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Ginger Halcomb played softball, basketball, and volleyball for the Harriers before graduating with her bachelor’s degree in 2005.

Ginger was a defensive standout in volleyball, leading the team in blocks. She was also a strong hitter on the softball team. But it is her basketball career that earned her place in the Harrier Hall of Fame.

Her basketball game was multifaceted. While researching her accomplishments, we even lost count of her double-doubles. For those who missed that day of gym class, a double-double is the accumulation of a double-digit number total in one of five statistical categories—points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots—in a game. She ended her 2003 season and her career at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Hamilton with a string of 5-straight games with double-doubles. Her coach Ed McCoy praised Ginger’s work ethic as a reason for her success and commented that she could probably play every position on the court with success. If fact, she played every position—guard, forward, and center—in her time at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Hamilton. She was even the team’s leading scorer in her final season.

Mike Marksbury was a member of our baseball team. He caught the attention of coaches and even professional baseball scouts even before he started his first spring season at Hamilton. Mike pitched a 92 mph fastball in a tournament down at Morehead State—and that fastball inspired 6 pro teams to call Coach Grissom. He had mostly played 3rd base at Norwood High School, but when Mike came to ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Hamilton he and the coaching staff made the decision to focus on his pitching.

As the real spring season started for the Harriers Mike showed his pitching skills early in the season by regularly pitching one- or two-hit shut-outs. This continued throughout his career here including when he pitched a five-inning no-hitter against Ohio University-Chillicothe in April of 2002. These performances illustrated the great two seasons that Mike would have with the Harriers. The 2001 team would go on to be undefeated in their conference.

Mike was chosen as 1st team All-ORCC for his consistent performance. His skill as a pitcher helped solidify a great Harrier team. Even though he was part of the team only two years, he holds the records for career hits allowed (51) and strikeouts (205), and he ranks 2nd with a career 2.91 ERA. He holds the single-season record for hits allowed in 2002 with 22. He is also in the record books with top 5 season performances for earned runs, hits allowed, strikeouts, runs, and earned run average.

His contribution as a team player was even more impressive. The baseball team from 2000-2002 dominated the ORCC winning the regular season and the State tournament in both years. For many on that team, one of the greatest highlights had to have been the game they played on May 9, 2001 ... It was against a certain ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú RedHawks team in Oxford. Mike’s coach Darryl Grissom got a call from Oxford asking if the Harriers could play the RedHawks. Darryl accepted and the Harriers ended up beating the RedHawks by a score of 9-1. As Coach Grissom says, this game was the "cornerstone of the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Hamilton program and put us on the map."

In 2001, Mike was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 2001 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft. He played five seasons in the minor leagues with most of his time spent with the Florence Freedom and the Rockford Riverhawks.

Venis Torge retired from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University Hamilton Admission and Financial Aid Office in 2004 after 36 years. Venis was well-known around campus both on the tennis court and off. She was a great asset to the campus but also gave back to the community in many ways. Just one example of this is that, in 1996, as a CASA volunteer, she saw the need in many foster homes for financial assistance during the holiday season, so she helped begin ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University's Classified Personnel Advisory Committee’s annual fundraiser that helps hundreds of local children during the holidays.  The project, which is celebrating its 18th anniversary this year, helps touch the lives of many children. The children learn that others care about them and are willing to help make their holidays special. Venis has done all this – and we haven’t even talked about her coaching career.