Hall of Fame
Class of 2006
St. Edward's University Athletics honored its Class of 2006 Hall of Fame inductees on Saturday, Feb. 11. Joining the university’s existing members, this year’s class includes:
- Karl Jauhiainen, '86 (men’s tennis)
- Kevin Karo, '91 (baseball)
- Aaron Farris Seafous, '92 (women’s basketball)
- Jimmy Wheeler, '93 (men’s basketball)
- Julie Burleson Grant, '96 (volleyball)
Karl Jauhiainen
Competing at either the number one or two position in singles and doubles through out his four-year career, Karl Jauhiainen qualified for the NAIA National Tournament in singles and doubles all four years. He helped the Hilltoppers advance to the national tournament in 1983 and won the conference double titles all four years — advancing in singles to semi-finals in 1983 and 1984 and finals in 1985 and 1986. The Hilltoppers won the conference championships as a team each of those four years. Jauhiainen graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in General Business and received his MBA in 1988 from Southwest Texas State University. He currently works for International Flow, Inc., in Stafford, Texas.
Kevin Karo
Karo, who played in the outfield for the Hilltoppers from 1988-91, still holds four school records in runs (159), hits (210), RBIs (161) and total bases (379). He is also:
- Second in at-bats (609) and doubles (42)
- Third in homeruns (37)
- Sixth in triples (8) and walks (98)
- Seventh in stolen bases (46)
Karo earned all-conference honors three times and all-region honors twice. As a freshman, he was also named team rookie of the year and later, team senior of the year. Karo graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History and earned his master’s degree in Educational Leadership at Bridgewater State College. He played one year of professional baseball with the Lafayette Leopards in the Great Central League, during which them team won the league championship. Karo is currently an assistant principal with Brockton Public Schools in Brockton, Mass.
Aaron Farris Seafous
Aaron Farris Seafous played basketball for three years for the Hilltoppers after transferring from the University of Texas. During that time, she earned all-conference and all-district honors each year. She scored 1,115 career points and cleared 703 rebounds at St. Edward's. In her first season as a Hilltopper, Seafous was named newcomer of the year and helped the team to a 20-win season. In her senior year as a team captain she led the Hilltoppers to their first NAIA National Tournament. The team advanced to the quarterfinals, finishing the season 31–2, with a national ranking of 12th. Seafous earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. She also played professional basketball for Clube Amigos De Bossuete in Madeira, Portugal. Today, she is an assistant controller for Renew Data Corporation in Austin, Texas.
Jimmy Wheeler
Jimmy Wheeler played three years for the Hilltoppers and holds the school record for most career points with 2,799 points. In his first season at St. Edward’s, Wheeler earned all-conference honors and was voted the best defensive player on the team. He finished the season ranked third in field goal percentage and ninth in rebounds in the nation. The following year, Wheeler shot 70 percent from the floor, was team MVP, and received all-conference and all-American honorable mention — honors that he also earned during his final year when he helped the team to 23 wins, the most in school history at that time.
Julie Burleson Grant
A middle blocker for four years, Julie Burleson Grant was a defensive force both at the net as well as in the back court. She helped the team achieve back-to-back records of most wins in a single season (33–11 and 43–12) and at two national tournaments, where St. Edward’s finished ninth and fifth. Grant earned a constant stream of honors, including:
- All-conference (twice)
- Academic all-conference (four times)
- All-region
- Academic all-American (twice)
In addition, she received various all-tournament and conference player of the week honors. She holds school records for most digs in a single match (40), most digs per game in a season (4.86) and solo blocks in a five game match (6). Grant graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Art. She is currently a teacher at All Saints Episcopal School of Ft. Worth.