ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Anytime an institution names a Hall of Honor class, it is with great fanfare. The University of New Mexico’s 2015 Hall of Honor class, which will be formally inducted on November 20, features some of the greatest names from UNM’s not too distant past.
Women’s basketball players Abby Garchek-Jaramillo and Dionne Marsh-MacDonald, baseball player Jordan Pacheco, football player Stoney Case and golfer Kent Jones make up the 2015 University of New Mexico Hall of Honor class. Along with those five, Margaret and Turner Branch earned the 2015 Distinguished Service Award.
The 2014-15 UNM Athletes of the Year were men’s golfer Gavin Green and women’s volleyball player Chantale Riddle and the Coach of the Year was Joe Franklin of UNM’s track and field and cross country program.
“This year’s Hall of Honor class is certainly one of the most recognizable classes that we have ever had,” said Madison Warren, UNM Alumni Letterman Association Director. “Dionne and Abby were members of some of our most memorable women’s basketball teams, and Jordan, Stoney and Kent have all gone on to have wonderful professional careers. This is certainly a Hall of Honor class that our fans will remember for a long time.”
Case was a four-year starter for the Lobos from 1991-94, and he is one of only two players in NCAA with history 8,000 career passing yards and 1,000 career rushing yards. Case was responsible for 98 touchdowns over his career. Case earned a host of honors during his senior season, including First Team All-WAC honors, WAC Offensive Player of the Year, Academic All-Conference, The Reese Hill Award (top offensive player for UNM), Hitachi CFA Scholar-Athlete, National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete, and an invitation to the Blue-Gray All-Star Game. Case ended his senior season winning the Albuquerque/New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame Male Athlete of the Year ward, and the Stan Bates (WAC top scholar-athlete) and Joe Kearney Awards (WAC top male athlete). Case was also the 1994 Hall of Honor Male Athlete of the Year.
Case was a third round pick in the 1995 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, and played in the NFL from 1995-2000 with Arizona, the Baltimore Ravens and the Detroit Lions. Case also spent four years with the Tampa Bay Storm of the AFL, from 2004-07.
Abby Garchek-Jaramillo was a four-year letter winner from 1994-98 in women’s basketball. She is second in career scoring with 1,836 points, averaging 15.8 points per game after leading UNM in scoring for three seasons. Her 20.2 scoring average in 1997-98 was the second-highest single season average in school history. She is one of only 13 Lobos with 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds.
She is 10th in career rebounding, ninth in career assists and third in career steals. Garchek was a member of UNM’s first WAC Tournament Championship team, and UNM’s first NCAA Tournament team. She was the 1998 Hall of Honor Female Athlete of the Year.
Jordan Pacheco played baseball at New Mexico from 2005-07. Pacheco despite playing just three seasons in among the UNM top 10 in career hits, on-base percentage, doubles, total bases, batting average, runs scored, assists and hit by pitches. His 2007 season was punctuated with the fourth-most runs ever scored by a Lobo in a season. As a freshman in 2005 he hit 15 home runs and hit .408 for the year. Jordan ended his career with a .384 batting average with 207 runs, 59 doubles, eight triples, 25 home runs, 145 RBIs and 24 stolen bases while playing a variety of positions. He was UNM’s second-ever Freshman All-American, and the programs’ third two-time All-American. He earned First Team All-Mountain West in all three of his seasons and he was the 2007 Mountain West Player of the Year.
Pacheco was drafted as a junior in the ninth round by the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 MLB Draft and reached the major leagues in 2011. He finished sixth in the National League in Rookie of the Year voting in 2012 after hitting .305 with 32 doubles, 5 home runs and 54 RBIs.
Dionne Marsh-MacDonald played women’s basketball from 2004-08, with the Lobos going 92-37 over her four years. She is the all-time leading scorer in school history with 1,913 points. She is fourth in field goals made and eighth in field goal percentage. She also is one of 13 players with 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. She is the all-time record holder in free throws made and attempted, and she ended her career fifth in rebounds.
The 2004-05 Mountain West Newcomer of the Year, Marsh is the all-time leading in points scored in Mountain West Tournament history. She earned All-Mountain West honors four times (one third team, one second team and two first team honors) and she is the only three-time Mountain West Tournament Most Valuable Player, winning the award in 2005, 2007 and 2008. Marsh was also the four-time Mountain West All-Academic selection.
Marsh played professionally in Greece after signing a free agent contract with the Sacramento Monarchs.
Kent Jones played golf at UNM from 1985-90. Jones had a stellar career at UNM as a two –time All-WAC selection and a two-time Academic All-American. In 1989, Jones won the title at the William Tucker Invitational. He finished that year as the 1989 WAC Individual Medalist, and he was named the 1989 WAC Player of the Year.
Jones went on from UNM to have a terrific professional career, spending two years on the Nike Tour before embarking on a 13-year PGA Tour career from 1998-99 and then from 2001-11. Over his PGA career, Jones had 48 top-25 finishes and 11 top-10 finishes.
The 2014-15 UNM Athletes of the Year, Gavin Green and Chantale Riddle and Coach of the Year Joe Franklin will be honored on the 20th as well. Franklin’s cross country teams and indoor track and field teams swept conference titles. It marked the sixth straight sweep in cross country and the second straight sweep in track and field. Green picked up three wins on the seasons in men’s golf, was a First Team All-American making him a three-time All-American, and was the conference Player of the Year. Riddle broke several UNM and Mountain West records in volleyball, including kills and points before embarking on a professional career in Europe.
Turner and Margaret Branch are the 2015 Distinguished Service Award winners. Turner, a 1960 graduate of UNM, and Margaret, a 1975 graduate, are the namesakes of Branch Field at University Stadium. The Branches own Branch Law Firm in Albuquerque.
Turner and Margaret donated $1.5 million for the installation of UNM’s turf field at University Stadium. It marked the second-largest gift all-time to the athletics department from a living individual. All told, Turner and Margaret have donated over $2.2 million to The University of New Mexico. The Branch Law Firm also serves as the title sponsor for the postseason men’s basketball banquet and the Dick McGuire Golf Invitational.
TICKETS: The awards dinner will be held on Friday, November 20 at 7:00 pm at the Crowne Plaza Albuquerque. Tickets are $60 each or $600 for a table of 10. Call the UNM Alumni Lettermen’s Association at 925-5905 to purchase tickets.
2015 Hall of Honor Class One for the Ages
