Five elite student-athletes from Tarleton Athletics’ storied history recently received the ultimate honor. Brandon Burney (Men’s Basketball), Desiree Reed-Stoker (Volleyball), Noel Sauceda (Baseball), Kate Webb-Wright (Track and Field), and Lacey Adkisson (Volleyball/Track and Field) were all inducted into the Tarleton Athletics Hall of Fame.
Tarleton Athletics held a special ceremony on the Tarleton State University campus in Stephenville to honor the five legendary Texans, who were enshrined as the class of 2023. Five individuals, including one spectacular dual-sport athlete, took their rightful place among the greatest studentathletes to have ever competed for the purple and white.
All five inductees are from Tarleton’s NCAA Division II era.
Adkisson became the 175th member of the Tarleton Athletics Hall of Fame following a standout, fouryear career as a dual-sport athlete in volleyball and track and field. She became the 25th dual-sport athlete, the seventh volleyball athlete, and the 31st from the storied track and field program to enter the Hall of Fame.
The superstar carried her athletic prowess to the track and field scene as one of the greatest jumpers in program history. She set school records in high jump, triple jump, and javelin. She enters the Hall of Fame as the school record holder in the high jump (5’ 11.75’’) and javelin (157’ 6’’). She was a two-time All-American in the high jump, as well as the 2004 LSC Track and Field Athlete of the Year. She was a two-time conference champion and won the 76th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays High Jump competition with a leap of 5’ 8.75’’.
Tarleton’s all-time singlegame scoring leader Burney heard his name called as the 176th member of the Athletics Hall of Fame. He became the 42nd member of the men’s basketball program to join the ranks.
It only took two seasons for Burney to establish himself as one of the elite players in Texan Basketball history. He averaged 21.6 points per game in his career and is currently No. 13 all-time in scoring with 1,102 points. Both of his seasons at Tarleton have him placed among the top-10 scoring averages in school history. His 2001 season has him at No. 6 (22.1 ppg) and 2000 is No. 10 (21.1). His 50 points against Abilene Christian on Feb. 1, 2001, is the best single game performance in the history of Tarleton. For his career, he averaged 21.6 points per game on a .432 shooting percentage from the field, .409 percentage from downtown, and .781 percentage from the free throw line.
Another star on the volleyball court and a teammate of the first inductee, Reed was a force to be reckoned with from her first day on campus. She entered the Hall of Fame as the 177th member and the eighth from the Texan Volleyball program.
Reed’s four-year playing career saw her lead Tarleton to its most wins over a fouryear stretch since joining the NCAA in 1994 at the time (57). She led Tarleton to three 16-win seasons in her fouryear career and, in 2005, led the team in digs (408), kills (489) and attacks (1,391). She spent10yearsastheprogram’s all-time leader in kills (1,545) and enters the Hall of Fame No. 2 all-time. She is also top-10 in program history in aces (140) and attacks (4,098) at the time of induction.
The younger brother of Hall of Fame shortstop Victor Sauceda, Noel Sauceda joined his brother in Tarleton history as the 178th member and 18th from the Texan Baseball program.
Noel Sauceda joined the Texans under Hall of Fame Coach Jack Allen in 2000 and played four seasons for the purple and white. With Noel Sauceda leading the way, Tarleton recorded three 30-win seasons in four years and won two LSC South Division Championships. He also guided the Texans to their first LSC Tournament Championship appearance in Coach Allen’s final season.
The final inductee of the Tarleton Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023 is another multi-sport standout, Wright. While competing in three sports during her time at Tarleton, she enters the Hall of Fame for her efforts in track and field. She is the 179th member and the 32nd member of the Track and Field program.
Wright was a star for the Tarleton Track and Field team for all four years of her playing career from 19972001. She was a four-time team MVP and elevated her career to the national level beginning in the spring of 2000 when she finished ninth in the heptathlon at the NCAA Division II National Championships.
She won LSC Championships in the 400m, javelin, and mile relay, as well as medaling in 100m hurdles, and the spring relay. She qualified for the national championships in the heptathlon, 400m, 100m hurdles, javelin, and mile relay and finished with a national bronze medal in the heptathlon. She was an NCAA Division II All-American and the LSC Women’s Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Her 5,125 heptathlon points remain an unbroken Tarleton record at the time of her induction.