SAN BRUNO, Calif. --- The West Coast Conference will induct its 12th annual Hall of Honor class on Saturday, March 7 at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, Nev. Ten individuals, one from each member institution, will be honored as part of the 2020 University Credit Union West Coast Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments in Las Vegas.
 
The 2020 induction class features one Olympian (two-time gold-medalist), one NCAA statistical champion, one NCAA National Athlete of the Year, one National Coach of the Year, two individuals collecting three NCAA Championships, two coaches compiling a total of 15 WCC Coach of the Year honors and 16 WCC regular season championships and 28 NCAA Postseason berths, and four individuals collecting a combined 12 All-American citations.
 
“The West Coast Conference is honored to celebrate the accomplishments of these former student-athletes and coaches as we celebrate the enduring legacy of our 12th induction class during the WCC Basketball Tournaments in Las Vegas,” said West Coast Conference Commissioner Gloria Nevarez. “The 2020 Hall of Honor class represents the long-standing commitment by our member institutions to develop student-athletes by fostering an environment of athletic and academic excellence. These inductees excelled in a wide variety of sports while showcasing diverse paths to the top of their chosen athletic pursuits.”
 
The 2020 WCC Hall of Honor class includes: BYU's Wally Joyner (Baseball), Gonzaga’s Heather Bowman (Women’s Basketball), Loyola Marymount’s Terrell Lowery (Men’s Basketball), Pacific’s Dell Demps (Men’s Basketball), Pepperdine’s Nina Matthies (Women’s Volleyball), Portland’s David Kinsella (Cross Country/Track), Saint Mary’s Ruth Montgomery (Women’s Soccer), San Diego’s Hank Egan (Men’s Basketball), San Francisco’s Taggert Bozied (Baseball) and Santa Clara’s Aly Wagner (Women’s Soccer).
 
The Hall of Honor class will be formally inducted at the WCC Hall of Honor Brunch on Saturday, March 7 at 9 a.m. PT at the Mardi Gras Ballroom in the Orleans Hotel and each inductee will be honored throughout the course of the basketball tournaments.
 
Tickets to the WCC Hall of Honor Brunch & Induction Ceremony are available to the public and may be purchased by contacting Lindsey Jones in the WCC office via email – Ljones@westcoast.org. Tickets must be purchased by Monday, February 24.


 
Wally Joyner, Brigham Young University
A native of Decatur, Georgia, Wally Joyner came out west to Brigham Young University in 1981 and instantly became a driving force in one of the greatest eras in Cougar baseball history. A three-year starter at first base, Joyner was a two-time All-WAC and All-Region selection before being named an All-American his junior year in 1983 when the Cougars reached a No. 1 national ranking.
 
Joyner set eight school and 11 conference records at BYU and is still in the top 10 in program history in career batting average, hits, doubles, home runs, total bases, RBI and putouts.
 
Following his junior season, Joyner was picked in the third round by the California Angels and began his professional career. Three years later, the left-hander burst onto the Major League Baseball stage for the Angels. He not only started for the club, he also did so for the American League in the 1986 All-Star Game as a rookie in addition to tying for first in the Home Run Derby. He would eventually finish runner-up for the Rookie of the Year award.
 
Joyner would go on to play 16 seasons in the majors, including stints with the Angels, Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves. He reached the postseason four times, including the 1998 World Series with the Padres after hitting .313 against his hometown Braves to win the NL pennant. He led the American League twice and the National League twice in fielding percentage at first base, finishing his career with a .994 fielding percentage.
 
Joyner retired in 2001 after totaling a .289 batting average with 2,060 hits (including 409 doubles, 26 triples and 204 home runs), 973 runs, 1,106 RBI and 833 walks in 2,033 games played.
 
Joyner has since enjoyed a productive and successful post-playing career. He was a coach for nine years, first as a hitting coach and instructor with the San Diego Padres, a hitting and first base coach with the Philadelphia Phillies and as the Detroit Tigers hitting coach.
 
