The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Women’s Athletics Hall of Honor to induct five new members
09.18.2014 | Texas Athletics, Women's Basketball, Women's Golf, Women's Swimming and Diving, Volleyball, Track & Field / Cross Country
The Class of 2014 includes Karol Davidson, Katy Jameyson Garza, Colleen Lanné Cox, Debbie Petrizzi and Yulonda Wimbish-North.
AUSTIN, Texas -- Five distinguished former University of Texas student-athletes will be inducted this November into the UT Women's Athletics Hall of Honor, the Women's Hall of Honor Committee announced Thursday. The 15th Longhorn Women's Hall of Honor class includes Karol Davidson, a two-time NCAA champion and eight-time All-American in track; Katy Jameyson Garza, a two-time First-Team All-American and two-time Southwest Conference Player of the Year in volleyball; Colleen Lanné Cox, a four-time NCAA champion, 22-time All-American and Olympic silver medalist in swimming; Debbie Petrizzi, the 1978 AIAW individual national champion in golf; and Yulonda Wimbish-North, the 1988 Southwest Conference Player of the Year in basketball who helped Texas to the 1985-86 NCAA Championship.
The Class of 2014 will be inducted at an 11:30 a.m. Central ceremony and luncheon on Friday, Nov. 7 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. The five new members will be enshrined during ceremonies at the Texas-West Virginia football game the following day (kickoff time is TBA). Tickets to the Friday luncheon are $35 and available through the T-Association at 512-471-6864. Interested patrons may also sponsor a table of 10 for $450.
A two-time NCAA champion and eight-time All-American who helped lead the Longhorns to three NCAA team titles (1986 and 1988 indoor and 1986 outdoor), Davidson remains one of the top middle distance runners and relay performers in program history. She won the 1,000 meters at the 1986 NCAA Indoor meet to help lead the Longhorns to the team championship. Davidson finished fourth in the 800 meters and ran on the 4x400-meter relay that placed fourth to help Texas win the team title at the 1986 NCAA Outdoor meet. She also won the 800 meters while pacing UT to the 1988 NCAA Indoor team championship. A 10-time Southwest Conference champion, Davidson still holds the school record in the outdoor 800 meters (2:01.50 set in 1987).
Jameyson Garza is one of the top all-around players in Texas Volleyball history. A two-time All-America First Team selection, she completed her four-year collegiate career ranked second on the UT charts for career block assists (370), sixth in solo blocks (112) and seventh in both kills (1,115) and service aces (127) and compiled a .309 career hitting efficiency. Jameyson Garza claimed Southwest Conference Player of the Year honors in both 1992 and 1993 and helped Texas post a 38-2 combined record in SWC play while winning the SWC regular-season title in each of her four seasons in Austin.
A four-time NCAA champion, 22-time All-American and an Olympic silver medalist, Lanné Cox is one of the premier sprint freestyle swimmers in school history. In her senior season (2000-01), Lanné Cox became the third Longhorn ever to sweep the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle events at the NCAA Championships. She also helped Texas to national titles in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays and placed second in the 200 freestyle while leading the Longhorns to a third-place team finish at the 2001 NCAA Championships. A 19-time Big 12 champion, Lanné Cox helped Texas win three straight Big 12 team titles and earned Big 12 Swimmer of the Year honors in both 1999-2000 and 2000-01. She earned a silver medal for the United States at the 2004 Athens Olympics in the 400-meter freestyle relay.
Petrizzi claimed individual medalist honors as a freshman at the 1978 AIAW (Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) National Championship, and is one of just three ladies in program history to win an individual title at the national championship (Charlotta Sorenstam and Heather Bowie). She led the Longhorns to three Top 10 team finishes at the AIAW National Championship during her collegiate career. Her individual title helped Texas finish in a tie for third place in the team standings at the 1978 AIAW Nationals, and she claimed the 1978 Honda Broderick Award as the National Collegiate Golfer of the Year. Petrizzi claimed three career individual medalist honors in her four seasons at Texas and helped the Longhorns place eighth at the 1980 AIAW Nationals and seventh at the 1981 AIAW Nationals.
