MAAC ANNOUNCES 2026 WNC HALL OF FAME CLASS
 
The Mountain Athletic Amateur Committee is pleased to announce its 2026 Hall of Fame Class that will be inducted on Sunday, October 4^th at the Omni Grove Park Inn starting at 5 p.m. Tickets for the event cost $75 and can be purchased at www.wncsportsawards.org.
 
This year's Hall of Fame Class includes Scott Conner, former football coach at A.C. Reynolds, former Mars Hill football coach Tim Clifton, former Brevard College cross country coach Norm Witek, former Clemson women's basketball player Annette Wise and former UNC Asheville women's basketball player Sheila Ford Duncan.
 
This year's lifetime achievement honorees are longtime Western Carolina football and basketball play-by-play announcer Gary Ayers, sportswriter Pete McDaniel and former Western Carolina and Cherokee football coach Kent Briggs, who will be inducted posthumously after passing away in June.
 
Scott Conner was the head football coach at Reynolds for 14 seasons and turned the Rockets program into a juggernaut. He accumulated a record of 116-41 in his tenure at Reynolds which included nine conference championships and two trips to the 4-A state championship game. Coach Conner also enjoyed a successful basketball coaching career as well. He led the Reynolds girls' basketball team to the regional championship game in 1991. The Rockets were ranked number one in the country for part of that season.
 
Tim Clifton was the head football coach at Mars Hill for 32 years, retiring just prior to the 2025 season. Coach Clifton posted a record of 173-156 during his time at Mars Hill, winning one conference championship and two division titles.
 
Sheila Ford Duncan led the UNC Asheville women's basketball team to the 1984 NAIA national championship. She averaged more than 20 points and 20 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs and was named the tournament MVP. Sheila completed her career as college basketball's all-time leading rebounder with 2,200 rebounds. That figure still stands today. She was an inaugural member of the UNC Asheville Athletics Hall of Fame and was inducted into the North Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.
 
Annette Wise was a four-sport standout at Enka HS from 1974-78. She led the Sugar Jets basketball team to a 3-A state title in 1978. Annette was a standout at Enka in basketball, softball, track and field and volleyball. She averaged 16 points and 16 rebounds per game during her senior year at Enka. Annette also earned All-State honors as a senior in every sport she participated in for the Sugar Jets. She played college basketball at Clemson and helped lead Tigers to the 1981 ACC regular season championship.
 
Norm Witek enjoyed an amazing cross country and track and field coaching career at Brevard College. He coached at Brevard for an astounding 47 years and led the men's cross-country program to four consecutive national championships in the 1980's. Coach Witek helped produce 118 student-athletes who earned All-American honors. He coached three individuals who won national championships and two who ran in the Olympics.
 
The lifetime achievement honorees begin with Gary Ayers. Gary has been the long-time radio voice of Western Carolina football, men's basketball, and women's basketball programs. He has also broadcasted Swain HS football for numerous years.
 
Kent Briggs was the head football coach at both Western Carolina and Cherokee HS. He led Cherokee to its first ever state championship in 2017. Coach Briggs directed the WCU football team for seven years. He was also an assistant football coach at Western Carolina, N.C. State and Connecticut. Coach Briggs is an Asheville native who played football at A.C. Reynolds HS and then played at Western Carolina. He passed away in June after a long battle with cancer.
 
Arden native Pete McDaniel was a dual-sport athlete at UNC Asheville, playing on both the golf and basketball teams. After graduating in 1974, Pete became one of the world's most well-known golf journalists. He began his career at the Asheville Citizen-Times and the Hendersonville Times-News before spending more than 15 years in various roles, including senior writer, with Golf Digest and Golf World. He is most known for his coverage of golf great Tiger Woods. Pete co-authored a book titled Training a Tiger with the late Earl Woods, Tiger's father. In addition, he co-authored Tiger Woods' best-selling golf instruction book How I Play Golf. His work has earned him an induction into the African American Golfers Hall of Fame and the National Black Golf Hall of Fame. Pete has also been named Publisher of the Year for his work, was awarded the Denzel Washington community service award by the White Plains (NY) Boys and Girls Club and was the recipient of the Harlem YMCA's Black Achiever in Industry Award.