TWU Home > Student
Life > Athletics > Hall
of Fame > Class of 1999
Inducted
Sept. 10, 1999
Leleith
Hodges (Track & Field -- 1978-81), a five-foot
sprinter from Islington, St. Mary in Jamaica, won the Caribbean
high school championship in the 100 meters at the age of
17 and graduated in 1972. But she decided not to pursue
a college education and spent the next six years working.
She made the Jamaican national team and ran only during
the summer months. Hodges, who competed in the 1972 and
1976 Olympics, realized that running just three months
a year was not what she wanted. So she spoke with former
TWU track student-athlete Audrey Reid, who is also from
Jamaica. Reid told Hodges about TWU's excellent academic
programs and top track and field team. After some delays
in receiving a student visa from the Jamaican government,
Hodges arrived at TWU in January 1978.
Her freshman
season turned out to be her best ever. The 24-year-old sprinter
entered the AIAW outdoor track and field national championships
in Knoxville, Tenn., with the nation's best time in the 100
meters (11.05). In the finals, she established an AIAW record
with an 11.18, besting the meet record of 11.32 set by UCLA's
Evelyn Ashford the previous year. Hodges ran away from Ashford,
who finished second at 11.42. She also anchored the Pioneers'
4x100 meter relay team, which finished second with a time
of 45.41.
Two weeks
after the AIAW championships, TWU went to the Amateur Athletic
Union (AAU) national meet in Los Angeles. Hodges and Tennessee
State's Brenda Morehead set a new AAU record in the 100 meters
on the first day of the championships. They finished in a
dead heat with a record time of 11.14 in the semifinals.
That pace was also a record for a Jamaican sprinter as well.
The following day in the finals, Hodges hit the wire with
a time of 11.23 to Morehead's 11.25. Then she captured her
second national title of the day with a record-setting victory
in the 440-yard relay. TWU ripped off a 44.61, beating the
old meet mark of 44.9 set by Tennessee State in 1971.
Hodges
was ranked the number two sprinter in the world behind Marlies
Gohr, a German runner. For her outstanding accomplishments,
Hodges was named the Jamaican Sportswoman of the Year for
1978.
In 1979
in East Lansing, Mich., Hodges defended her AIAW 100-meter
title with a first-place time of 11.81 against a strong wind.
Dr. Bert Lyle, TWU's head coach, commented on how strong
the wind was blowing, so much that it kept breaking the finish
tape. Hodges went on to earn third place in the 440-yard
relay, which TWU ran in 45.83.
Hodges
began her junior season with a national indoor title. She
ran in the AIAW Indoor National Championships in Columbia,
Mo., in March 1980 and took first place in the 60 meters
with a time of 7.30. At the Texas AIAW state championships
in Austin in April, Hodges helped TWU set a new state medley
record of 1:40.37. She was also part of the 4x100 meter relay
team that took first place with a time of 46.53. She finished
second in the 100 meters in 11.75 seconds after suffering
cramps in her hamstring. For the first time ever, she had
her leg wrapped before a race.
Set to
defend her back-to-back titles in the 100 meters, Hodges
prepared for the AIAW national championships in Eugene, OR,
although her hamstring was sore. She finished fifth in 11.50
seconds. She also placed fifth with TWU's sprint medley relay
team, which ran a 1:40.6, just .1 seconds slower than its
best time of the year. The Pioneers' 400-meter squad was
forced to scratch from the finals due to injuries.
Hodges
came back in the 1981 season and won the 100 meters in the
Texas Relays in April after stumbling in the blocks. The
TWU 4x100 relay, led by Hodges, also placed first. She set
a new meet record at the Baylor Invitational in the 100 meters
with an 11.61, breaking her own mark of 11.70 set the year
before. She also ran the leadoff legs on the Pioneers' winning
440-yard and sprint medley relay teams.
Her fabulous
collegiate career ended with her final appearance in the
AIAW outdoor national championships in Austin in May 1981.
Hodges raced to a second-place finish in the 100 meters.
Her time of 11.24 was just four-hundredths of a second behind
winner and fellow Jamaican, Merlene Ottey of Nebraska. Also,
the Pioneers' 400-meter relay team took third with a 44.95
clocking.
Hodges
stayed at Texas Woman's to finish her degree and graduated
in 1982 with a B.S. in physical education. She received numerous
AIAW All-America awards during her collegiate career. She
represented Jamaica on the national team for 13 years, competing
in the Pan American Games, Commonwealth Games, World Cup
Championships, Caribbean Games, and three Olympics (1972,
1976 and 1980). In Moscow in 1980, Hodges earned her highest
Olympic finish when the 4x100 relay team placed fourth.
Hodges
resides in Altadena, Calif., with her husband, Daniel, and
their three children, Randy, Tanya and Natasha.
Missy
Mapes (Softball 1977-80, Assistant Coach 1980-81) transferred
to TWU with Kathy Arendsen. Mapes was an outstanding infielder
who occasionally played catcher. She also provided vital
power at the plate. Her first year with the team, TWU took
fourth at the Women's College World Series.
Dubbed
the team's “workhorse,” Mapes played in all 71
regular season games during the 1979 national championship
season and finished with a .349 batting average. After winning
the national crown in May, Mapes was named a 1st Team All-American
and won the TWU President's Award, the highest accolade given
by TWU Athletics. She played for the Orlando Rebels that
summer, registering a .609 batting average and earning another
All-America award. Then in July, Mapes helped the U.S. go
13-1 in the Pan Am Games and win the gold medal.
