Former Loyola athletes new inductees Paige Carter, Daria Delfino, Johnny Griffin Jr., and Tommy “TJ” Whittaker became official members of the Wolf Pack Hall of Fame for their historic contributions to their respective sport.
Carter for her efforts in swimming, Delfino for her efforts in golf, and both Griffin Jr. and Whittaker for their respective efforts in basketball.
Alongside them Melissa Ridley, the Assistant Dean for Student Services, was honored with the “St. Sebastian” award for her efforts in supporting the student athletes on campus.
Carter is the first swimmer in Wolf Pack history to be inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame. Her numerous accomplishments include three podium finishes, being the runner up in the 400-yard medley in 2019 and in 2020, and holding third place in the 500-yard freestyle in 2018.
With her efforts, the Loyola Woman’s swim team got sixth place in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics meets overall in 2018 and 2019, and held her own individual scores at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics in 2019 and 2020, with the 1,650-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle. With these meets she scored fourth and fifth place respectively in these meets. She also gained eighth place in the 500-yard freestyle in 2018.
This was very early on in the swim program’s career, so this set Carter apart in being a star player, making her a unanimous vote when it came to choosing her for this year’s class. During her speech she was grateful for her family, her friends, and the coaches here at Loyola for making her the swimmer that she is today.
Delfino is the first woman to be individually inducted into the Hall of Fame’s golf division, although she was already inducted into the Hall of Fame as a part of her 2019 golf team. Delfino was always a respected golfer, but her senior year was the most notable.
She finished second place at the Cambrian Ridge course for the Southern States Athletic Conference championship. Then later on, she helped Loyola place ninth at the NAIA tournament with her own individual win in 13th place.
