay team. He still holds the Southeast 110-meter hurdles record of 13.84 seconds. The record, established in 1981, has stood for 28 years. Presberry also recorded the second fastest 400-meter hurdle time of 51.35.

Wells, a 1972 graduate of Southeast, played numerous sports at Southeast -- volleyball, basketball, tennis and field hockey -- and went on to a successful career as a collegiate softball coach at Minnesota and Arizona State. A member of five halls of fame, including the Minnesota Hall of Fame and the National Softball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Wells coached the Greek Olympic softball team in 2004 and the Dutch Olympic team in 2008.

The 1988-1989 men's basketball team had a record of 27-6 and advanced to the NCAA Division II championship game in Springfield, Mass. The team was coached by Ron Shumate and included Mike Lewis, Dwayne Rutherford, Earnest Taylor, Ray Pugh, Lawrence Wilson, Darren Shepard, Malcomn Henry, John Simpson, Johnnie Coleman, Darryl Harris and Keith Ressel. Assistant coaches were Randy Curl and Rick Kestner and student coach Mike Brey.