Hall of Fame class to be inducted at Pete Culicerto Hall of Fame Invitational

Apr. 18—The 2024 Pete Culicerto Hall of Fame Invitational track and field meet will be held Friday the Pete Culicerto Track at Woodrow Wilson.

Field events will start at 4:30 p.m. and running events at 5 p.m.

Participating boys and girls teams will be Woodrow Wilson, Shady Spring, Independence, Liberty, Oak Hill, Princeton, Bluefield, PikeView, Herbert Hoover, Richwood, Westside, Wyoming East and Mercer Christian Academy.

Also, the Woodrow Wilson/Stratton Track and Field Hall of Fame Class of 2024 will be inducted. The class, submitted by the selection committee, is as follows:

Robert Walton Jr. was a member of 1995 state champion 4x400-meter relay team and was Keatley Award winner. He was also on the 1994 and 1995 All-Coalfield Conference football teams. He attended West Virginia State University and is currently an assistant basketball and football coach at Beckley-Stratton. He is route salesman for Frito Lay. Walton is married to Shamil Walton and has five kids — Makayla, Briana, Elayna, Braylon and Aubree.

Melvin "Hookie" Ross Sr. was a member of 1966 Stratton High School track and field team that participated in the state meet. He participated in the 400-yard dash and was a member of the 1,600-yard relay team. He was also a member of the football teams at Stratton High.

Jamar Dunnigan was the anchor on the state champion 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams. His key races were the 110 high hurdles and the 100 and 200 meters. The summer before his senior year at Woodrow, Dunnigan joined the Capital City Striders AAU team and teamed with D.J. Johnson of Capital and South Charleston teammates Turan Dues and Eddie Whitehead to finish third in the nation in the 4x100. He graduated in 2009 from Fashion Institute of Technology with a degree in advertising and marketing.

Flemmon "The Cat" Wright was also nicknamed "Cadillac" because of his speed in track and field. In 1969, he had a long jump of 23 feet, 4 inches and was also a member of the Stratton shuttle hurdle relay team that placed first in the state meet in 1968 with a time of 55.9 seconds. His team placed fourth overall in 1968 and 1969. He was also a member of the football team. He enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, playing games and bowling. He attended West Virginia State College, where he was a member of the track and field teams.

Kimberly Lynn Staples Barnes was an accomplished runner in the 200 and 400 meters and was a member of 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 relay teams. The 4x200 team finished fifth in the state during her senior year of 1994, the same year she won the Edna Mae Phillips Award. She walked on to the team at West Virginia University and worked her way on to the travel teams, competing in the indoor 500 and outdoor 200 and 400. She resides in Odenton, Md., and is a litigation paralegal for the United States Senate Office of Chief Counsel for Employment.

Sincere Aldolfus Glenn was a member of 1994 Woodrow Wilson team that finished on top in the 4x100. She also participated in the 100, 200, 400 and ran hurdles. She participated in ROTC and was a dental assistant. She was married to Paul Glenn and has children Britney, Berry, Serenity, Payton and Paul Jr. She attended Mountain State University.

Nate Manns finished second in the 400 meters in 2000 and was a member of the state champion 4x100 and 4x200 meter relay teams with Mike Harvey, Demetrius Burger and Jamar Dunnigan. Manns was a three-year starter on the Flying Eagle football team, including an undefeated regular season in 2000. He attended Marshall University, where he played football.

Rev. Nelson Staples II was a member of the 1966 Stratton High School track and field teams. He participated in multiple events but his best were the hurdles. He ran the 120-yard high hurdles, 180-yard low hurdles and the shuttle hurdle relay teams that were top in the Class AA division. He was also a member of the football team where he played linebacker and running back, and also was a member of the basketball teams at Stratton. He was married to Karen Hairston-Staples. He has five children, 11 grandchildren and four great-grandkids. He graduated from Morris Harvey College and Liberty University. He obtained a Masters degree in counseling and theology.

Demetrick Burger was a member of the 2000 4x100 and 4x200 meter relay state championship teams. He also ran the open 100, 200 meters and competed in the long jump. Burger was also a running back on the 2000 football team that finished the regular season undefeated.

Mike Harvey was the leader on the 4x200 meter state champion team that included Nate Manns, Demetrick Burger and Jamar Dunnigan. The time of 1:28.69 is ranked 10th all-time in the history of West Virginia track and field. Harvey was also a member of the state champion 4x100 meter team with the same teammates. He also ran the open 100 and 200 meters. He was a member of the Flying Eagle football teams and also won first place in several bench press competitions in the area.

Also being inducted will be Cherlee Thomas Street and Kea Austin, who were 4x200 teammates at Woodrow Wilson.