Joyner has also appeared in half a dozen movies, worked as a business executive and served and supported multiple non-profit institutions. He and his wife, Lesly, have been married for 37 years and have four children.
 
Heather Bowman, Gonzaga University
Heather Bowman, a Spokane native, who starred at Lewis and Clark High School near the Gonzaga campus was recruited heavily by numerous Pac-12 programs. But, she didn’t pass up the opportunity to continue her playing career for her hometown team. And what a career it was.

Just months into her freshman season, Bowman helped the fledgling program start its ascent, scoring 11 points to help GU win its first game against a ranked opponent, beating No. 21 UCLA in the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Hawaii early in the year. From there it was nothing but history making for the Zags. During her time, GU knocked over more firsts with its first NCAA Tournament berth, first NCAA Tournament victory and first Sweet Sixteen appearance.

Known for her consistency at all levels of basketball, Bowman concluded her four-year playing career as Gonzaga’s all-time scoring leader with 2,165 career points. Among both men and women, Bowman ranks second in Gonzaga history in career points, trailing only Frank Burgess who scored 2,196 points nearly sixty years ago.

The four-time First Team All-WCC selection not only broke the GU scoring record but was once the all-time leading scorer in West Coast Conference women’s basketball history. Bowman ranks in the top-three all-time among Zags in games played, field goals made, field goal percentage, free throws made and rebounds.

As a freshman in 2006-07, she was named the WCC Newcomer of the Year as the Bulldogs reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Bowman followed up a strong first year campaign by being named the league’s Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2008, where she averaged 20.1 points per game. As a senior in 2010, Bowman helped to lead the Bulldogs to their sixth-straight West Coast Conference regular-season title, and GU’s first appearance in the Sweet Sixteen.

After her playing career, Bowman was an assistant coach at Whitworth University from 2011- 2014 before returning back to Gonzaga where she served as the Video Coordinator from 2014- 16.
Terrell Lowery, Loyola Marymount University
Terrell Lowery understood and executed Coach Paul Westhead’s System. As a sophomore point guard in the Lions' record run in the NCAA Championships in 1990, Lowery averaged 14.5 points for the high-scoring Lions. He helped lead the Lions to 122.4 points per game, still an NCAA record, including another NCAA record 28 games where the team scored over 100 points. The 1989-90 Lions made it further than any team in school history, advancing to the West Regional Finals in his home town of Oakland, Calif.
In his final two seasons following the Elite Eight run, Lowery led the Lions in scoring, finishing his four-year career averaging 18.5 points. In addition, he led the team in steals in 1991 and 1992 and in assists in 1991. The 283 assists that season is a school record, and his 689 career assists are most all-time at time of induction. Lowery's breakout game came in 1990, scoring 48 points against Idaho State on Dec. 1, 1990. Lowery scored more than 40 points six times in his career. His durable career allowed him to play in a then-school record 119 games, putting him at the top 10 of most record categories. He was an Honorable Mention All-American in his junior and senior seasons and was the conference leader in scoring, assists and steals as a junior. He ranks second all-time in program history with 2,201 points.
A three-time All-WCC performer, twice on the first team, in men’s basketball, Lowery also earned WCC All-Conference Honorable Mention honors in baseball for the Lions in 1991, and was drafted in the second round by the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball. Lowery played four seasons in the Majors as a member of the Chicago Cubs (1997-98), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1999), and San Francisco Giants (2000). Lowery was inducted into the LMU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.

Dell Demps, University of the Pacific
A 6-foot-4-inch guard and forward out of Mount Eden High School in Hayward, Demps was a four-year starter for the Pacific men's basketball program from 1988-92. He was a three-time All-Big West selection, which included earning First Team honors in 1991-92 and Second Team honors in 1989-90, and was a two-time team MVP for the Tigers.

Demps emerged as one of the most prolific scorers in Pacific history, still ranking second with a career total of 1,742 points. He also remains second among all four-year Tiger players with a career average of nearly 15.2 points per game. In addition, Demps continues to hold the record for assists in a game with 14 in Pacific's dominating 108-87 win at UC Irvine on Jan. 7, 1991.

