Charlotte, N.C. (December 16, 2024) – The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the nation's oldest historically Black athletic conference, is proud to announce the 2025 John B. McLendon Hall of Fame Class. The 2025 CIAA Hall of Fame Class is set to be enshrined on February 28, 2025. The enshrinement ceremony is slated to begin at 9:00a.m. EST at the Baltimore Convention Center Ballroom, in Baltimore, MD.

The newest members of the CIAA Hall of Fame were chosen from a list of nominees who were submitted by their respective institutions and selected by the CIAA Hall of Fame Selection Committee.
 
The 2025 Hall of Fame Honorees include: Bowie State University's, Arlene Creek, Shaw's Kiarsha Curtis, Virginia Union University's Sherman Lea, Virgina State University's Samantha Mackey Edwards, North Carolina Central University's Kyle Serba, Winston-Salem State University's Sharon Tanner and Fayetteville State University's Inez Turner.

Kiarsha Curtis | Shaw University | Women's Basketball | Student-Athlete
Kiarsha Curtis left an ever-lasting impact on Shaw University's women's basketball program in her three years with the Bears. From 2003-2005, Curtis helped lead Shaw to three consecutive CIAA championships under legendary head coach Jaques Curtis. The team garnered a 91-8 overall record in that time and would go on to claim the South Atlantic Region title in 2005 as well.

Curtis' list of accolades in her three years as a Bear is nothing short of remarkable, as she is a two-time All-CIAA selection (2004, 2005) and a two-time CIAA Tournament MVP (2004, 2005). She's only one of three players in CIAA history to be named the tournament MVP more than once.

While she dominated within the conference, her ability to score and make a heavy impact extended into the NCAA tournament as well. In 2005, she was named the South Atlantic Regional MVP after leading Shaw over Carson-Newman, 67-53, to win the South Atlantic Regional and earn a berth to the NCAA Division II quarterfinals for the first time in school history, leading the game with 22 points. Individually, Curtis was a First Team Division II South Atlantic All-Region selection, and her team was the top-ranked squad entering the NCAA Division II quarterfinals after their regional title. Additionally, she was named a Second Team Daktronics All-American in '05 as well.

Once her time as Shaw was complete, her dominance led her to being 24th on the CIAA's all-time scoring leaders along with being among Shaw's all-time leading scorers. She shot 47% from the floor and 38% from behind the arc, contributing to nearly 1,400 points in her three years. She also was a force to be reckoned with on defense, grabbing 224 steals in her career as well.

The event will be a part of the week-long schedule of events encompassing the 2025 CIAA Basketball Tournament, being held Friday, February 25-March 1 in Baltimore, Maryland. Ticket packages and information about the induction ceremony are available on the John B. McLendon CIAA Hall of Fame page at, also at https://ciaatournament.org.