Life University Athletics

MARIETTA, Ga. --- Thursday afternoon, the Life University Athletic Department announced the four inductees of its 2024 Hall of Fame class.
 
The fourth class features Graham Tutt (MSOC), Dalton Bailey (MWR), Kaitlyn (Broughton) Slaughter (WRG), and the 1986 Men's Club Rugby Team.
 
Coach Graham Tutt played a historic role in developing men's soccer at Life University and made a huge impact with soccer in Georgia.  He was born in London and moved to America in the late 1970s. Before his time coaching, Tutt was a profound goalkeeper and played professionally for many years with teams like the Columbus Magic and the Atlanta Chiefs.  After his playing career ended in the 1980s, he began to run summer soccer school at Kennesaw College where he helped develop soccer players and had a positive influence on thousands of youth and teenagers that attended his camps.  In 1991, Coach Tutt developed the men's soccer team at Life University where he amassed an outstanding record of 189-38-13 and guided the program to three national tournament appearances, as well as the highest ever national ranking, 4^th.  Graham continued to make an impact for Georgia soccer and, in 2012, he was inducted into the Georgia Soccer Hall of Fame.  We honor Graham Tutt and all of his accomplishments posthumously as he passed away last year on June 22nd, 2022.

Dalton Bailey was a vital part in helping build the men's wrestling team on the NAIA national stage during his time at Life U from 2013-2018.  He received three consecutive Mid-South Conference individual titles from 2016-2018, dominating the 197-pound division. In 2016, his success also earned him Wrestler of the Year for the Eastern Division of the Mid-South Conference. Bailey qualified for four NAIA National Championship appearances, and he became Life U's first three-time All-American.  In 2017, he became Life U's first national finalist and in 2018, Bailey returned to the NAIA Championship and finished his collegiate career with his second-straight national runner-up finish.  Bailey has been a dedicated alum, staying involved with Life University Men's Wrestling as an assistant coach, helping the Running Eagles win their first ever team NAIA national championship in 2021.  Bailey was also honored as a two-time Daktronics Academic All-American during his time as a student-athlete.
 
Kaitlyn (Broughton) Slaughter played as an integral part of the women's rugby team from 2015-2018. In her first season in the Spring of 2015, she scored the game-winning try at the buzzer over the University of North Carolina propelling the fledgling team to its first XVs Final Four. She helped lead the Running Eagles to their first USA Rugby Collegiate National Sevens Championship Title in 2016, outscoring Lindenwood 10-0. She was named the Most Valuable Player for that championship title game. She was also central in back-to-back Collegiate Rugby Championship 7s Titles in 2016 and 2017. A force to be reckoned with as a center in XVs, she helped her team to its first D1 Elite National Championship game in the Spring of 2018 in Fullerton, CA against Lindenwood University. Her excellence on the pitch resulted in her being named a three-time Collegiate All-American in both 7s and 15s (in 2015, 2016 and 2017) and nominated twice for the MA Sorenson Award for Most Outstanding Collegiate Rugby Player in the US. During her time at Life U, she also had the opportunity to represent the Red, White and Blue, competing for the United States in a Collegiate All-American match against Canada. Soon after graduating with a degree in Computer Information Management, Broughton was named to the senior side National Team in the Fall of 2018 and was capped five times for the US. Representing the US in November of 2018, she recorded a try against Ireland. She is currently tied for the most XVs caps for the Life University Women's Rugby program. Broughton's career continues as a software developer for the state of Colorado, and she is currently playing professional rugby for the Rocky Mountain Experts RC in Premier Rugby Sevens.

In 1986, the Men's Club Rugby Team was split into two different teams by administration, with one team being placed into the Men's Graduate School Division while the club team remained in the Men's Club Division. The club team competed in the East Coast Championships Finals in Conshohocken, PA and, after a hard-fought battle, they finished second. That same weekend, the Graduate School team was also invited to the USA Rugby Graduate School National Championship in Conshohocken. The team, with leadership from captain Jay Zimmerman, went on to defeat the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in the final and became the 1986 USA Rugby Graduate School National Champions. With the win, the Graduate School team became the first program to win a national championship at Life U. Team members include Jay (John) Zimmerman, Bud Frick, Andrew Lombardi, Tom Ayers, Jim Louro, David Dolan, Ed Frisbee, David Lytle, Ron Sinagra, John Grant, Kevin Jackson, David Fano, Shane Palmer, Evie Willing, Mark Grant, Yasu Tanaka, Joe Canova, David Hemberee, Vince Spivey, David Rose, Stan Melton, Chuck Chinzi, and Ron King.
 
Life University Athletic Director Jayme Pendergast spoke on the incoming class. "It has been so fun to honor Life University legends through our Hall of Fame.  This fourth class is special because it spans the entire history of Life U athletics, as we have representatives from both early, middle, and recent athletics history.  This class has such a broad range of accomplishments and contributions."  She finished, saying, "I can't wait to get them back to campus to celebrate their unique impacts."
The fourth annual Hall of Fame Class will be inducted Friday, February 23^rd, 2024 on the Life University campus.  On Saturday the 24^th, Life University will honor the class publicly at halftime of the men's basketball game.  Tickets will be available to the public at a later date.  Ticket information will be posted at www.liferunningeagles.com.