November 4, 2010

Diane Seng Haynes to join TTU Sports Hall of Fame

Twice named the Ohio Valley Conference Female Athlete of the Year and an Academic All-America winner, Diane Seng Haynes is one of four persons who will be inducted into the TTU Sports Hall of Fame next week.

Dinner and Induction slated for Friday, Nov. 12
Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction is Friday, Nov. 12

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Twice named the Ohio Valley Conference Female Athlete of the Year and an Academic All-America winner, Diane Seng Haynes was one of the most outstanding basketball players in OVC history. A versatile athlete, she also played a key role on Tennessee Tech’s volleyball team, helping both of those Golden Eagle teams reach NCAA Tournament play.

In recognition of her success both in competition and in the classroom, Seng Haynes is one of four people who will be enshrined into the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame November 12 as the school honors its athletic legacy with the 36th annual induction ceremony.

The 2010 Hall of Fame Class will be honored during Homecoming weekend, Nov. 12-13. The induction will take place at the Hall of Fame Dinner Friday evening, and the group will also be recognized at the Homecoming football game Saturday against Eastern Kentucky.

There are only seven purple numbers hanging from the rafters in Eblen Center representing seven of the most successful women’s players in school history. The first four players who wore those numbers are all in the TTU Sports Hall of Fame, and now the player who wore the fifth number – Diane Seng Haynes -- joins the earlier honorees with her induction into the Sports Hall of Fame.

Seng led the women’s basketball team to 85 wins in four seasons and finished her decorated career ranked among Tech’s all-time leaders in several categories. With the Jasper, Ind., native at the center of the attack for coach Bill Worrell, the team reached the NCAA Regional in 1999 and 2000.

Not only a star on the basketball court, she was also a starter for the Golden Eagle volleyball team and helped coach Jennie Gilbert’s squad capture the 1997 OVC Championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the program’s history.

In fact, in December of 1997 Seng played for the basketball team on a Thursday night then flew to Denver to join the volleyball team in its NCAA game against Colorado on Saturday night.

She also lettered one year one the track & field team, competing in the shot put in the 1999 season.

On the basketball court, Seng scored 2,166 points, finishing her career ranked third in school history. She currently ranks fifth at Tech and eighth all-time in the OVC in scoring. She is also third in the OVC in career field goal percentage.

Among the numerous awards she received as a basketball player, Seng was a two-time Kodak all-district selection, an Academic All-American, a two-time OVC Female Athlete of the Year and was named Tech’s Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year all four years of her career. She was a first-team all-OVC selection all four years and was chosen the OVC Freshman of the Year in 1997.

In post-season play, Diane was named to the OVC All-Tournament team all four seasons and twice earned tournament MVP honors.

In 1999, her jersey (No. 51) was selected to be among 100 to hang in a display at the National Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville.

She received her bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Tech in 2000, and in 2004 was married to Ed Haynes, a TTU grad from Hartsville, Tenn. She has worked in the Nashville area in the private sector, including serving as manager of two different retail stores. She is currently a manager with Gigi’s Cupcakes, a fast-growing bakery business.

Joining Seng Haynes in the Class of 2010 are Gene Palmer, Brandy Henry Kleeman and Steve Hawkins. With their induction, the Hall of Fame will grow to 154 since it was established in 1975.

Tickets to the Hall of Fame Dinner and the game are available by calling (931) 372-3940, or through the Athletics ticket office in Eblen Center. Reservations must be made for the dinner, and tickets are $25 each. Reservations may also be made online at TTUsports.com.