2002 Men's Tennis Team

One of the best units in Bears tennis history, the 2002 team made a historical run that pulled them all the way to the semifinals of the NAIA Men’s Tennis National Tournament. Headed up by two-time MSC Coach of the Year John Kitchen, the team included seven athletes.

Finishing ranked second in the country, the Bears went 23-1 and claimed both the MSC regular season and tournament titles. The team collected seven All-MSC selections, two NAIA All-Americans, and Head Coach John Kitchen was named MSC Coach of the Year. 

The national tournament run saw the Bears take down Union (Ky.) in the opening round 5-0 before dominating Embry-Riddle 5-1 in the quarterfinals. The Bears run finally came to a close in the semifinals with a loss to Oklahoma City 5-3.

Eduardo Rincon

Men's Tennis

Part of the aforementioned MSC Championship men’s tennis team, Rincon led an incredible 2002 campaign to aid the Bears to their second consecutive NAIA Tournament appearance. Hailing from Duitama, Colombia, Rincon was named MSC Player of the Year, becoming just the second player in program history to do so. Rincon was named All-MSC Singles as well as Doubles alongside Sebastian Contador. His season culminated with NAIA and ITA First Team All-American honor. 

Sebastian Contador

Men's Tennis

Another individual inductee from the 2002 men’s tennis roster, Contador played a vital role in the Bears storied season. Coming from Vina Del Mar, Chile, Contador claimed All-MSC honors in both singles and doubles. He wrapped up the season with an NAIA All-American honor. 

Suheil Lizana

Women's Tennis

Lizana is one of the most decorated players in UPIKE women’s tennis history, making history throughout the 2002 and 2003 seasons. Her list of achievements is extensive and includes back-to-back MSC Player of the Year nods (2002, 2003). She also aided the 2002 team to an MSC regular season and tournament championship, the latter of which was claimed over Georgetown, as well as an NAIA National Tournament appearance. After the 2002 season, Lizana was named an NAIA All-American. 

Lizana was crowned All-MSC in Singles and Doubles in both 2002 and 2003, and was named an NAIA Scholar-Athlete in 2003. 

Trevor Setty

Men's Basketball

Over the course of three seasons, Setty inked his name on the list of all-time greats in UPIKE basketball history. Currently at eighth on the Bears all-time scoring list with 1,812 points, Setty aided the Bears in 2011’s historic NAIA National Championship run, leading the team in three-point percentage (.415) while trailing only Vance Cooksey for the team lead in total points and points per game. Setty led the Bears in the championship game on March 22nd, 2011, dropping in a game-high seven threes, totaling 32 points and 17 rebounds in 40+ minutes of action. 

Following the championship game, Setty was crowned NAIA National Tournament MVP. The following season, the Maysville, Ky. native led the Bears averaging 15.9 points per contest and was named All-MSC First Team and NAIA All-American Honorable Mention. In his final season with the Bears, Setty collected his second All-MSC First Team nod, and was named NAIA Second Team All-American. 

Zachary Fylling

Men's Bowling

Men’s bowling is a historically successful program at UPIKE, one that has boasted some of the best athletes in the sport over the years. Undoubtedly one of these is Zachary Fylling who played four years for the Bears from 2012-2016. In that time, Fylling was the recipient of various prestigious accolades. It all started in 2012-13 when his debut performance earned him MSC Freshman of the Year after the Bears finished runner-up in the MSC Championship. 

From there, Fylling would go on to earn All-MSC selections in four straight seasons, claiming back to back MSC Player of the Year titles in 2014-15 and 2015-16. During that time, the Bears won three straight regular season MSC titles from 2013-2016 and three straight appearances in the NAIA invitational.  Fylling was a two-time NAIA All-American, taking second team in 2015 and first team in 2016. He currently sits at third all time in program history with an average of 207.566.

Ewell Vernon

Sports Medicine

Sports Medicine plays one of the most important roles in the success of a student-athlete and the athletic department as a whole. The profession demands a passion and commitment that few embody more than Ewell Vernon. Vernon served as UPIKE’s Director of Sports Medicine in a period of unprecedented growth in Pikeville College athletics. 

In Vernon’s first year on the job, the university announced the addition of five new programs and he tackled the task head on. From football to bowling, the university counted on Vernon and his team of student-workers to develop a vision and execute the non-stop care for student-athletes. While at UPIKE, Ewell directed FCA and as long time partner and Sports Information Director Rick Bentley says “was a light to all he came in contact with.”