ST. AUGUSTINE – Justine (Burkhardt) Cronk ’09 and Karen Hudgins were inducted as the 19th class of the Flagler College Athletics Hall of Fame at a banquet sponsored by Carrabba’s Italian Grill at the Virginia Room in the Ringhaver Student Center. The event is part of the College’s annual Alumni Weekend (May 16-19).
The Flagler College Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 2004 to honor student-athletes and administrators who made a major contribution to the intercollegiate sports program while at Flagler, as well as a significant impact in their community after graduating and since then 71 people, and one team, have been inducted, including this year’s class.
Cronk played volleyball for Flagler from 2006-09 and helped lead the Saints to a final four appearance in her senior season, which happens to be the best season the program as had with a 36-9 record. She holds the career record for kills (1,881) and attempts (5,573) and is second all-time in service aces (186), third in sets played (545), and fourth in digs (1,676).
Cronk holds single-season records in kills (568 in 2006) and attempts (1,619 in 2006). She is the first player in the NCAA Division II era to have a 20-kill match, a 25-kill match, and was the first to reach the 200, 300, 400, and 500-kill milestones. Cronk was the first to tally 100 aces, to have back-to-back 200-kill seasons, and back-to-back 250-dig seasons. She owns the D2-era record for kills in a match (30), attempts in a match (80), attack percentage (.762), and points in a match (35.0).
Cronk was an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Southeast Region selection in 2009 and took home first team All-Peach Belt Conference honors the same year. As a freshman, she was selected the Independent Collegiate Athletics Association Freshman of the Year and was its player of the year in 20087 and 2008. Cronk earned academic all-conference honors and was a NCAA Division II Woman of the Year nominee.
Hudgins is completing her 25th year at Flagler. She started as an administrative assistant in June of 1999 and was promoted to executive assistant to the director of athletics/Senior Woman Administrator/athletics business manager in 2016.
She played a vital role in Flagler’s transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division II in 2006-07. As the SWA, Hudgins serves on the Athletics Department Leadership Team and acts as the liaison for all female student-athletes. She also serves as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) advisor and her staff was awarded the 2021-22 Challenge Award from the Peach Belt Conference.
The SAAC has raised over $25,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation the last nine years. Flagler was awarded the Make-A-Wish Most Improved award in 2017.
If you would like to nominate someone for future induction into the Hall of Fame please fill out and submit the nomination by going to flaglerathletics.com, go to “Inside Athletics” and select “Hall of Fame.”
