Polk State Athletics announces 2026 Hall of Fame class

To honor its rich history and tradition, Polk State College is reviving the Polk State Athletics Hall of Fame. The 2026 class features three athletes, one coach and administrator and for the first time, one history-making team.

The inductees will be honored and formally enshrined on Monday, April 13 during a 6 p.m. ceremony at Cleveland Heights Golf Course in Lakeland. The inductees will join eight existing members.

For ticket information, email Polk State Director of Athletics Randy Lee at rlee@polk.edu or Athletics Administrative Assistant Mariah Ayabarreno at mayabarreno@polk.edu.

Below is the 2026 class:

1992 Baseball Team

1992 Polk State Baseball will become the first team ever inducted into the Polk State Athletics Hall of Fame. That year for then Polk Community College would be the greatest ever at the time. The then Vikings hit the 40-win mark for the first time in program history and closed the year by winning their first FCSAA title. In its ninth season under Head Coach Bing Tyus, Polk State swept through the state tournament in the area of unincorporated Davenport then known as Baseball City.

Polk State became the first team in 15 years to go undefeated at the double-elimination state tournament. The Eagles used a complete game from pitcher Bubba Hardwick – the tournament’s most outstanding pitcher – to seal the deal with an 8-1 win over what’s now Eastern Florida State College.

Polk State advanced to the final following a miraculous 11-inning victory the day prior in which it erased a 7-4 ninth-inning deficit against Miami Dade College-South. Infielder Allan Parker was named MVP of the state tournament. Also making the All-Tournament team for Polk were infielder Scott Harper, and pitchers Hardwick, David Harris and Craig Kurrack. The Polk pitching staff combined for a 1.53 ERA during the tournament. It would be 20 years later before Polk State claimed its second FCSAA baseball crown.

Bing Tyus, Head Coach (Baseball, 1984-98; Athletics Director, 1998-2019)

After baseball was cut for seven years from 1977 to 1983, Bing Tyus was tasked with being the man to revive the then Polk Community College program.

Tyus spent 15 years as head coach at what is now Polk State College, leading the Eagles to 418 wins. In 1992, Tyus guided Polk to its aforementioned first-ever FCSAA championship. To conclude his coaching career, Tyus led the then Vikings to 14 straight winning seasons. Tyus coached Major League Baseball pitchers such as Alan Mills and Dan Miceli.

Following his coaching career, Tyus would become the College’s director of athletics – a role he served from 1998 to 2019. Under Tyus’ direction, Polk State excelled on the fields, courts and in the classroom. In 2010, the now defunct cheerleading program won the national championship. Tyus oversaw a department that made trips to the national tournaments in soccer, baseball and volleyball.

Following a legendary career as a coach and administrator, Tyus was inducted to the Central Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. In November 2015, the field where Polk State plays its home baseball games was dedicated as Bing Tyus Yard to honor the legendary coach. Tyus is the first director of athletics inducted and joins three-time FCSAA basketball champion Josh Giles as the only coaches.

Phoebe Wu, Outside Hitter (Volleyball, 2015-16)

Yue “Phoebe” Wu was a two-time first-team All-Suncoast Conference selection in 2015 and 2016. In her two seasons at Polk State College, Wu helped the Eagles reach the NJCAA National Tournament in consecutive years, finishing third in 2016 under Head Coach German Del Valle.

In 2015, Wu led the nation in kills per set (5.09) and ranked second nationally in total kills en route to being named FCSAA Player of the Year and an NJCAA first-team All-American. A 5-foot-11 native of China, Wu was named an honorable mention All-American in 2016.

Wu went on to spend two seasons at Winthrop University – also the Eagles – in South Carolina. Wu was an All-Big South honorable mention selection in each of her two seasons at Winthrop. In 2017, Wu averaged 3.53 kills per set to lead the Eagles. She will become the first Polk State Volleyball player ever inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Lance Jeter, Guard (Basketball, 2007-09)

A native of Pennsylvania, Lance Jeter spent two years at then Polk Community College and led the team to a pair of Suncoast Conference championships. As a sophomore during the 2008-09 season, Jeter averaged nearly 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals per game en route to being named FCSAA Player of the Year. Jeter was a first-team All-Suncoast Conference selection in each of his two seasons on campus under Head Coach Matt Furjanic.

Following his tenure at Polk State, Jeter went on to spend two years at the University of Nebraska. After earning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year as a junior, Jeter was named third-team All-Big 12 by the conference’s coaches as a senior. The Cornhuskers’ leading assist man in each of his two seasons in Lincoln, Jeter capped his collegiate career by averaging a team-high 11.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and a team-best 1.8 steals as Nebraska finished 19-13 and reached the NIT.

Jeter spent nearly a decade playing professionally in Europe. He was twice named the Dutch Basketball League MVP. In 2012, Jeter joined former NBA forward Lorenzo Williams as the only two players in Polk State Basketball history to have their jerseys retired. He now joins Williams as the program’s only players to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Stephanie Koutsoumbaris, Catcher/Outfielder (Softball, 2013-14)

One of the most accomplished players in Polk State Softball history, catcher and outfielder Stephanie Koutsoumbaris enjoyed a record-breaking career. In two seasons with the Eagles, Koutsoumbaris helped Polk State win back-to-back Suncoast Conference championships under Head Coach Jeff Ellis. For her career, Koutsoumbaris batted .423 with 19 home runs and a program-record 143 RBIs.

After a stellar freshman year in which she hit .408 with eight home runs, 19 doubles, and 70 RBIs, Koutsoumbaris had an even bigger sophomore year. She was named the NJCAA Player of the Year in 2014, becoming the first player in Polk State history to win that honor, after batting .442 with 11 home runs and topping her own program record for RBIs with 73. Koutsoumbaris was a two-time All-Suncoast Conference and two-time All-FCSAA selection.

Although Koutsoumbaris elected not to further her softball career after Polk State, she left as one of the most decorated players in program history. During her two years with the program, the Eagles compiled an 87-34 record. In addition to NJCAA Player of the Year, Koutsoumbaris was also recognized as the Suncoast Conference Player of the Year. Her jersey was retired at the end of her sophomore season. Koutsoumbaris joins former pitcher Greta Cecchetti among Polk State Softball players in the Hall of Fame.