UofL Athletics Hall of Fame inducts six Cardinals
September 24, 2019- Francisco Garcia, the top scorer on the Cardinals' 2005 NCAA Final Four team who played 10 years in the NBA;
- Wesley Korir, an All-America distance runner who holds multiple UofL records and finished third in the 5000-meter event at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championship;
- Cindy LaCrosse, UofL's first All-American in women's golf who earned the highest finish for a Cardinal in the NCAA Championship;
- Angel McCoughtry, the Cardinals' career leader in scoring, rebounding and steals who led UofL to its first NCAA title game in 2009;
- Eric Wood, a four-year starter at center on the Cardinals' offensive line and nine-year NFL veteran with 120 career starts;
- Lacy Wood, UofL's first softball All-American who helped the Cardinals to three NCAA regional appearances.
"We're thrilled to have each of these outstanding individuals return to our campus and be honored as exceptional representatives of Cardinal Athletics," said Vince Tyra, UofL VP/Director of Athletics. "I had the pleasure of watching many of them in competition when they were student-athletes here and saw first-hand many of their remarkable achievements. We look forward to celebrating with this impressive Hall of Fame class next month."
More information about the inductees is included below.
Francisco Garcia (2002-05 at UofL) scored 1,413 points in three seasons (No. 26 all-time at UofL), helping the Cardinals to a combined 78-22 record. He was the leading scorer (15.7 ppg) on the Cardinals' 2005 NCAA Final Four team, UofL's first in 19 years. Louisville won its first Conference USA championship that year when Garcia was a John Wooden first team and NABC second team All-America selection. He was twice honored on the All-Conference USA team (2003-04, 2004-05) and was the C-USA Freshman of the year in 2002-03. He set the UofL single-game assists record holder with 15 against Murray State (1-3-04). Garcia was the No. 23 overall pick in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft and played 10 years in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets, scoring over 4,000 career points.
Cindy LaCrosse (2005-09),a four-time All-Big East selection, holds several UofL records including lowest round (65), lowest 54-hole score (200), most rounds under par in a season (20), career top-five finishes (17), career top-10 finishes (22), and rounds played (137), among others. As a sophomore, she won the Big East Championship and set a conference record. As a second team All-American in her final season in 2009, she finished tied for 11th at the 2009 NCAA Championship, the highest finish by a Cardinal ever, and was named the 2009 Big East Player of the Year. After graduating from UofL, LaCrosse joined the Duramed FUTURES Tour where she earned three victories. She went on to earn her LPGA card in her first attempt and has played in numerous LPGA tournaments since 2010. She finished 13th at the 2012 Women's British Open and 14th at both the 2012 U.S. Women's Open and the 2011 Women's LPGA Championship.
A three-time WBCA All-American, Angel McCoughtry concluded her four-year career (2005-09) as the program's all-time leader in points (2,779), rebounds (1,261), and steals (481). Her point total ranks in the top 30 all-time in NCAA Division I history. McCoughtry, who led Louisville to its first national championship game in 2009, averaged 20.0 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.5 steals in her decorated career. Among her many accolades, she was named the 2007 BIG EAST Player of the Year and the 2009 Big East Defensive Player of the Year. McCoughtry was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream. She earned the league's rookie of the year honors that season and has collected all-league honors on five occasions and has been named to the WNBA All-Defensive Team six times. Internationally, McCoughtry has helped the U.S. win five gold medals, including two at the Olympics (2012 London Olympic Games; 2016 Rio Olympic Games).
Eric Wood was a four-year starter at center (49 consecutive career starts, 2005-08) on the Cardinals' offensive line. He earned freshman All-America honors his first season in 2005 and was twice named a first-team All-Big East selection (2007, 2008). Wood was a driving force in UofL's 2006 offensive line when the Cardinals ranked fourth in the nation in total offense and 12th in rushing offense in a season which culminated with a victory in the Orange Bowl. Wood was a first round NFL draft selection in 2009 by the Buffalo Bills, where he started 120 career games and played his entire nine-year NFL career, until a dangerous neck injury forced him to withdraw from professional football in 2018. He made the Pro Bowl in 2016 and was the Bills' nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2015 and 2016. He currently serves as an analyst for the ACC Network and the Buffalo Bills Radio Network.
A distance runner from Kenya, Wesley Korir (2005-07) holds school records in the outdoor 1500m, 3000m, and 5000m and the indoor 5000m. He earned multiple All-American honors, finishing third in the 5000m at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship and 12th in the fall of 2007 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Following his collegiate career, Korir competed in marathons, winning the open division of the 2008 Chicago Marathon with no previous marathon experience, posting the fourth-fastest time overall. He won his next marathon, the 2009 Los Angeles Marathon, in a time of 2:08:24 which at the time was the fastest marathon ever run in the state of California. He repeated as champion in Los Angeles in 2010 and won the prestigious Boston Marathon in 2012. Korir was elected a member of Kenya's Parliament in 2013. He is working with dairy farmers of Cherangany to improve and strengthen their yield.
A catcher who hails from Louisville, Lacy Wood was the Cardinals' first softball All-American. While at Louisville (2003-06), she helped the Cardinals to three NCAA regional appearances including the first in program history (2004) helped her team reach the regional finals for the first time in school history (2006). During her senior season in 2006 while earning third team All-America honors, she led the team with a .382 batting average, nine home runs and 51 RBI. She owns the school's career record for grand slams (four) and still ranks among Louisville's top 10 in several offensive career lists including: batting average, hits, slugging percentage, doubles, home runs and RBIs. She helped the Cardinals earn 2005 Conference USA regular season and 2006 Big East regular season championships.
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