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SIC to Induct Five Athletes to Hall of Fame

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Saturday, Feb. 25, represents a big night for Southeastern Illinois College athletics. Not only will this year's sophomore athletes take center stage, but also on tap is the 10th annual Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony for five former Falcon athletes.

At halftime of the women's and men's basketball games against Lincoln Trail, sophomores in all four sports will be recognized. Game time for the women is 5:30 p.m. and for the men 7:30 p.m.

Between games, at roughly 7 p.m., former Falcon standouts Vedrana Bajagic, Demar Dotson, Samantha Hathaway, Brent "BJ" Huff, and Carl Shelton will be honored.

Plaques representing their individual accomplishments will then be placed in the college's Hall of Fame room, where they will join 33 former athletes who have been recognized for outstanding contributions to SIC athletics.

Vedrana Bajagic, a native of Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, played basketball for the Lady Falcons from 1997-1999. Under coach Mark Motsinger, she was named NJCAA All-Great Rivers Conference and All-Region.

Her freshman year at Southeastern, Bajagic averaged 14 points and 9 rebounds per game and helped lead the 23-8 Falcons to the NJCAA Region 24 semifinals. During her sophomore year (25-6), she averaged 12 points per game and led the conference with 14 rebounds per game.

After leaving Southeastern, where she earned academic honors, Bajagic played for the University of Rhode Island women's basketball team (1999-2001). During her final season with the URI Rams, Bajagic, described as "an agile post player and deceptive for her size," finished 15th in rebounding, 14th in offensive rebounding, and tied for 14th in blocked shots in the Division I Atlantic Coast Conference.

Bajagic earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Rhode Island and her master's degree in applied behavior analysis from the Florida Institute of Technology.

Demar Dotson, from Alexandria, Louisiana, played for SIC basketball coach Todd Franklin during the 2004-2006 seasons. As a sophomore, he averaged 10.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and helped the 25-8 team clinch a berth in the NJCAA Region 24 championship game.

Later, he transferred to University of Southern Mississippi, where he played for the Golden Eagle basketball team from 2006-08. Dotson also saw action as a defensive tackle for Southern Miss' football team his senior year.

Signed by the National Football League's Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2009, Dotson, a 6'9" 315 lb. offensive tackle, has spent the last three years in the NFL.

Dotson's professional football debut came in November 2009 when he clocked time on the Buccaneers' special teams against the Green Bay Packers. He recorded his first career start in 2011 against the New Orleans Saints.

His 2010 season ended before it started when he was placed on injured reserved in early September of that same year.

Samantha Hathaway played for SIC's 2000-2002 volleyball team and was named to the NJCAA Great Rivers All-Conference and All-Region teams.

In 2001, she was ranked 15th in the nation in hitting efficiency in Division II and led the Falcons in number of aces and in aces-per-set average. Hathaway is considered among the top 10 volleyball players to have worn an SIC uniform.

An Eldorado, Illinois native, she currently works at Harrisburg Medical Center as an x-ray technician.

In his two seasons at SIC, Brent "BJ" Huff was named to the NJCAA All-Region baseball team (1993-95). After leaving Southeastern, he played for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide for one year before being drafted by the New York Mets.

From 1996, Huff played outfield and first base in the Mets' minor league system, making it to the big leagues in 2001. However, that same year he suffered an injury ending his major league career.

Huff currently works for Lieberman Technologies in Evansville, IN.

Carl Shelton attended SIC from 1962-64 and started as center for coach Virgil Motsinger's inaugural basketball Falcons. During those two seasons, Shelton received All-Conference honors.

Standing some 6'5" he was one of the tallest players in the conference and intimidated opponents with his patented hook shot.

What many believe to be SIC's finest moments in basketball came on the floor of Davenport Gymnasium in Harrisburg, Illinois when Shelton and his college teammates played before crowds of less than 25.

He later became a guidance counselor and basketball coach at Harrisburg High School.

Games and the evening's ceremonies will be held in Deaton Gymnasium.