Softball star Anderson and standout runner White named to FMU Athletic Hall of Fame

Francis Marion University athletic director Gerald Griffin has announced that former four-time women's softball All-American Kristi Anderson and former two-time track All-American Randy White will be inducted into the FMU Athletic Hall of Fame in February.

Induction ceremonies will take place between games of the Homecoming basketball doubleheader at approximately 2:45 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 18, in the Smith University Center.

Anderson, a native of Florence and a graduate of South Florence High School, was a catcher on the Lady Patriot softball team from 1986 to 1989.  She also served as a student assistant coach for softball in 1990 prior to receiving the B.S. degree in elementary education.  She is now a mathematics teacher at Ronald E. McNair Junior High School in Lake City and the girls' volleyball and softball coach at Lake City High School.

She helped lead FMU to three NAIA Softball World Series (1986-88) and a four-year record of 142-35.  The Lady Patriots finished seventh in the nation in 1986 with a 40-11 record and the following year compiled a 42-4 mark, but lost  1-0 to Kearney State College in the 1987 national championship game.  FMU entered the 1988 campaign ranked first in the NAIA Top 20 pre-season poll and finished the year with a 33-8 record.

At the 1987 national tournament, she tied the series records for hits (10) and doubles (4).  She earned national tournament All-Tournament Team recognition in 1986 and 1987.

She did not miss a game during her career (172 games), and finished with cumulative totals of .410 batting average, three home runs, 128 runs batted in, 120 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases in 19 attempts.  Behind the plate, and occasionally as an infielder, she recorded a .967 fielding percentage and threw out 33 of 98 would-be base stealers.  As a freshman, she drove in a team-record 41 runs.  In 1987, she finished 16th in the nation in batting (.450) and drove in 28 runs, and the following year batted .423 with 30 RBIs and was named her team's Most Valuable Player.

Anderson earned second-team NAIA All-America honors as a freshman and first-team honors each of the next three years.  At the time, she became only the fourth player to ever earn NAIA All-America softball honors four times.

White, a native of Holly Hill and a graduate of Holly Hill High School, earned eight letters in track and field and cross country between 1979 and 1983.  He earned the B.A. degree in history in 1983 and is currently a sixth-grade teacher at Spring Hill Elementary School in Summerton, S.C.  He resides in Sumter.

White helped lead Francis Marion to three NAIA District Six track and field titles and a four-year record of 43-12 and to three cross country district championships and a 33-8 four-year mark.  He participated in the 1982 and 1983 NAIA National Track and Field Championships and the 1980, 1981, and 1982 NAIA National Cross Country Meets.  He was the South Carolina Intercollegiate 1,500-meter champion in 1981 and took part in the 1982 S.C.-N.C. All-Star Track Meet.  He still holds the Francis Marion records for the 800-meters and 1,500-meters.

He earned track and field All-America honors in 1982 and 1983, earned team M.V.P. honors in track and field as a sophomore and senior, and was named to the District Six All-District Track and Field Team all four years.  He gained All-District cross country honors in 1979, 1981, and 1982.

His senior year, he was named to Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities.

Anderson and White will join six current members in the FMU Athletic Hall of Fame, which was formed in 1991.