WISE -- The University of Virginia's College at Wise has announced their 2024 slate of inductees into the Athletic Hall of Fame. This year's class includes two former coaches and two former players. 

They will be inducted in a ceremony in the David J. Prior Convocation Center on October 12, 2024, as part of the college's homecoming activities.

Matt Barbour (Football)
Barbour was a standout wide receiver for the Highland Cavalier football team from 2006-2009, where he was coached by fellow inductee Bruce Wasem. The Lynchburg native had 213 pass receptions for 3,333 yards and also scored 20 touchdowns, 19 off of pass receptions. Barbour is still the school leader in total receptions and total reception yards. He also ranks second in career receptions a game with 4.84 and he is fifth in all-purpose yards with 3,444. He was a four-time All-MSC (Mid-South-Conference) First Team/East Team player during his career. 

Tori Raby (Softball Coach)
Coach Raby led the softball team from 2004-11 and now joins five of her former players (Britney Lawson, Shelley Newton, Kendall Rainey, Maddi Ridenour, Lauren Snead) in the Hall of Fame. During her tenure her teams went 202-154, won the Appalachian Athletic Conference five times, were NAIA Region XII champions twice, and made three appearances in the NAIA National Tournament. She coached All-American Maddi Ridenour; had 21 players named All-AAC and All-MSC (including two players of the year); and was named Region XII Coach of the Year in 2007. Academically, she had two student-athletes (Britney Lawson and Sarah Frazier) named both Daktronics NAIA Scholar Athletes and Daktronics NAIA Academic All-American.

Scott Vermillion (Basketball)
Vermillion was a standout on the Highland Cavalier basketball teams from 1993-1997. During that period the Gate City native scored 1,215 points and pulled down 848 rebounds; was an honorable mention All-American; and was named All-TVAC (Tennessee-Virginia Athletic Conference) twice, in 1995-96 and 1996-97. The team won 61 games and made two appearances in the TVAC Tournament under Coach Preston Mitchell and Coach Lee Clark while Vermillion was playing. Following his time in Wise, Vermillion went into coaching. He spent five seasons at Twin Springs before returning home to Gate City, where he coached for 18 seasons until stepping down from coaching in 2021. He compiled a 460-160 record over 23 seasons, finishing as state runner-up four times (2007, 2008, 2013, 2020) and winning the championship in 2018. 

Bruce Wasem (Football Coach)
Coach Wasem spent two decades on the football sidelines at Clinch Valley/UVA Wise and is still here today as an Instructor in Physical Education. He was here when the football program started in 1991, spending 11 seasons as an assistant coach before taking over the head coaching position from 2002-10. The Cavs joined a conference for the first time under Wasem as they joined the MSC in his first season. He had a 46-52 record, with his best season being in 2007 when the Cavs went 9-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play and narrowly missed out on the program's third trip to the NAIA Playoffs. As head coach, he had six All-Americans and sixty-four of his players were named All-MSC, including two offensive players of the year. His teams also did well academically as he had 22 All-MSC Academic student-athletes and six Daktronics All-America Scholar Athletes. 

More information about the UVA Wise Athletic Hall of Fame can be found on www.UVAWiseCavs.com under the "Inside Athletics" tab.