The 1988 Southwest Conference Player of the Year, Wimbish-North is one of the most potent scorers and staunch defenders in Texas Women's Basketball history. During her collegiate career, the Longhorns won the 1986 NCAA title, tallied a 125-8 overall record, registered a perfect 64-0 record in SWC play, won four conference regular-season and tournament titles, made two Final Four appearances and finished No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll three times. She finished her career ranked eighth in scoring in school history with 1,486 points. As a sophomore, Wimbish-North was the first player off the bench on the historic 1985-86 National Championship squad that became the first women's basketball team to finish a season undefeated (34-0). She capped off her collegiate career by averaging a team-high 15.3 points per game and earned Southwest Conference Player of the Year honors as a senior in 1987-88.
The five inductees were selected by the 21-member UT Women's Athletics Hall of Honor Selection Committee. The committee is chaired by Dr. Jim Deitrick, professor of accounting in the Red McCombs School of Business. In addition to Deitrick, the committee includes: Arthur Allert, Beverly Bowes Hackney, Rick Cantu, Mia Carter, Jody Conradt, Stephanie DeMunbrun, Mary Elliott, Cindy Figg-Currier, Carlette Guidry, Kathy Harston, Courtney Houston, Tara Huntress, Becky Marshall, Chris Plonsky (ex officio), Sally Schlobohm Tan, Martha Smiley, Doug Smith, Mary Steinhardt, Jill Sterkel and Pam Willeford.
KAROL DAVIDSON (Track, 1986-88)
(B.A. Psychology, The University of Texas, 1988; J.D. Law, The University of Tennessee, 1994)
A two-time NCAA champion and eight-time All-American, Karol Davidson is one of the top middle distance runners and relay performers in program history. During her three seasons in Austin, Davidson helped lead the Longhorns to three NCAA team titles (1986 and 1988 indoor and 1986 outdoor) and five Top-Five showings at nationals. After spending her freshman season at the University of Tennessee (1983-84), she transferred to Texas and sat out the 1984-85 season due to NCAA transfer rules. During her sophomore year, Davidson won the 1,000 meters at the 1986 NCAA Indoor meet to help lead the Longhorns to the NCAA team championship. She then finished fourth in the 800 meters and ran the third leg of the fourth-place 4x400-meter relay at the 1986 NCAA Outdoor meet to lead Texas to the team title. As a junior, Davidson ran the third leg of the fifth-place 4x400-meter relay at the 1987 NCAA Indoor meet and the final leg of the 4x400-meter relay which placed sixth at the 1987 NCAA Outdoor meet. In her senior season, she won the 800 meters while helping the Longhorns claim the 1988 NCAA Indoor team title. Davidson then finished third in the 800 meters and ran the third leg of the 4x400-meter relay which placed sixth at the 1988 NCAA Outdoor meet. A 10-time Southwest Conference champion while at Texas, Davidson helped the Longhorns win all six indoor and outdoor league team titles during her three seasons. She won four SWC titles in 1986 (indoor 1,000 yards, indoor 4x400-meter relay, outdoor 800 meters and outdoor 1,500 meters), two in 1987 (outdoor 800 meters and outdoor 1,500 meters) and four in 1988 (indoor 800 meters, outdoor 800 meters, outdoor 1,500 meters and outdoor 4x400-meter relay). Davidson still holds the school record in the outdoor 800 meters with a time of 2:01.50 (set in 1987) and held three additional school records as part of relay teams in the sprint medley relay (3:41.96 in 1988), 4x800-meter relay (8:27.90 in 1986) and outdoor distance medley relay (11:05.71 in 1986). She also was a member of the cross country team during each of her three seasons at Texas. Davidson earned her bachelor's degree in psychology in 1988 and went on to receive her law degree from the University of Tennessee in 1994. A government agency lawyer who resides in Del Valle, Texas, she has served as an attorney with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department since 2000.
