VALDOSTA, Ga. — Valdosta State University Director of Athletics Troy Katen announced the eight members of the 2027 VSU Athletic Hall of Fame class, the 30th class in the Hall's history: cross country runner Jesse Prince, football linebacker Chris Pope, basketball players Bruno Caldwell and Jackie Manuel, soccer coach Mel Heinz, softball player April Hutchens, volleyball player Dagga Viglundsdottir and longtime contributor Walter Peacock. Together they span nearly four decades of Blazer athletics, from the 1975-77 basketball teams to the 2013 soccer team.

"This is always a special time for Blazer athletics! From the 1977 South Atlantic Conference champions to our NCAA postseason soccer teams, this class has made Valdosta State proud in so many ways," said Katen. "We are thrilled to welcome all eight honorees into the Hall of Fame, and we can't wait to celebrate them with the entire Blazer Nation!"

Jesse Prince, Men's Cross Country (2011-2014)
Prince earned all-Gulf South Conference (GSC) honors four times and was the only VSU runner to do so. He placed 15th and 19th at the GSC meet as a freshman and sophomore, then finished fourth in both 2013 and 2014. VSU named him its Male Student-Athlete of the Year in 2013-14 and 2014-15. In 2014 he qualified for nationals, the first VSU men's cross country athlete to do so since 1980. He was also a four-time GSC All-Academic Team selection and a three-time All-Region honoree.

Chris Pope, Football (2010-2013)
Pope was an All-American linebacker in 2012, a three-time GSC All-Conference selection and a member of the GSC First Team All-Decade squad. He led the Blazers in tackles from 2011 to 2013. His 21 total tackles against Carson-Newman on Dec. 1, 2012 tied for second most in a game in school history, and his 20 against Delta State on Nov. 2, 2013 tied for fourth. Pope's 127 tackles in 2012 are third most in a season. He finished with 372 career tackles, the school record, and 161 solo tackles, second all-time.

Bruno Caldwell, Men's Basketball (1976-78)
In two seasons at VSU, Caldwell scored 961 points in 50 games, averaging 19.2 per game. He shot .459 from the field (372 of 811) and .813 from the line (217 of 267), and grabbed 204 rebounds. He helped lead the Blazers to the 1977 SAC title with a 23-6 record and an 8-2 league mark. The 1977-78 team went 18-8 and 4-4 in league play and finished third in the standings.

Jackie Manuel, Men's Basketball (1975-77)
In two seasons at VSU, Manuel scored 933 points in 47 games, averaging 19.9 per game. He shot .507 from the field (409 of 807), made 115 free throws and pulled down 474 rebounds. He helped lead the Blazers to the 1977 SAC title with a 23-6 record and an 8-2 league mark, and the team earned two regional berths during his career.

Mel Heinz, Soccer Coach (2011-2013)
Heinz was the first soccer coach in VSU history. She was named GSC Coach of the Year in 2011 after leading the Blazers to the GSC postseason tournament in their first season of competition, going 11-6-2 overall and 5-1-1 in the GSC. In 2012, VSU finished second in the GSC regular season and went 13-5-2 overall and 6-2-1 in league play. Those 13 wins are the most in a season in program history. The team earned its first NCAA postseason berth that year and had two first-team all-league selections and three second-team honorees. In 2013 the Blazers went 9-5-3 overall and 5-2-3 in league play, earning a second straight NCAA postseason berth. Heinz finished with a 33-16-7 overall record and a 16-5-5 mark in GSC play over three seasons.

April Hutchens, Softball (2009-2012)
Hutchens was a three-time all-conference selection, earning first-team honors in 2010 and 2012 and second-team honors in 2011. In 2012, she helped lead the Blazers to the national championship and was named Daktronics Honorable Mention All-America. She also earned a spot on the GSC All-Decade Second Team. Over her career, Hutchens played in 235 games, fourth most in school history, and scored 142 runs for the tenth most in program history. She was previously inducted into the VSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018 as a member of the 2012 national championship team.

Dagga Viglundsdottir, Volleyball (1998-2000)
Viglundsdottir ranked seventh in the nation in service aces average in 1999, the peak of her three seasons at VSU. That year, she totaled 405 kills, 83 aces, a .311 hitting percentage and 293 digs, all career highs. She opened her career in 1998 with 326 kills, 68 aces, a .247 hitting percentage and 262 digs, and closed it in 2000 with 286 kills, 50 aces, a .251 hitting percentage and 242 digs. In all, she recorded 1,017 kills, 201 aces and 797 digs.

Walter Peacock, Contributor (1977-Present)
Peacock joined the Valdosta State College admissions office in 1977 and became its Director of Admissions in 1986. A former student at VSC in the 1970s, he played on the men's tennis team in 1973. As an admissions leader, he helped student-athletes gain entry to college, giving a lasting boost to the athletic department. He is being inducted as a contributor.

The 2027 class will be formally inducted at the Hall of Fame Induction Dinner on Friday, Jan. 29, at 6 p.m. Inductees will also be recognized on Saturday, Jan. 30, at halftime of the Lady Blazer basketball game against Auburn University Montgomery (Ala.) at The Complex. The Lady Blazers and Blazers will host AUM in a doubleheader that day, with the women's game tipping off at 2 p.m. and the men's game following at 4 p.m.

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