The All-Academic performer averaged nearly 19 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game in his final season with the Tigers. He ranks among the top-five all-time Tigers in three categories: second in three-point field goals made (230), fourth in made field goals (598), fourth in total assists (350), and the fourth player in program history to have played in at least 115 games.  

After his time at Pacific, the undrafted Demps went on to play 10 years professionally, both internationally and in the NBA. He spent three seasons in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic. After coaching in the NBA G League from 2001-03, Demps was a scout for the New York Knicks before moving into basketball operations where he served as the director of pro player personnel for the San Antonio Spurs for five seasons. Demps then served as the senior vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the New Orleans Pelicans. Demps was inducted into the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame during the 2003-04 academic year.

Nina Matthies, Pepperdine University
Nearly 600 career indoor wins plus 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, in addition to beach national championships in both 2012 and 2014, cemented Nina Matthies’ place as one of the most accomplished volleyball coaches of all time.

Matthies took over as the Pepperdine women’s volleyball head coach in the fall of 1983. In 31 seasons, she posted a career record of 590-343 (.632) before stepping down to focus on the beach program after the 2013 season. Pepperdine reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament twice (2002 and 2011) while making it to a regional semifinal on five other occasions under Matthies. She led the Waves to a season-ending top-25 AVCA ranking 14 times, with highs of sixth in 2002, 2003 and 2011.

The West Coast Conference began sponsoring women’s volleyball in 1985, two years after Matthies arrived, so her numbers are no surprise: a remarkable conference record of 320-90 (.780), a pair of conference win streaks that went 40-plus matches, 11 league championships (nine of them undefeated) and 10 WCC Coach of the Year awards.

Matthies was also a leading proponent of collegiate sand volleyball, and she saw that goal realized when schools began play during the spring of 2012 as an NCAA emerging sport. The Waves were dominant early, as they went undefeated and captured the inaugural AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball National Championship in 2012. They nearly repeated the feat in 2013 before settling for second place, but won their second title in 2014. Matthies earned the AVCA’s National Coach of the Year award in 2013, the first time it had been given.

Matthies then ushered the sport into the NCAA Championships era, taking Pepperdine to each of the first three events, which included a runner-up result in 2017. The Waves also won the first three WCC Championships ever contested and she was named WCC Coach of the Year after each one. Matthies retired after the 2018 season with a 137-23 (.856) record in seven seasons on the beach.

Pepperdine’s success on the beach wasn’t surprising considering Matthies’ history in the sport. After she excelled in the indoor game at UCLA (winning two AIAW national championships), with the U.S. National Team (1971 Pan American Games) and professionally (International Volleyball Association and Women’s Professional League), Matthies became one of the all-time greats outdoors. In 139 career starts on the beach, she won 43 titles and earned 93 podium finishes. Seven of those titles came at the Manhattan Beach Open, and she’s prominently featured at the legendary Manhattan Beach Volleyball Walk of Fame. She’s been inducted into the Beach Volleyball Hall of Fame. Volleyball Magazine named Matthies as one of the “Most Influential People in the First 100 Years of Volleyball.” In 2004, she was named to the 75th Anniversary All-Era Team by USA Volleyball.

Matthies was inducted into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013, the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2015 and the SoCal Indoor Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2018.

David Kinsella, University of Portland
David Kinsella came to the University of Portland from Redmond, Wash., and with the Pilots he excelled on the course, on the track, and in the classroom. During his time on The Bluff, Kinsella was a three-time All-American, he was a three-time Academic All-American, he claimed two top-10 individual finishes at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, and he earned a West Coast Conference Postgraduate Scholarship.
 
Kinsella’s first cross country All-American honor came in 2007 when he placed eighth overall at the NCAA Championships, which at the time was the highest individual finish at nationals in program history. A year letter, Kinsella topped himself, this time finishing fourth at the 2008 NCAA’s to earn his second straight cross country All-American accolade. He is still the only Pilot runner ever to finish in the top-10 as an individual at the NCAA’s. Overall, Kinsella ran on three Portland teams that competed at nationals, helping the Pilots finish ninth in 2005, 14th in 2007, and seventh in 2008, which matched the program’s best finish at the NCAA’s to that point.
 