KATY JAMEYSON GARZA (Volleyball, 1990-93)
(B.S. Kinesiology/Health Promotion and Fitness, The University of Texas, 1994)
A two-time All-America First Team selection, Katy Jameyson Garza is one of the top all-around players in Texas Volleyball history. She completed her four-year career ranked second on the school charts for career block assists (370), sixth in solo blocks (112) and seventh in both kills (1,115) and service aces (127). Jameyson Garza also compiled a .309 career hitting efficiency. As a freshman in 1990, she helped the Longhorns post a 31-4 overall record, advance to the NCAA regional finals and earn a national ranking of No. 7 in the final AVCA poll. During her junior season in 1992, Jameyson Garza led Texas to a 29-6 mark and a trip to the NCAA regional finals while earning Southwest Conference Player of the Year, AVCA All-America First Team and Volleyball Magazine All-America Second Team honors. She had one of the finest all-around seasons in school history in 1992, recording 409 kills, 331 digs, 163 blocks and 50 service aces while posting a .360 hitting efficiency. As a senior in 1993, Jameyson Garza helped the Longhorns to a 31-3 mark, a trip to the NCAA regional finals and a ranking of No. 2 in the final AVCA poll. She repeated as SWC Player of the Year and also garnered AVCA All-America and Volleyball Magazine All-America First Team honors. The Longhorns registered a combined 38-2 record in Southwest Conference matches and won the SWC regular-season title in each of her four seasons in Austin. Jameyson Garza earned her bachelor's degree in kinesiology/health promotion and fitness in 1994. She has served since 2009 as a teacher at ASSETS Academy in the Alvin Independent School District, where she works with ninth-12th grade students in biology, aquatics and environmental sciences. Jameyson Garza also has been the co-owner of the Absolute Volleyball Academy of Texas since 2006. She and her husband, Ray Garza, reside in Alvin, Texas, with their five children, Chavez, Tony, Teresa, Ana and Mia.
COLLEEN LANNÉ COX (Swimming, 1998-2001)
(B.S. Public Relations, The University of Texas, 2002)
A four-time NCAA champion, 22-time All-American and an Olympic silver medalist, Colleen Lanné Cox is one of the premier sprint freestyle swimmers in school history. As a freshman in 1997-98, she claimed All-America honors in the 200 and 800 freestyle relays and added honorable mention All-America accolades in the 200 medley relay, 400 freestyle relay and the 100 freestyle. Lanné Cox also won Big 12 titles in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays and the 200 medley relay as a freshman. In her sophomore season (1998-99), she earned honorable mention All-America honors in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays and the 400 medley relay. Lanné Cox helped the Longhorns win their first Big 12 Conference team championship in 1999, leading UT to wins in the 200 freestyle relay and the 400 medley relay. In her final two years in Austin, Lanné Cox emerged as one of the nation's elite freestyle swimmers and earned the maximum of seven All-America honors in both her junior and senior seasons. As a junior (1999-2000), she earned individual All-America honors in the 50 and 100 freestyle events in addition to All-America accolades in the 200, 400 and 800 freestyle relays and added honorable mention All-America selections in the 200 freestyle and 400 medley relay. Lanné Cox helped UT to its second straight Big 12 team title in 2000 and was selected as the Big 12 Swimmer of the Year after sweeping the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle events at the Big 12 Championships. In her senior season (2000-01), Lanné Cox ascended to the pinnacle of collegiate swimming and became the third Longhorn ever to sweep the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle events at the NCAA Championships. She also helped Texas to national titles in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays and posted a NCAA runner-up finish in the 200 freestyle. Lanné Cox added All-America honors in the 200 medley and 800 freestyle relays and led the team to a third-place finish at the 2001 NCAA Championships. At the conference level, she claimed Big 12 Swimmer of the Year honors for the second straight year while leading the Longhorns to their third consecutive Big 12 team title and completed her career as a 19-time Big 12 champion. For her accomplishments, she was one of four finalists for the 2000-01 Honda Sports Award, given annually to the nation's Outstanding Collegiate Swimmer of the Year. Lanné Cox left college as the Big 12 and Big 12 meet record holder in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle events. In addition to her success in the pool, she also was a four-time Academic All-Big 12 Team selection (first team in 1998, 2000 and 2001, honorable mention in 1999). She earned her bachelor's degree in public relations in 2002. On the international level, Lanné Cox earned a silver medal for the United States at the 2004 Athens Olympics in the 400-meter freestyle relay by swimming in the prelims of the event. A U.S. Open and American record holder in the 100-meter freestyle, she won silver in the 200-meter freestyle as well as gold in the 4x100-meter and 4x200-meter free relays at the 2003 Pan American Games. Lanné Cox also was a silver medalist in the 4x200-meter free relay at the FINA Short Course World Championships. She and her husband, John Cox, reside in Austin with their two sons, Rowan and Rhett. A full-time mother, Lanné Cox still works with the Longhorn Swim Camp each summer.
