Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame
Wharton, Melissa K.
Melissa K. Wharton
- Induction:
- 2009
- Class:
- 1998
Sport: Volleyball
Melissa Wharton became the second volleyball player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining former teammate Katie Steele '96, who was inducted in 2007. An intimidating 6'2" middle hitter, Wharton graduated with 10 school records and is considered one of the best players in program history. She is the only Bison player to hit .400 in a season, and she did so three times. Wharton recorded a Bucknell and Patriot League-record .445 hitting percentage in 1995 (second-best in the nation that year), and she followed it up by hitting .410 in 1996 and .411 as a senior in 1997. At one time she owned three of the top four single-season hitting percentages in Patriot League history, while her .400 career average is also the school and league record. Wharton's 1,377 career kills was the school record for 10 years until being surpassed by Jenna Henderson in 2007. She is also the Bucknell and Patriot League career leader in blocks with 631, a figure that has not been approached. Wharton, a Pittsburgh native who also was a gifted singer and a member of the Bucknell Chapel and Gospel Choirs, was a three-time First Team All-Patriot League selection and earned the Christy Mathewson Award as the top senior athlete in her class.
Melissa Wharton became the second volleyball player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining former teammate Katie Steele '96, who was inducted in 2007. An intimidating 6'2" middle hitter, Wharton graduated with 10 school records and is considered one of the best players in program history. She is the only Bison player to hit .400 in a season, and she did so three times. Wharton recorded a Bucknell and Patriot League-record .445 hitting percentage in 1995 (second-best in the nation that year), and she followed it up by hitting .410 in 1996 and .411 as a senior in 1997. At one time she owned three of the top four single-season hitting percentages in Patriot League history, while her .400 career average is also the school and league record. Wharton's 1,377 career kills was the school record for 10 years until being surpassed by Jenna Henderson in 2007. She is also the Bucknell and Patriot League career leader in blocks with 631, a figure that has not been approached. Wharton, a Pittsburgh native who also was a gifted singer and a member of the Bucknell Chapel and Gospel Choirs, was a three-time First Team All-Patriot League selection and earned the Christy Mathewson Award as the top senior athlete in her class.
Just as important as her individual accolades, Wharton was part of the winningest class in Bucknell volleyball history. The team went 83-40 overall and 19-6 in the Patriot League during her career. That included a school-record 26-win season in 1995. The Bison went 6-0 en route to the Patriot League regular-season title in 1995, and in Wharton's senior year they won the regular-season crown again.
(Bucknell Hall of Fame Class of 2009)
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