Over the years, the athletes who have been inducted into the Ashland University Hall of Fame have come from all over Ohio. Several have been from out of state, but there’s never been any doubt that Ashland University has been an Ohio school fueled by Ohio athletes.

That’s true again with the 2010 Ashland University Hall of Fame class, but this class even takes this theme one step further. The five members of this year’s induction class are all within a stone’s throw of the city of Ashland.

Basketball-baseball star Vincent Barr (Class of 1947) has made Ashland his home for many years. Track and field standout Dusty Cover (Class of 1997) is originally from West Salem, Ohio and wrestler Cory Kline (Class of 2000) hails from Nova, Ohio and Mapleton High School. Sunny (Litteral) Jones (Class of 2000), one of the best softball players in NCAA Division II history, is from Mansfield, Ohio. Baseball standout Jamie Detillion (Class of 2000) is the only member of this group who grew up any distance from Ashland and he’s not far down the road – he grew up in Tiffin, Ohio.

Those five will be inducted into the Hall of Fame Saturday, Oct. 2, at the annual Hall of Fame Induction/Athlete of the Year Recognition banquet. That event will be held at the John C. Myers Convocation Center and will begin at 9 a.m. Tickets are available for the event and can be purchased by calling the AU athletic department, 419-289-5441.

In addition to the induction ceremony, AU will honor the 2009-2010 Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year. The Male Student Athlete of the Year is Nick Bellanco (Wooster, Ohio). Bellanco, a senior in 2009-2010, excelled in football and track and field. The 2009-2010 Female Student-Athlete of the Year is track and field’s Steph Tinney (Norwalk, Ohio/Western Reserve). Tinney was a junior in 2009-2010.

The annual Eagle Forever Award will be presented to AU philosophy professor Dr. Mark Hamilton. Hamilton is AU’s NCAA faculty representative.

Information on the Hall of Fame inductees can be found below.

Vincent E. Barr (Class of 1947) – Barr was a standout in basketball and baseball at Ashland College. As a sophomore, he averaged 13.0 ppg., for the basketball team. His junior year he produced 17.0 ppg. Barr then served in World War II from 1943-1946. When he returned to campus, he set a school, single-season record for points, surpassing the mark established by his coach, Jim Richcreek. That same year, Barr established a school, single-game record for points (30).

On the diamond, Barr played second base.

After graduation, Barr coached high school basketball in Savannah, Ohio. He played independent league basketball for Faultless Rubber and Myers Pump and also played softball for Faultless Rubber. He coached Little League Baseball and church league softball and basketball.

Barr was inducted into the Ashland County Sports Hall of Fame in 1986. Barr worked at the Ashland Post Office for 36 years and later worked at Brookside Golf Course. He and his wife Patricia have been married for 62 years. He has four children – Debby, David, Diane and Doug. He has 10 grandchildren and nine grandchildren.

Dusty L. Cover (Class of 1997) – Cover is one of the most decorated throwers in the history of the AU track and field program. She was a nine-time All-American who won a national championship indoors in the shot in 1995. Three times she was the national runner-up in the shot put. In addition to the shot, she earned All-American honors in the hammer and weight throw. At one point, she held the school record in the shot put and 20-pound weight. Cover was recognized as AU’s most valuable athlete in the field events four times. She was part of four teams that finished in the Top 10 at nationals. Cover was named to the All-GLIAC Team and was recognized as a national scholar-athlete. Cover is currently an office manager at Ambry Asphalt, Inc.

Jamie Detillion (Class of 2000) – As both a pitcher and a hitter, Detillion ranks among the best in AU baseball history. He is fifth in career victories (30) and fourth in innings pitched (333.0). He is Ashland’s career leader in home runs (46) and is tied for first in career RBI (203). Detillion still ranks among the NCAA Division II leaders for RBI. In 1999, Detillion hit 23 homers and drove in 89 runs. Those totals are school single-season records.

In the 1999 NCAA Division II regional championship game, Detillion had one of the greatest days of any AU student-athlete, going 4-for-5 with four homers and seven RBI in an 11-10 win over Quincy. That sent the Eagles to the NCAA World Series. Detillion was a first team All-American as a pitcher-first baseman in 1999. He was either first or second team all-region every year from 1998 through 2000. Detillion was a first team All-GLIAC selection three times.

Detillion played professionally with the Chillicothe Paints and then in the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds organizations. In three years as a pitcher in professional baseball, he was 12-7 with a 2.92 ERA and six saves.

Detillion is currently the associate head baseball coach at Grand Valley State. He and his wife Jill have a son, Cannon James.

Sunny (Litteral) Jones (Class of 2000) – Litteral is one of the most successful players in NCAA Division II softball history. She was a four-time, first team All-American, a four-time first team all-region choice and a four-time first team All-GLIAC selection. Twice she was named the GLIAC player of the year.

With Litteral in the lineup, Ashland advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs four times. The center fielder played on the 1998 team that set a school record with 53 wins. Litteral holds a bevy of school records, including marks for career games played, hits, RBI and homers. She holds eight single-season records. In 1999, she was the national player of the year and a finalist for the Honda Woman of the Year Award.

Litteral was drafted by the Akron Racers of the Women’s Professional Softball League. Litteral has served as the head coach at Novi High School (Mich.). She was the head coach at Hillsdale College for two years (2004 and 2005). After leaving Hillsdale, Litteral was an assistant coach at the University of Toledo. Currently, she is the head coach at Detroit Mercy.

Corey A. Kline (Class of 2000) – Kline ranks as one of the most storied wrestlers in school history. He set the school record for wins by a freshman (36) and he holds the school record for career victories. Kline’s record at AU was 127-20-0 (.864). He was a four-time All-American, one of only two in school history. Kline won a national championship in 1996. He is the last Ashland grappler to win a national crown.

In 1996, Kline was named to the Amateur Wrestling News All-American team and was named to the Amateur Wrestling News Freshman Dream Team. He was the lone non-Division I wrestler to be named to that team. During his career, Kline also finished sixth, seventh and third at nationals.

After graduation, Kline became a teacher in the Black River School District. As the head wrestling coach at Black River, he has coached 11 state qualifiers, nine state placers and a state champion. His teams have won three conference championships and he has coached over 25 individual conference champions. He also coaches football and track and field. Kline and his wife Heather have three children.

Nick Bellanco (Class of 2009)-Bellanco earned All-American honors in indoor and outdoor track and field during his career at AU. In football, he became the first player in Ashland history to receive the GLIAC’s McAvoy Award, which is presented to a senior football player in the conference who excels academically, athletically and in community service. Bellanco was a two-time recipient of the GLIAC’s Commissioner’s Award, which also recognizes superior athletic and academic achievement. In 2009, Bellanco was named a second team Academic All-America by “ESPN the Magazine.”

In 2008, Bellanco tied the school record for single-season receptions (72). He played on two football teams that advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs. Bellanco was a second team All-GLIAC pick in 2008 and 2009. He was a biochemistry/mathematics major with a 3.90 grade point average.

Steph Tinney (Class of 2011)-Tinney won a national championship indoors last season in the 400 meters. She was part of a women’s indoor track and field team that tied for second at the national meet. That’s the highest finish in school history. The AU women’s indoor track and field team was recognized as the scholar-athlete team of the year by the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches of America.

Tinney also earned All-American laurels in outdoor track and field where she placed sixth in the 400. She received a GLIAC Commissioner’s Award last year and was a member of the All-GLIAC Academic Team for indoor and outdoor track and field.