Former baseball All-American Don Purcell ’93 and former tennis All-American Leslie Roland Smith ’94 have been inducted into the University of Mary Washington Athletic Hall of Fame. They were inducted at the annual Athletic Hall of Fame banquet during Homecoming Weekend.

Purcell is the second baseball alumnus to gain Hall of Fame status. He ended his career as the school’s all-time leader in at-bats, hits, and runs batted in. He was the first All-American in Mary Washington baseball history. In 1991, he gained third team honors after batting .425, which included a 29-game hitting streak. He was named as the Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 1993 and earned all-region honors in both 1991 and 1993. He was a key member of Mary Washington’s first three NCAA Tournament appearances – 1991, 1992 and 1993.

Purcell, who majored in business administration and psychology, lives in Columbia, S.C., where he owns and operates several businesses with his family. He hasn’t given up baseball entirely; he still plays in several semi-pro leagues. He is married to the former Kerri Gilead, and has an infant daughter, Kristen Ashley.

Leslie Smith’s Athletic Hall of Fame induction in October was her second. She was a member of the 1991 NCAA Division III national championship tennis team, which was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001. An All-American in doubles her junior year, Smith garnered singles All-American status the next season, the same year she advanced to the NCAA singles tournament semifinals.

Smith was named Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 1994 and was also a finalist for the South Region Player of the Year. She remains active in tennis, coaching at both the high school and college level. She teaches history at Lake High School in Canton, Ohio, where she was named the school’s 2001 Teacher of the Year. She is married to Christopher Smith, and has a baby daughter, Camille. She also has been honored with the Ohio High School Athletic Association State Coaches’ Award.

For more information about the UMW Athletic Hall of Fame or to make a nomination, please contact the UMW Sports Information Office at 540/654-1743.

Photos by Clint Often