Alice Lloyd College Welcomes Four New Members into the Athletic Hall of Fame
On October 9th, 2023. Alice Lloyd College inducted four members into their prestigious Athletic Hall of Fame. The class of 2023 includes:
Cati Case hails from Virgie, KY, and is a graduate of Shelby Valley High School and attended Alice Lloyd from 2008-2013. She was a four-year member of the Lady Eagles softball team, and was known for her solid defense and determination.
During her playing career at Alice Lloyd, she quickly proved to be a versatile contributor in the infield, as she played third base, shortstop, and second base. In 2010, she was struck in the eye by a foul ball which took her vision and ended her season. The doctors were doubtful if she would ever regain her sight again, as the injury was severe. Miraculously, over time, her vision did return, and she elected to rejoin the squad in 2011.
All she did for that year was promptly put up a solid hitting percentage and display superb defensive work with her glove. At the conclusion of the season, she was honored by the conference coaches as an All-Conference selection. In addition, Case also was voted as the conference's "Comeback Player of the Year", for overcoming the odds in, not only returning to the diamond but for excelling when she did.
After finishing her eligibility, she returned for an additional year where she served as a student-assistant coach for the squad while earning her degree.
Currently, Case resides in Virgie, KY where she serves her community as a sales representative for Walters Toyota/Nissan of Pikeville, Kentucky.
Her plaque was presented by the President of ALC, Dr. Jim Stepp; the president of Student Services, Mr. Scott Cornett; her former coach, Mr. John Mills; and the Director of Athletics, Mr. David Hatfield
Rodney Mitchell hails from Manchester, Ky., and is a graduate of Clay County High School. He attended Alice Lloyd from 2005-2009. As a four-year member of the Eagles basketball team, he was known for his scoring ability and shooting accuracy.
During his freshman season, he showed quickly what good things were to come as he averaged 10.7 points while shooting 59% from the floor. For this, he was named to the KIAC All-Freshman team.
As a sophomore, Mitchell pumped in 16 points per game, while shooting 52% from the floor. He also grabbed nearly 5 rebounds, per outing. He was named All-Conference and finished as runner-up for Player of the Year.
As a junior, he averaged nearly 14 points per game on 50% field goal accuracy and chipped in 3.5 rebounds while finishing second in blocks. Once again, he was named to the All-Conference squad.
Before his senior season, he suffered an injury that kept him unable to play for months. However, with hard work and determination, he vowed to return for one final season. That year, Mitchell still averaged an impressive 15.6 points on 50% accuracy. He also contributed 4.6 boards per contest. For the third consecutive time, he was selected as an All-Conference performer.
At the conclusion of his career, he had amassed 1,580 points while connecting on nearly 53% from the floor. He also added 435 rebounds. He was a 3-time all-conference selection, as well as 3-time captain, most valuable player, and Eagle Award winner.
Off the court, Mitchell was a solid student, who was named to Dean's List 6 of the 8 semesters he attended. He also credits much of his success to the college work-study program and claims it was vital both on and off the court, as it instilled a sense of hard work and commitment in him while helping develop both communication and leadership skills.
After graduation, he served his community by accepting a position at the Federal Bureau of Prisons at Big Sandy before transferring home to Manchester to work at the Federal facility there. Over his career, he was honored for his hard work and dedication on numerous occasions.
His plaque was presented by the President of ALC, Dr. Jim Stepp; Vice President of Student Services, Mr. Scott Cornett; his former coach, Gary Gibson; and the Director of Athletics, Mr. David Hatfield.
Kayla Wilson and Miranda Wilson are graduates of Corbin High School, and the twins have done virtually everything together since the day they were born. This includes excelling on the basketball court. They were known for their high basketball intelligence, as well as their outstanding ability in every phase of the game.
They attended Alice Lloyd from 2016 to 2019. As two-year members of the Lady Eagles, they helped lead the squad on a historical run.
As juniors, the twins both averaged double figures in scoring, and ranked among the leaders in the conference in both steals, assists, and 3-point shooting. However, their final season would prove to be exceptional, and showcased their complete skills.
As seniors, they led the squad to a first-place finish in the division and a runner-up finish in the River States Conference tournament. For this, the Lady Eagles were awarded with the program's first-ever berth to the NAIA National Tournament, held in Sioux City, Iowa. Overall, the club would finish the season with an outstanding 24-6 record.
However, the final conference statistics would demonstrate just how dominant the sisters were. Both would finish in the top 20 in scoring. They would finish 1-2 in the league in 3-point percentage, assists, and assist-turnover ratio; and were among the nation's leaders in all three as well. Additionally, they would finish 3rd-4th in the conference in steals, which was also among the nation's best.
Even more incredibly, the two of them combined to finish in the top ten in the conference in 14 individual categories. This includes Miranda registering four double-doubles while Kayla recorded six double-doubles, and was the only player in the league to record a rare triple-double with her 10-point-10 assist-14 rebound gem in the tournament.
In addition to multiple Player of the Week honors, both were All River States Conference selections, as well as NCCAA All-region picks. They concluded their careers with eerily similar numbers: Both appeared in 117 games. Miranda scored 1,196 points, grabbed 420 rebounds, dished off 337 assists, and nabbed 211 steals. Kayla scored 1,158 points, grabbed 576 rebounds, dished off 314 assists, and nabbed 162 steals
Naturally, both were solid students who were regularly on the Dean's List. They were also named the outstanding students in both accounting and business, as well as student-athlete of the year.
Currently, they both reside in Williamsburg, Kentucky where they each serve their community as Research Analysts for the Kentucky Consular Center, in Williamsburg.
Their plaques were presented by the President of ALC, Dr. Jim Stepp; the Vice-President of Student Services, Mr. Scott Cornett; their former and current coach of the Lady Eagles, Mr. John Mills; and the Director of Athletics, Mr. David Hatfield.