DEBBIE PETRIZZI (Golf, 1978-81)
(B.S. Radio-Television-Film, The University of Texas, 1981)
The individual medalist as a freshman at the 1978 AIAW (Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) National Championship, Debbie Petrizzi is one of just three ladies in program history to claim individual medalist honors at the national championship (joined by Charlotta Sorenstam at the 1993 NCAA Championship and Heather Bowie at the 1997 NCAA Championship). A four-year letterwinner at Texas, Petrizzi led the Longhorns to three Top 10 team finishes at the AIAW National Championship during her collegiate career. In her freshman season (1977-78), she won the individual national title with a four-round total of 291 (74-70-79-68) at the Grenelefe Golf and Racquet Club in Cypress Gardens, Florida. Her individual championship helped Texas finish in a tie for third place in the team standings. Petrizzi earned All-America honors and claimed the 1978 Honda Broderick Award as the National Collegiate Golfer of the Year. During her junior season (1979-80), she claimed team MVP honors, earned individual medalist honors at the Lady Paladin tournament and paced the Longhorns to an eighth-place team finish at the 1980 AIAW National Championship. As a senior (1980-81), Petrizzi again was named team MVP, won individual medalist honors at the Susie Maxwell Berning tournament and led the Longhorns to a seventh-place team finish at the 1981 AIAW National Championship. She earned her bachelor's degree in Radio-Television-Film in 1981 and spent two years (1983-84) playing professionally on the LPGA Tour.
YULONDA WIMBISH-NORTH (Basketball, 1985-88)
(B.S. Speech Communication, The University of Texas, 1988; Master's in Education-Counseling, Eastern Illinois University, 2001)
A 1,000-point career scorer and 1988 Southwest Conference Player of the Year, Yulonda Wimbish-North is one of the most potent scorers and staunch defenders in Texas Women's Basketball history. Throughout her four years at Texas (1985-88), she was a consistent force for the Longhorns. Wimbish-North played in 129 of UT's 133 games during that period and finished her career ranked eighth in scoring at Texas with 1,486 points. During collegiate career, the Longhorns won the 1986 NCAA title, tallied a 125-8 overall record, registered a perfect 64-0 record in SWC play, won four conference regular-season and tournament titles, made two Final Four appearances and finished No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll three times. She stepped in as a freshman and averaged 10.3 points in just 19 minutes per game on a team that advanced to NCAA Regionals. As a sophomore, Wimbish-North was the first player off the bench on the historic 1986 National Championship squad that became the first women's basketball team to finish a season undefeated (34-0). During the 1985-86 campaign, she averaged 7.4 points per game on better than 59 percent shooting and scored 10 points in the NCAA title game victory against USC. The Longhorns' 1985-86 national championship team is now represented in the UT Women's Athletics Hall of Honor by seven former student-athletes: Clarissa Davis, Kamie Ethridge, Fran Harris, Andrea Lloyd, Annette Smith, Beverly Williams and Wimbish. As a junior, she went on to score double-figure points in 23 games to earn a spot on the All-Southwest Conference Second Team while guiding Texas to a second-straight Final Four and a No. 1 ranking in the final Associated Press poll. Wimbish-North capped off her collegiate career by averaging a team-high 15.3 points per game and earned Southwest Conference Player of the Year honors. She earned a bachelor's degree in speech communications in 1988. Wimbish-North served as an assistant women's basketball coach at the University of Illinois (1990-94), the University of Detroit-Mercy (1995-96) and the University of Michigan (1996-2000) and as director of basketball operations at Michigan (2000-01). She earned her master's degree in education-counseling at Eastern Illinois University in 2001. Wimbish-North also was inducted into the Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001. Wimbish-North continues to contribute to education and to the development of basketball, as she has served as educator, Girls' Athletic Coordinator and Head Girls' Basketball Coach since 2010 at Victoria East High School in her hometown of Victoria, Texas. She and her husband, George North, are the parents of four daughters, Imani, Leilani, Giani and Kiani.
