Call to the Hall
Barnett, McGriff Inducted into Polk County Sports Hall of Fame
Jun 14, 2023
Longtime Florida Southern College Trustee Barney Barnett and former student Terrence McGriff ’01 were among the five people that were enshrined in the Polk County Sports Hall of Fame during the Polk County All-Sports Awards banquet at the RP Funding Center.
Florida Southern’s women’s lacrosse team was also honored on the night, winning the Female Collegiate Team of the Year and for Jackie Stoller’s win in the Female Collegiate Athlete of the Year category.
Barney Barnett
Barnett’s philanthropy within the sports programs at Florida Southern has been critical to the advancement of the Moccasins’ programs.
With direct gifts to the basketball, baseball, softball, golf, soccer and volleyball programs, Barnett’s influence has been felt across his many years of service to the College. In 2018, the multi-million dollar Barnett Athletic Complex was opened, providing a renovation to fields that the men’s and women’s soccer teams, men’s and women’s lacrosse teams and softball team now call home.
“I’m honored to receive this award tonight,” Barnett said during his acceptance speech. “I was lucky that my parents both loved sports. I was exposed at a very early age to sports. If I was going to do anything with my father, it was going to go to sports. That’s just the way it was.”
Terrence McGriff
McGriff has spent the past two decades turning Bartow High School’s boys basketball team into a state power.
Before that, McGriff was a student at Florida Southern when he got a chance to coach junior varsity boys basketball at Kathleen High School. McGriff had previously founded the Lakeland Fire youth basketball program. As the head coach at Bartow High School, he won three state championships, and is the only coach to be named the Florida Dairy Farmers Boys Basketball Coach of the Year in consecutive seasons.
Women’s Lacrosse Team
The Moccasins put together an 18-4 overall record and a 6-1 mark in the Sunshine State Conference. Advancing to its seventh NCAA tournament, the Mocs won their way to the National Semifinals, falling to the eventual National Champion. As a team, the Mocs ended the year ranked no. 2 in the nation in Division II in the final Inside Lacrosse Women / Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Coaches' Poll.
Jackie Stoller
Stoller, a graduate student from Wayland, Mass., scored 107 points for the women’s lacrosse team that made it to the NCAA Division II Final Four. In 22 games Stoller tallied 66 goals and 41 assists to help the Moccasins to an NCAA South Region crown. Stoller picked up two First Team All-America honors following the season after being named to the USA Lacrosse Magazine and IWLCA lists. The awards add to her 2023 SSC Player of the Year and First Team selection while she was also named First Team All-South Region by the IWLCA. Additionally, she earned 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Women's At-Large Academic All-America® honors.
Florida Southern’s women’s lacrosse team was also honored on the night, winning the Female Collegiate Team of the Year and for Jackie Stoller’s win in the Female Collegiate Athlete of the Year category.
Barney Barnett
Barnett’s philanthropy within the sports programs at Florida Southern has been critical to the advancement of the Moccasins’ programs.
With direct gifts to the basketball, baseball, softball, golf, soccer and volleyball programs, Barnett’s influence has been felt across his many years of service to the College. In 2018, the multi-million dollar Barnett Athletic Complex was opened, providing a renovation to fields that the men’s and women’s soccer teams, men’s and women’s lacrosse teams and softball team now call home.
“I’m honored to receive this award tonight,” Barnett said during his acceptance speech. “I was lucky that my parents both loved sports. I was exposed at a very early age to sports. If I was going to do anything with my father, it was going to go to sports. That’s just the way it was.”
Terrence McGriff
McGriff has spent the past two decades turning Bartow High School’s boys basketball team into a state power.
Before that, McGriff was a student at Florida Southern when he got a chance to coach junior varsity boys basketball at Kathleen High School. McGriff had previously founded the Lakeland Fire youth basketball program. As the head coach at Bartow High School, he won three state championships, and is the only coach to be named the Florida Dairy Farmers Boys Basketball Coach of the Year in consecutive seasons.
Women’s Lacrosse Team
The Moccasins put together an 18-4 overall record and a 6-1 mark in the Sunshine State Conference. Advancing to its seventh NCAA tournament, the Mocs won their way to the National Semifinals, falling to the eventual National Champion. As a team, the Mocs ended the year ranked no. 2 in the nation in Division II in the final Inside Lacrosse Women / Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Coaches' Poll.
Jackie Stoller
Stoller, a graduate student from Wayland, Mass., scored 107 points for the women’s lacrosse team that made it to the NCAA Division II Final Four. In 22 games Stoller tallied 66 goals and 41 assists to help the Moccasins to an NCAA South Region crown. Stoller picked up two First Team All-America honors following the season after being named to the USA Lacrosse Magazine and IWLCA lists. The awards add to her 2023 SSC Player of the Year and First Team selection while she was also named First Team All-South Region by the IWLCA. Additionally, she earned 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Women's At-Large Academic All-America® honors.