Tulsa All-Americans Tyler Henderson and Arnau Brugues Named to Conference USA’s Inaugural Hall of Fame Class to Honor 25 Years of the League
7/8/2019 10:37:00 AM | Tulsa Hurricane
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TULSA, Okla. –– Conference USA, in which Tulsa was a member from 2005-2013, announced today its inaugural Hall of Fame Class in the 25th season of the league's existence. The 25-person class is comprised of 20 student-athletes, three coaches and two administrators.
Among the honorees are two former Tulsa All-America student-athletes – three-time volleyball All-American Tyler Henderson (2009-12) and four-time tennis All-American Arnau Brugues (2005-09).
The inaugural C-USA Hall of Fame class features student-athletes and coaches from 13 different sports. Eleven of the eligible schools (those who were members of C-USA prior to the summer of 2013 for this class) are represented.
A four-year letterwinner and three-time AVCA Second Team All-America selection, Henderson was named three-time Conference USA Player of the Year (2010, 2011 & 2012). She became one of only two players in league history to become a four-time all-conference first team selection. She was also named to the AVCA All-Midwest Region team four times, and as a freshman earned honorable mention All-America accolades. Tyler Henderson
During her career, Henderson set the NCAA career record for kills in the 25-point rally scoring era. She totaled 2,525 kills (5.22 k/s), hits .328, with 50 service aces, 407 digs (0.84 dig/s), 225 blocks (0.46 blk/s) and 2,711.5 total points (5.60 pts/s).
As a senior, Henderson totaled 668 kills (5.22 k/s), a .323 attack percentage, 72 blocks (0.56 blk/s), 143 digs (1.12 dig/s) and 741.5 total points (5.79 pts/s). She led the NCAA in kills and points per set.
Brugues was a four-year letterwinner, four-time All-American and four-time Conference USA Player of the Year. He compiled a career 116-23 singles record, the most all-time career singles victories in school history, while recording a career 79-35 doubles mark.
Brugues was ranked as the No. 1 singles player in the nation a total of five times by the ITA during his senior season of 2008-09. He became the first player in Tulsa and C-USA history to earn a No. 1 national ranking. Brugues won the 2006 Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Tennis Championship, marking the first national championship won by a Tulsa tennis player or a Conference USA tennis athlete. He also claimed the 2008 ITA Central Region Singles Championship. Arnau Brugues
As a senior, Brugues posted a 44-4 singles record and a 24-9 doubles mark, and thus was named an ITA Singles All-America performer. His 44 wins were the most single-season singles victories in school history. He posted a 29-4 singles record against nationally-ranked opponents and went a perfect 25-0 in duels at the No. 1 position.
Brugues was named the ITA/Farnsworth National Senior Player of the Year and the ITA Central Region Senior Player of the Year. He finished his senior year as the No. 2-ranked singles player in the nation after advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Men's Singles Tennis Championship.
Brugues compiled a 22-9 mark his junior season, was 31-7 as a sophomore and had a 19-3 mark his freshman campaign.
Criteria to be eligible for the C-USA Hall of Fame includes the following:
• A minimum of two years played for student-athletes, minimum five years served for coaches/administrators (coaches/administrators in current roles are eligible)
• Student-athletes are only eligible five years after their last C-USA competition
• Considerations for student-athletes will be based on but not limited to All-America selections and national honors, C-USA superlative awards, academic standing and off-the-field contributions
• Considerations for coaches/administrators will be based on contributions to C-USA as a whole
A Committee has been put in place to select nominees and the league's Athletics Directors serve as the voting panel for the C-USA Hall of Fame. In the future, the C-USA Hall of Fame class size will be a minimum of one inductee and a maximum of five inductees per year.
