Keys, Okvist to be enshrined into GCSU Athletics Hall of Fame

Keys, Okvist to be enshrined into GCSU Athletics Hall of Fame

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. | Georgia College & State University Director of Athletics Wendell Staton has announced that women's basketball's Shanteona Keys and softball's Whitney Okvist will make up the Class of 2025 when they are inducted into the GCSU Athletics Hall of Fame later this fall.

The Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 2006 to recognize those outstanding individuals who have distinguished themselves with excellence in the University's athletics program as a student-athlete, coach/administrator, outstanding service, or some combination thereof. Keys and Okvist will be the 43rd and 44th inductees into the Hall of Fame.

The ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 17 on the college's East Campus at Lake Laurel. Tickets for the event are $40 per person and can be purchased here. The dress is coastal casual with an oyster roast dinner being served.

"During their time at GCSU, Shanteona and Whitney were outstanding people and students first and foremost," said Staton. "Additionally, they were outstanding in their performance on the court and field.

"Their experiences at GCSU have carried over into their adult lives where they are doing great in their careers and impacting their communities in such a positive way," added Staton. "Success follows them throughout their lives. They are fantastic ambassadors for our university and represent the holistic experience that we provide at GCSU."

Keys, who was a standout guard for the Bobcats from 2011-15, finished her career as the all-time leading scorer in the GCSU record books with 1,822 points and 10th overall on the Peach Belt Conference list.

She averaged 16.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 33.3 minutes per game in 110 career contests. She pulled down 549 rebounds, while shooting 43.0 percent from the floor (including 36.2 percent from three-point range) and 76.4 percent from the free throw line.

Keys, who is the second women's basketball player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, is just one of six women's basketball players in the Peach Belt to be named to the all-conference team four times, including being named the league's Freshman of the Year in 2011-12. She was also named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-America honorable mention team as a senior.

Keys, who graduated with her degree in mass communications and a minor in rhetoric, was twice named to the CoSIDA (now College Sports Communicators) Academic All-America® team in her career and was named a GCSU valedictorian in the spring of 2015 with a 4.00 grade-point average. She is one of nine Bobcat student-athletes who have been named a class valedictorian.

The Roswell, Georgia native earned the PBC Elite 15 Award for women's basketball twice, was named the league's NCAA Woman of the Year nominee in 2014-15 and was named the Peach Belt's Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2014-15.

Keys was named to the WBCA Allstate Good Works Team, a finalist for the Arthur Ashe Leadership Award in 2014-15, and was the Peach Belt's representative on the NCAA Division II national Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for four years. She was also the first Division II student-athlete named to the prestigious Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.

Okvist, who patrolled the outfield for four seasons for the Bobcats (2011-14). Okvist finished her career with 163 stolen bases, which is No. 1 on the all-time list at GCSU and the Peach Belt and No. 11 in NCAA Division II history. Her 53 stolen bases during the 2012 season ranked third best in NCAA Division II that year.

The Kennesaw, Georgia native recorded a .377 batting average in 195 career games. She holds the No. 1 spot in Bobcat history in hits (244) and runs scored (174) and second in at-bats (648). She added 18 doubles, 16 triples and drove in 53 RBI during her illustrious career.

She was named to the All-Peach Belt team four times in her career and is only the 22nd PBC softball player to earn all-league honors four times. She helped the Bobcats advance to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regionals in 2013.

Okvist, who is the sixth Bobcat softball player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's all-region team three times and named to the NFCA All-America team in 2012 and 2014.

Okvist, who graduated with her degree in early childhood education, was named to the NFCA All-Academic team in 2014.