SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Summit League) – A first-round NBA Draft pick, a pair of NCAA Champions, an NCAA career leader and an all-time coaching great make up The Summit League’s 2020 Hall of Fame Class announced Tuesday. The distinguished five-person class consists of George Hill (men’s basketball), Pete Hovland (swimming and diving), Chen Ni (swimming and diving), Amy (Anderson) Olson (women’s golf) and Jack Whitt (men’s track and field).
The HOF’s third class joins a list of a dozen former student-athletes, coaches and administrators that comprised the first two classes in 2017 and 2018.
“These five individuals have earned their rightful place in our Hall of Fame,” said Summit League Commissioner Tom Douple. “Each individual made a tremendous impact on our league and on their respective sports, not only while competing and coaching in our league, but beyond that time as well.”
Hill was the 2008 Summit League Player of the Year following his final collegiate season at IUPUI. He averaged a league-best 21.5 ppg as a redshirt junior for the Jaguars, who finished that season with a 26-7 record. The two-time All-Summit League first team performer tested the NBA Draft waters with one year of eligibility remaining and was rewarded after the San Antonio Spurs selected him with the 26th overall pick in 2008. He became the league’s second player to be taken in the opening round and is currently playing in his 12th season in the league. Hill carried a career-average of 11.2 ppg into the 2019-20 season and will appear in the playoffs for the 11th time in his career.
During his time coaching in The Summit League, Hovland led Oakland’s swimming and diving teams to 28 league titles, claiming every men’s and women’s title from 2000-2013 when the Grizzlies were a league member. His coaching prowess has continued as Hovland, who just completed his 42nd season at Oakland, has now won 42 consecutive men’s conference championships and 26 consecutive on the women’s side. During his tenure in the league, Hovland was named Coach of the Year eight times on the men’s side and seven on the women’s side.
Ni was the first Summit League female student-athlete to win multiple national championships, claiming the 2010 and 2012 platform diving titles for IUPUI. She remains the only Summit League student-athlete to win a national title in her sport. Ni claimed All-America honors in 2010 and 2012, was a three-time Summit League Diver of the Year (2009, 2010 and 2012) and a four-time All-Summit League performer.
Olson remains the NCAA career leader in women’s golf individual victories with 20. During her collegiate career at North Dakota State from 2009-13, she broke the old mark of 17 set by LPGA star Juli Inkster, who played collegiately at San Jose State. Olson is the only four-time Summit League Golfer of the Year in league history and a was three-time Championship MVP, a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and a two-time All-American during her career as a Bison. She is currently playing on the LPGA tour where she has amassed more than $1.4 million in career earnings. She has a pair of runner-up finishes on the tour, including the 2018 Evian Championship, which is one of five majors on the tour.
Whitt was a seven-time All-American for Oral Roberts in the pole vault, including a National Championship performance at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championship. He swept the Summit League indoor and outdoor pole vault championships in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and was named the league’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Year all three of those seasons and Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year in 2011 and 2012. He placed fifth at the U.S. National Championships in 2010 and was an alternate on Team U.S.A. at the 2012 Olympics in London.
A nine-member selection committee representing each institution from the 2020-21 membership selected the class. Nominees for the 2020 class came from The Summit League’s 30 Distinguished Contributors not already in the Hall of Fame and a list of 10 additional honored contributors that were announced during the league’s 30th Anniversary celebration in the summer of 2011. Each nominee must have achieved significant honors during his/her career within the league, on a national level, and/or in professional or Olympic competition.
A webpage devoted to The Summit League Hall of Fame is housed at www.thesummitleague.org/halloffame and includes detailed information on each inductee.
SUMMIT LEAGUE HALL OF FAME
Class of 2020
George Hill, IUPUI (Men’s Basketball)
Pete Hovland, Oakland (Swimming and Diving)
Chen Ni, IUPUI (Women’s Swimming and Diving)
Amy (Anderson) Olson, North Dakota State (Women’s Golf)
Jack Whitt, Oral Roberts (Men’s Track and Field)
CLASS OF 2020
GEORGE HILL
2004-08 // IUPUI (MEN’S BASKETBALL)
Selected in the first round, 26th overall, of the 2008 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs … A 2008 Honorable Mention All-America selection by the Associated Press … CollegeInsider.com Honorable Mention All-America and CollegeHoops.net second team Mid-Major All-America in 2008 … Named Summit League Player of the Year in 2008 … Totaled 1,619 points, 547 rebounds, 317 assists and averaged 17 points per game during his college career … Became the second Summit League player to be selected in first round of the NBA Draft … Finished as runner-up for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award in 2010 … Spent five seasons with the Indiana Pacers, starting 86 percent of his games played, from 2011-16 … Started all 55 playoff games over four seasons with the Pacers … Set career highs with 16.1 points, 5.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game in 2014-15 … Traded to Utah in July 2016 and spent the 2016-17 season with the Jazz … Played for the Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2017-18 season … He played in his first NBA Finals with the Cavs in 2018 … Cleveland traded him to Milwaukee in December of 2018 and he is currently playing his second season with the Milwaukee Bucks, who owned the East’s best record in 2018-19 … Inducted into IUPUI Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.
