Throughout all the years of existence and high-intensity of school spirit and tradition, AHS has never had an athletic hall of fame until recently.
This school year Director of Student Activities John Ellenberger made an effort for an installment of the first Atoms athletic hall of fame.

“With the tradition in this school and with all the great athletes and coaches that have come through here, I thought that an athletic hall of fame is something we needed to have,” Ellenberger said.

The first class of hall of fame inductees features former Atoms athletes including some of whom were also professional athletes, All-Americans, as well as an Olympian.

Inductees into the 2018 Atoms athletic hall of fame class will include current UCLA women’s soccer head coach Amanda Cromwell who led the Bruins to a NCAA Championship in 2013.

“She [Cromwell] is definitely one of the most decorated athletes in school history,”Scott said.

Other individual former AHS athletes being inducted include class of 1960 football player Sonny Utz and former MLB player Robin Jennings who played for a number of professional teams including the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies.

Teams to win first state championship for the Atoms including 1965 football team; 1986 girl’s soccer team and the first undefeated Atoms football team from 1959.

In addition to individual players and teams being inducted, former AHS coaches and staff will also be added to the 2018 class.
Coaches Katherine Buck, Ed Henry and Katherine Russell and former athletic directors Bob Hardage and Rachel Peters are among staff inductees.

Former principal Jim Finch will also be inducted.

“This is a great first group inductees,” Scott said.

“It is great that we are having an athletic hall of fame,” coach Mike Scott said. “It is long overdue.”

Also being inducted in the first class of the hall of fame are state championship teams, coaches and administrators.
Inductees were chosen through a process in which a Google form was put out through social media to receive responses about potential nominees.

After this, a committee comprised of current staff and coaches as well as booster club members discussed and decided on inductees for the first hall of fame class.

The official induction ceremony will take place at the Arlington Moose Lodge on Sept. 8 where inductees into the first class will meet
There will be a new hall of fame class to be inducted every school year.

“The only criteria for being nominated for the hall of fame really is to have graduated at least 15 years ago,” Ellenberger said.

This new Atoms tradition will create excitement for future years to come.

“We expect this new tradition to last in Annandale forever,” Scott said.