Today's Throwback Thursday celebrates the Methodist Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2006.

The five-member class includes the "Founding Father" of Monarch athletics, and across their history here accumulated six All-American honors, four conference player of the year awards, 33 all-conference selections, and garnered two conference Silver Anniversary inductions in 2014.

A third-team All-American in 1989 and first-team All-American in 1990 and 1991 before being named academic All-American in 1992, Catherine Byrne '92 was also named first team All-Conference during the 1988, 1990 and 1991 seasons. While Byrne competed with the women's soccer team, the Monarchs made NCAA appearances and won the South Region championship in 1988, 1989 and 1990. In 2005, Byrne was named to the USA South Silver Anniversary team.

A four-year starting pitcher for the softball team from 1997-2000, Heather Hugus Purgason '00 helped lead Methodist to its first two NCAA Division III national tournament appearances in 1999 and 2000. Purgason holds the Methodist pitching records for career innings pitched (696), wins (66), strikeouts (539) and shutouts (17), as well as the single-season records for strikeouts (180) and shutouts (7) in 2000. She was a four-time All-Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection, a two-time DIAC player of the year and the league's rookie of the year in 1997. Hugus Purgason was also named to the USA South Silver Anniversary team in January 2014.

The "Founding Father" of Methodist College athletics, Dr. Ernie Schwarz '66 will be inducted posthumously. He was the first Director of Athletics while also serving to develop the Methodist intramural program and the Physical Education curriculum. He was the first men's basketball and golf coach and in 1966 was named the DIAC Coach of the Year. Schwartz was a professor of exercise and sports science and went on to serve as a faculty athletic representative and interim Athletic Director at East Carolina University.

A three-year starter and three-year first team All-DIAC selection, Amy Todd '99 played basketball at Methodist from 1996-1999, and in 1999 was named the DIAC Player of the Year. She still holds the single-game records for points (38) and field goals (15) in addition to the single-season records for rebounds (315) and rebounding average (12.1 rebounds per game). Todd holds career records for career rebounds (844) and career rebounding average (11.1), and ranks second all-time in scoring with 1,307 points.

An NCAA All-American from 1993-1995 and a seven-time Mason Dixon Conference Champion, Jamelle Ushery '98 was a standout track athlete at Methodist. During the 1993 season, Ushery was eighth at the NCAA Division III outdoor championship and later placed fourth at the 1994 and 1995 NCAA D-III outdoor championships. In 1994, Ushery was the Mason Dixon Indoor Most Valuable Athlete as well as the Methodist MVP. He was selected to the All-Mason Dixon Conference team twenty-three times during his career. He remains the program's indoor record holder in the 55-meter high hurdles (7.72), and shares the record (14.50) outdoor in the 110m hurdles.