PETE HOVLAND
1999-2013 // OAKLAND (SWIMMING AND DIVING)
A 15-time Mid-Continent/Summit League Coach of the Year … Coached 28 league championship teams, leading every men’s and women’s team he coached as a league member from 1999 to 2013 to a conference title … Completed his 35th season at Oakland University by winning a 14th consecutive men’s championship and 12th straight women’s crown in the Golden Grizzlies’ final season as a league member in 2012-13 … Recently completed his 42nd season as Oakland’s head coach and has amassed 26 Conference Coach of the Year honors throughout his career … Mentored four Olympians: Hilton Woods (Netherland Antilles-1988), Scott Dickens (Canada-2004), Dario DiFazio (Venezuela-1992, 1996) and Haitham Hassan (Egypt-2000) … Won four NCAA Division II national titles, coached 59 NCAA Division II national champions and 93 NCAA Division II All-Americans … A graduate of Chico State University in 1976, and was inducted into the CSU Hall of Honor in 1998, the City of Chico Hall of Fame in 2009, the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
CHEN NI
2008-12 // IUPUI (WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING)
Became the first female in Summit League history to win two NCAA Championships, after winning the platform dive in 2010 (325.50) and 2012 (343.05), garnering All-American honors … Earned four first team All-Summit League accolades … Three- time Diver of the Year (2009-10, 2012) … Named 2012 Summit League Diving Championship MVP, earning a dive score of 283.10 … Earned five career Diver of the Week honors … Named Summit League Athlete of the Month four times in her career … Placed first in the 1-meter (265.85) and 3-meter (282.70) at the 2009 Summit League Championships … Also placed first in the 3-meter (307.50) at the 2010 Summit League Championships … Recorded the fourth-best 1-meter dive score (307.57) in league history in 2011 … Also has the sixth-best 3-meter dive score (317.60) in league history in 2012 … Earned an invitation to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Diving Trials … Inducted into IUPUI Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.
AMY (ANDERSON) OLSON
2009-13 // NORTH DAKOTA STATE (WOMEN’S GOLF)
Holds the NCAA record for career victories with 20, breaking the old mark of 17 set by Juli Inkster (San Jose State) during the 2012-13 season … Two-time All-American and four-time Summit League Golfer of the Year … NCAA Elite 88 honoree in 2011 with highest GPA at that year’s NCAA Championships … Three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American … Three-time Summit League Championship MVP … Earned 12 career Golfer of the Week/Month awards, which is second highest total in league history … Seven weekly/monthly honors in 2013 is a single-season league record … Best LPGA finishes were a pair of runner-up showings at 2020 Australian Open and 2018 Evian Championship (major) … Earned more than $1.4 million dollars in career earnings since joining LPGA in 2014.
JACK WHITT
2009-2013 // ORAL ROBERTS (MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD)
Seven-time All-American in the pole vault for Oral Roberts from 2009-13 … Won the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championship in the pole vault (5.65m), ORU’s third in program history … Three-time Summit League Indoor Champion in the pole vault (2010-12) … Three-time Summit League Outdoor Champion in the pole vault (2010-12) … Six-time All-Summit League honoree … Named the 2010 Summit League Indoor Newcomer of the Year and the 2010-12 Indoor Field Athlete of the Year … Named Indoor Athlete of the Week seven times and Summit League Athlete of the Month three times … Named Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year twice in his career (2011-12) … Also named Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week seven times … Selected to Team USA for the 2010 NACAC Games in Miami … Finished fifth at the U.S. National Championships in 2010 … Became the youngest champion at the Reno Pole Vault Summit in 2011 … Ranked seventh in the U.S. and 27th in the world at 21 years old in 2011 and sixth in the nation in 2012 … Named an alternate for Team USA at the 2012 Olympics … Inducted into Oral Roberts Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.