Kinsella won the WCC individual title in 2008 to help Portland extend their streak to 30 straight league team titles. A three-time All-West Regional selection, Kinsella finished second at regionals as a junior in 2007 and fourth during his senior campaign in 2008.
 
Kinsella’s third All-American recognition came on the track when he placed 12th overall in the 10,000 meters at the 2007 NCAA Track & Field Championships.
 
A stand-out in the classroom, Kinsella graduated from the University of Portland with a 3.96 GPA. He earned a degree in biology, he minored in both economics and philosophy, and he had just three A-minuses during his five year on The Bluff. Kinsella was an Academic All-American three times, and he earned the conference’s postgraduate scholarship in 2009. Following his time at UP, Kinsella earned a JD in Law from Stanford in 2012.
 
Ruth Montgomery, Saint Mary’s College
Ruth Montgomery was a star at Saint Mary’s from 1999 to 2002 and finished her career with the second most matches ever played by a Gael goalkeeper. A four-year starter, Mongtomery’s tenure in Moraga coincided with the program’s most successful four-year stretch ever. Led by head coach Paul Ratcliffe, the Gaels went 49-22-7 with Montgomery on the roster and 18-9-1 in ever-competitive West Coast Conference matches.

Montgomery’s shining season came her junior year in 2001 as she helped Saint Mary’s achieve their greatest season ever. The Gaels began the year 12-0-1 and posted wins over No. 3 Portland, No. 6 California, and No. 25 Pepperdine during that stretch. Saint Mary’s climbed all the way up to No. 5 in the coaches’ poll during the season and would go on to knock off two more top-25 teams before falling to No. 10 Stanford in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Montgomery was vital to the team’s success during their incredible season that saw them finish 15-3-2. The then-junior was credited with 14 wins, a single-season program record that still stands today, while posting a sterling 0.69 goals-against average and seven shutouts.
More than 18 years after playing her final match as a Gael, Montgomery’s legacy is still firmly entrenched among the school’s all-time greats. She ranks either first or second in virtually all single-season and career records for goalkeepers and remains the team’s all-time leader in career wins and shutouts.

Montgomery was taken by the Washington Freedom in the 2003 Women’s United Soccer Association Draft as first Gael ever drafted to the WUSA. Nowadays, Montgomery is a kindergarten teacher in the Bay Area, citing her time at Saint Mary’s as so enjoyable that she has since made the Bay her home. In her free time, she enjoys taking hikes and working on her yard and garden.

Hank Egan, University of San Diego
Hank Egan was head coach for the University of San Diego’s men’s basketball team from 1984 to 1994. He compiled an overall record of 156-126 and his 1986-87 West Coast Conference championship team still owns the best USD single-season record of 24-6 overall, including 13-1 in league play. That team advanced to the NCAA Tournament, dropping a hard fought 62-61 decision to Auburn.

Having earned a reputation as one of the top defensive coaches in the country during his collegiate tenure, Egan received WCC Coach of the Year honors following back-to-back seasons in 1985-86 and 1986-87. His 1986-87 team ranked No. 1 in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.401).

Egan was a coach for nearly 45 years. He closed out his outstanding coaching career after five years as assistant coach with the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. With former Torero Mike Brown ’92 at the helm, the Cavaliers finished with the NBA’s best record the past two seasons; combined for a five-year mark of 272-138 (66.3 winning percentage); and advanced to the NBA playoffs in each season, including reaching the NBA Finals in 2006-07.

Egan joined the Cavaliers after spending the 2002-03 season as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors whose head coach was USD alumnus and former player Eric Musselman ’87. Prior to that, Egan spent eight seasons as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs and helped guide the club to an NBA Championship in 1999. During his tenure, the Spurs compiled a 403-221 (.646) record; earned five Midwest Division titles; made seven trips to the NBA Playoffs and held the NBA’s best record four times.

