DALLAS – Conference USA announced its 2023 Hall of Fame Class today. The five-person class is made up of four student-athletes and one coach from four different sports and five institutions.
Meet the CUSA Hall of Fame Class of 2023
Tobi Amusan is the second honoree from UTEP and the second women’s track & field student-athlete to be inducted. Former running back Kenneth Dixon is the first selection for Louisiana Tech. Standout wide receiver Roddy White becomes the fourth person from UAB to receive the honor. Also joining the 36 current members of the Hall of Fame as the first women’s basketball head coach is Tulane’s Lisa Stockton. WKU volleyball player Alyssa Cavanaugh, who passed away in December 2020, enters the 2023 Class as the first selection from WKU.
“Each of our 2023 inductees has made an important impact on their respective sports and the history of our league,” said Judy MacLeod, Conference USA Commissioner. “It is our honor to recognize this exceptional group for induction as our fifth Hall of Fame class. We are appreciative of their contributions and are looking forward to shining a spotlight on their stories, as well as celebrating their legacy to our conference.”
The league’s Hall of Fame Committee selects the nominees and the league’s Athletics Directors serve as the voting panel for the CUSA Hall of Fame. The inaugural class made its debut in 2019 with 20 student-athletes, three coaches and two administrators. Current and future CUSA Hall of Fame class size will be a minimum of one inductee and a maximum of five inductees per year. Nominees not selected in this class will remain on the ballot for future years.
Alyssa Cavanaugh, WKU, Volleyball (2014-18)
Meet the CUSA Hall of Fame Class of 2023
Tobi Amusan is the second honoree from UTEP and the second women’s track & field student-athlete to be inducted. Former running back Kenneth Dixon is the first selection for Louisiana Tech. Standout wide receiver Roddy White becomes the fourth person from UAB to receive the honor. Also joining the 36 current members of the Hall of Fame as the first women’s basketball head coach is Tulane’s Lisa Stockton. WKU volleyball player Alyssa Cavanaugh, who passed away in December 2020, enters the 2023 Class as the first selection from WKU.
“Each of our 2023 inductees has made an important impact on their respective sports and the history of our league,” said Judy MacLeod, Conference USA Commissioner. “It is our honor to recognize this exceptional group for induction as our fifth Hall of Fame class. We are appreciative of their contributions and are looking forward to shining a spotlight on their stories, as well as celebrating their legacy to our conference.”
The league’s Hall of Fame Committee selects the nominees and the league’s Athletics Directors serve as the voting panel for the CUSA Hall of Fame. The inaugural class made its debut in 2019 with 20 student-athletes, three coaches and two administrators. Current and future CUSA Hall of Fame class size will be a minimum of one inductee and a maximum of five inductees per year. Nominees not selected in this class will remain on the ballot for future years.
Alyssa Cavanaugh, WKU, Volleyball (2014-18)
- Michael L. Slive Female Athlete of the Year (2017-18)
- Four-time AVCA All-American
- Four-time CUSA First Team All-Conference
- Two-time CUSA Player of the Year (2016, 2017)
- First WKU player to earn three All-American honors in a single season
- CUSA Freshman of the Year (2014)
- Ranks third in WKU volleyball history with 1,816 career kills and fourth all-time with 3.78 kills per set across her career
- Appeared on the WKU Dean's List and CUSA Commissioner's Honor Roll
- Diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2018. After Be The Match bone marrow drives and promotions throughout the 2018 volleyball and basketballs seasons, Cavanaugh’s father, Eric, was a perfect match and completed a successful transplant in February 2019. Unfortunately, Cavanaugh continued to face challenges from the after-effects of the procedure and diagnosis.
- Helped raise awareness for the Bone Marrow & Cancer Foundation; an organization that helped the Cavanaugh family throughout her leukemia journey
- Cavanaugh passed away Christmas morning, December 25, 2020. Her legacy lives on through the WKU Volleyball program and Conference USA, as the league announced in June 2021, that the Volleyball Player of the Year award had been renamed to the Alyssa Cavanaugh Player of the Year Award