During
her senior season, she was named MVP of the Hawaiian Tournament
and was nominated for the Broderick Award. She finished her
collegiate career with three state titles, two regional titles,
two WCWS berths and a national championship.
Mapes
spent the 1980-81 season as a TWU assistant coach. During
the summers of 1980-84, she played third base for the Raybestos
Brakettes, earning four more ASA All-America awards. The
Brakettes won the national title twice and came in second
twice with Mapes on the roster. She won a gold medal at the
World Games in 1981 when the U.S. defeated China, 1-0. Two
years later at the Pan Am Games, Mapes brought home a silver
medal when the U.S. came in second to Canada.
She
earned her B.S. in physical therapy at TWU's Dallas campus
in 1983. In 1988, she earned her M.S. at Northeastern University
in Boston. She has won several small golf tournaments and
has run in both the Detroit and Honolulu marathons. Mapes,
who hails from Troy, Mich., is entering the M.B.A. program
at Walsh College later this month.
Willie
Rucker (Softball 1975-79, Assistant Coach 1979-81)
came to TWU not even knowing there was a softball team.
She was impressed with the school's academic program, earned
a spot on the roster as a catcher and helped TWU to a national
championship. The Pioneers had to defeat UCLA in back-to-back
games in the 1979 AIAW/ASA Women's College World Series.
Rucker, a native of Amarillo, Texas, was the catcher for
pitching ace Kathy Arendsen during the finals against the
Bruins. Rucker was instrumental in saving at least two
of TWU's games in that national championship tournament.
During
her collegiate career, TWU brought home two state and regional
titles, a fourth-place national finish and a national title.
Her senior year, she was nominated for both the TWU President's
Award and the Broderick Award. She served as an assistant
coach from 1979-81 and received her degree in physical education
in Dec. 1980.
As
a player, Rucker was a member of the Edmonton Snowbirds of
the Women's Professional Softball League, earning all-star
status and Rookie of the Year honors. From 1982-86, she was
a player/coach for the Budweiser Belles in the ASA Women's
Majors.
Taking
the coaching path, she served two years as an assistant at
Trenton State College, earning her master's in administrative
physical education while helping Trenton State to a NCAA
Div. III national title in 1983. She was the assistant volleyball
coach at Rutgers University before her appointment as head
softball coach at Montclair State. At MSU, Rucker compiled
an impressive 209-87 record, her teams made seven NCAA regional
appearances, and they earned three berths in the NCAA Div.
III World Series. The Red-Tailed Hawks were nationally ranked
in each of her last five seasons, and in 1989 became the
first school other than Trenton State to win the New Jersey
Athletic Conference Championship. She coached eight NCAA
Div. III All-Americans.
In
1987, Rucker was nominated to coach the U.S. in the Pan Am
Games. She was named the 1989 Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of
the Year, and left MSU as its all-time winningest softball
coach. She moved to Western Oregon State College where she
coached the Wolves for eight seasons. In 1995, she was voted
Cascade Conference Coach of the Year. She coached two NAIA
All-Americans during her tenure there and improved her overall
collegiate coaching record to 358-243 (.596).
Rucker
has been involved with the Women's Professional Fastpitch
League since 1995 when she co-coached one of the six inaugural
teams. She became the assistant coach of the Virginia Roadsters
in 1997, then was hired as the head coach of the Carolina
Diamonds. The Diamonds finished the 1999 season
with a record of 33-35, missing the playoffs by only two
games.
Throughout
her career, she has served on numerous NCAA committees and
was an executive board member of the National Fastpitch Coaches
Association. Rucker is currently the head softball coach at Appalachian State University.
Abbie
Rutledge (Badminton, Field Hockey and Tennis 1939-43,
Coach 1945-46) hailed from Alice, Texas, and lettered in
badminton, field hockey and tennis as an undergraduate
at Texas State College for Women. She returned as a graduate
student and coached all sports. Rutledge was the badminton
partner for Mary “Poggy” Suba Barbaria, another
member of the TWU Athletics Hall of Fame.
In
1940-41, Rutledge played on the TSCW squad that scored on
the touring team of the United States Field Hockey Association
when they visited the Denton campus. She was listed in Who's
Who Among Students at American Colleges and Universities her
junior and senior years and was president of her senior class.
A health and physical education major, Rutledge received
her B.S. in 1943, then returned for her master's degree in
1945.
Rutledge
was ranked in the top eight women's tennis singles players
in the U.S. from 1950 to 1965. She won the Midwest Women's
Tennis Singles Championship from 1950-1959. She was also
a member of the American Tennis Team and played internationally
in Scotland, Ireland, Germany, France, and Denmark.
Also
an outstanding badminton player, Rutledge was ranked in the
top eight women's singles players in the U.S. for 17 years.
She represented the U.S. Badminton Team in South Africa and
the European Championships and was on the Uber Cup Squad
in 1963 and 1966.
She
was a professor at Agnes Scott College, Purdue University
and Adelphi University. She served as the Dean of Centenary
College for Women in Hackettstown, N.J., until her retirement.
Rutledge was awarded an honorary doctorate from CCW.
After
retiring, she moved to Kennebunkport, Maine, where she lived
until her death in March 1996. She co-authored eight books
on physical education, sports and dance that are still used
in colleges and universities. She contributed articles to
the Journal of the American Association for Health, Physical
Education, Recreation and Badminton U.S.A.
Rutledge's
sister, Dorothy Burris, was present for her posthumous induction.
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