Egan began his coaching career in 1966 as an assistant coach at the Air Force Academy. In 1971, he was named the head coach at Air Force where he remained until joining USD in 1984. Additionally, Egan was a coach during the 1984 Olympic trials and scouted for the 1984 Olympic basketball team.

Egan is a 1960 graduate of the Naval Academy, earning a degree in engineering.
Taggert Bozied, University of San Francisco
Taggert Bozied's multi-faceted athletic talent was evident early on as he was an all-conference player in football, basketball and baseball in high school. His focus on baseball helped put USF on the map.

The only three-time All-American in program history, Bozied is one of the greatest power hitters in WCC history. In four years on the Hilltop, he ranks near the top in nearly every batting statistic in USF history. He is still the career leader in the West Coast Conference in home runs (60) and runs scored (240), he is second in WCC history in RBIs (222) and eighth in hits (287).

Bozied had a big rookie year on the Hilltop, earning Honorable Mention Freshman All-American and all-WCC honors. As the only USF player to start all 58 games, he ranked third on the team with 16 doubles and fourth with 71 hits. He set a school record with 456 defensive putouts.

As a sophomore, Bozied posted one of the greatest offensive seasons in WCC history as he launched 30 home runs and compiled an unprecedented .936 slugging percentage en route to earning USF's first ever first team NCAA Division I All-American honor. He was also the first Don in school history unanimously named WCC Player of the Year and was the first triple crown winner in the modern era. He was USF's first NCAA Divsion I statistical champion in both home runs and slugging percentage.

One of 12 semifinalists for the Rotary Smith Award, given to college baseball's top player, Bozied ended his junior year of WCC league play ranked second in home runs (14). He recorded a .713 slugging percentage while hitting .359 and driving in 51 runs.

By the end of his senior year, Bozied was USF's all-time leader in hits and runs. In addition to his numerous single-season record achievements, he continues to hold the No. 1 spot in career home runs, RBIs, extra-base hits and total bases.

Named one of the Top-50 Athletes on the WCC’s 50th Anniversary Team, Bozied was a third-round draft choice by the San Diego Padres.
 
Aly Wagner, Santa Clara University
One of the most dynamic women’s soccer players to ever wear the Red and White, Aly Wagner propelled Santa Clara to national prominence during her illustrious career. The Wagner led Broncos recorded 82 wins against 15 losses and two draws en route to appearing in three NCAA College Cups and winning one National Championship during her four collegiate seasons (1999- 2002).

For her efforts, Wagner was named the West Coast Conference Freshman-of-the-Year in 1999 and captured the 2002 Hermann Trophy as the top women’s collegiate soccer player in the country. Wagner earned the Today's Top VIII Award representing as one of the best collegiate athletes across all sports for the class of 2002 and was named a first-team All-America her Junior and Senior seasons as she led the Broncos to an NCAA Championship and a national runner-up finish in 2001 and 2002 respectively.

Wagner still holds the Santa Clara record for post season goals, assists, points, and game-winning goals. Wagner’s tally in the 2001 national title game led the Broncos to a 1-0 victory over North Carolina.

Wagner starred as a midfielder for the U.S. Women’s National Team from 1999 to 2008 competing in the 2003 and 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. As a member of the national team, Wagner recorded 131 international appearances while scoring 21 goals and registering 42 assists.

Wagner’s professional soccer career launched in 2003 as the number one overall pick by the San Diego Spirit of the Women’s United Soccer Association. She also played professionally for the Boston Breakers, Olympique Lyonnais, and the Los Angeles Sol.

In 2018, Wagner made English-language television history when she became the first woman to announce a men’s FIFA World Cup game as a color-analyst. An accomplished commentator, Wagner also called the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France and regularly announces professional soccer for NBC, FOX, and Lifetime.

A native of San Jose, California, Wagner married Adam Eyre, who played professional soccer with the Miami Fusion and New England Revolution. The couple have triplet sons – Griffin, Daeven, and Lincoln and one daughter, Blake.