Finch, Geiger, and Jones Named 2025 Inductees to North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame
12/17/2024 10:47:00 AM | Women's Basketball, Track, Swimming, Cross Country
RALEIGH, NC– The North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame has announced the 2025 induction class, featuring NC State's Nora Lynn Finch, Rollie Geiger and Cullen Jones.
Finch coached for 13 years and trailblazed the way as an administrator for 47. A Henderson, North Carolina native, Finch worked at NC State, as well as Wake Forest, Peace College and the ACC where she was the league's first female associate commissioner. Finch made a positive impact on collegiate athletics and championed opportunities for women in sports. She received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 1987 and the Billie Jean King Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Women's Sports Foundation in 2007. Finch was also the inaugural chair of the NCAA DI Women's Basketball Committee, serving from 1981-88. The NCAA has acknowledged her leadership in women's basketball, as they named her to its 10th anniversary women's basketball team.
Geiger, the Senior Associate Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at NC State and head coach of the men's cross country team, has led the Wolfpack track and field programs since 1984, coaching the men's team throughout and the women's team until 2018.
During his remarkable tenure, he has earned ACC Coach of the year 34 times. Geiger was inducted into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame in 2019. He has guided his teams to 40 ACC titles, coached 24 NCAA individual, relay, and team champions, and developed 250 individual ACC champions and 400 All-ACC performers. His leadership has been instrumental to NC State's sustained success in cross country and track and field.
Olympian, All-American, and Wolfpack standout, Cullen Jones has earned the title of being one of the most influential swimmers of the 21st century. From his days at NC State, to becoming the first African American swimmer to hold a world record, Cullen Jones has had a profound impact on the sport of swimming and continues to inspire.
Cullen Jones began his journey at NC State, competing for the Wolfpack from 2003 to 2006. Under the guidance of Coach Brooks, Jones dominated the 50 freestyle event capturing such honors as: a two-time All-American, Five time ACC title holder, American record holder, and National Champion, ultimately earning him ACC Swimmer of the year in 2006.
As part of the U.S. 4x100 freestyle relay team, Jones won two gold medals at the World Championships, further solidifying his place in swimming history. In 2007, he earned a silver medal at the World Championships in Melbourne in the 50-meter freestyle, proving time and again that he was one of the sport's premier sprinters.
Breaking Barriers in the swimming community, Jones became the first African American swimmer to ever hold a world record as part of Team USA's 4x100 meter freestyle relay squad. Competing in two Olympic Games- Beijing in 2008 and again in London in 2012, Jones cemented his legacy as one of the most accomplished swimmers of his era. As four-time Olympic medalist, he captured two gold and two silver medals, showcasing his versatility and strength in both individual and relay events.
Beyond the Olympic stage, Cullen Jones remains a prominent figure in the swimming world, both for his groundbreaking achievements and his continued commitment to the sport. He was inducted into the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018, a tribute to a career that has shaped the legacy of the Wolfpack program. His influence is felt not only at the collegiate level but across the international swimming community.