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(L – R) Jason Smith, Will Dillard, & Geoff Cody

On Saturday, October 10, 2015 Alice Lloyd College inducted three former athletes into its Athletic Hall of Fame.  The induction ceremony took place on the college campus at the Grady Nutt Athletic Center as part of the annual Appalachia Day Homecoming activities. 

This year’s inductees were: Geoff Cody (Lexington; formerly of Knott Co.), Jason Smith (Clay Co.), and Will Dillard (Beckley, West Virginia).

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Geoff Cody attended Alice Lloyd from 1993-1998 where he majored in Education. He received a duel degree in History and Social Studies. He was a four year member of the Eagles basketball team, and was known for his competitiveness and rugged play. He had a solid career, but saved his best work for last. As a senior in 1997-1998, he was the second leading scorer in the TVAC conference, averaging 22.3 points per game. This mark is still the sixth highest single season average in men’s history. He was also named First Team All- Conference that year as well as being chosen Honorable Mention All-American. Additionally, he was selected as Alice Lloyds team MVP.

He was accompanied by his wife Aimee Cody, his son Peyton, his daughter Noel, and his son Major. Also on hand were his parents, Tom Cody and Patty Wood, as well as his in-laws, Ron and Pat Chaffins.

Currently, he resides in Lexington, KY and is employed by the Franklin County Board of Education. He has served his community for 16 years as an educator and boys’ basketball coach, and for the past 3 years he has been a teacher of American History, AP Government and Politics at Western Hills High School in Frankfort.

His plaque was presented by his former coach and the current President of Alice Lloyd College, Dr. Joe A. Stepp; his former coach and current Director of Athletics, Mr. Gary D. Stepp; and his former coach, the current Dean of Men and Head Coach of the Alice Lloyd Lady Eagles, Mr. John Mills.

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Jason Smith hails from Manchester and attended Alice Lloyd from 2002-2006 where he majored in Mathematics Education. He was a four year member of the Eagles baseball team and was known for his power pitching.

As a freshman, he received the ALC Rookie of the Year Award. His sophomore year saw him receive the ALC Coaches Award. His game began to blossom as a junior as he was named second team all-conference and was named as ALC’S Pitcher of the Year. His senior year saw his dominance grow as he was named first team-All Conference as well as ALC Pitcher of the Year. Additionally he was selected as the 2006 Most Valuable Player for the Eagles.  Over his final two seasons, he compiled an 11-5 win loss record while recording an earned run average of just 2.6.Incredibly, during that same span; he stuck out 75 opponents while only allowing 16 walks. Not only was he a top athlete, he also was chosen academic all-conference as well as making the dean’s list his final two seasons. 

 He was accompanied by his parents, Kenneth and Billie Smith, and his brother, and current member of the Eagles baseball squad, Justin Smith.

Currently, he resides in Manchester, KY and is employed by the Clay County Board of Education. He has served his community for 8 years as a Math teacher and boys’ baseball and golf coach at Clay County High School.

His plaque was presented by the President of Alice Lloyd College, Dr. Joe A. Stepp; Director of Athletics, Mr. Gary D. Stepp; and his former coach, the current Dean of Students and Head Baseball Coach of the Alice Lloyd Eagles, Mr. Scott Cornett.

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Will Dillard hails from Beckley, West Virginia and attended Alice Lloyd from 2005-2009 where he majored in Business. He was a four year member of the Eagles basketball team and was known for his incredible athleticism and hardnosed play.

As a freshman, he led the team in assists, while finishing second in the conference. His sophomore year saw him finish fifth in the league in assists, lead the team in assists for a second year, and finish third on the team in scoring. His junior year saw him finish third in the conference in assists, lead the squad in assists for the third straight year, and finish third on the team in scoring. For his play, he was chosen First Team All-Conference. It was his senior year, however, when he exploded on the league with an incredible display. He led the team in scoring at 19.1 points per game which also placed him second in the conference, and he had a season high 36 points against Union College. His field goal percentage of 52.7% was tops in the league. Additionally, he led the league in assists at 5 per game, was third in free throw percentage at 75.7%, and finished sixth in steals per game at 1.5 per outing. When the season was over, he was recognized by the league for his complete performance by being voted the 2008 KIAC Player of the Year, and he is just the third male in school history to be so honored. He completed his career with 1490 points, 529 assists, and 161 steals. He is also the only player in school history to lead the team in assists for four seasons and was named ALC’S Most Valuable Player twice.

He was also well respected on campus. He was named to the Dean’s list several times and was chosen as the school winner of the Outstanding Citizenship Award. He was further honored by the school when he was named the winner of the prestigious Algernon Sydney Award, which goes to the senior who demonstrates both the highest spiritual character and humanitarian qualities.

He was accompanied by his parents, Rick and Dollie Dillard, his brother Ricky and sister-in-law Kim, his niece Hayden and nephew Kyrie, and his girlfriend Hanna Metrick.

Currently, he resides in Beckley and is presently employed by P.P.P.F.D. Incorporated. He has served his community for the past 5 years in the field of business, and for the past two and a half years, has been a bookkeeper and Human Resources Director. He also is a member of the Drug Free All Stars, a group of former athletes who travel across several states delivering positive anti-drug messages to schools. Furthermore, he played for 2 years for the West Virginia Blazers semi-pro basketball team.

His plaque was presented by the President of Alice Lloyd College, Dr. Joe A. Stepp; his former coach and Director of Athletics, Mr. Gary D. Stepp; his former coach, and current Head Basketball Coach of the Alice Lloyd Eagles, Mr. J.R. Hammond, his former coach, Mr. Gary Gibson; and his former coach, Mr. Jeff Jackson.