Going pro: panthers represented in professional ranks.

• Position: Athletics

High Point University's sports success has translated to increased professional opportunities for HPU student-athletes when they finish their collegiate careers. Just last year, former track runner Tamas Kovacs competed in the marathon at the London Olympics and former HPU pitcher Cody Allen made his Major League debut with the Cleveland Indians. They are two of 10 former HPU athletes who made professional debuts in the last three years.

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Kovacs represented Hungary in the Olympic marathon, placing 72nd. He was the second-ever Panther to run in the Olympics, following Taylor Milne '06, who competed for Canada in the 1,500-meter in Beijing in 2008. Kovacs was a 13-time All-Big South honoree and Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year during his collegiate career.

Allen was called up to the Indians in July and made an impressive 12 appearances before giving up a run. He finished the season with a 3.72 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 29 innings. His phenomenal minor-league run led to the call-up. Allen pitched at three minor-league levels in 2012, posting a 1.87 ERA in 31 games.

He joins former HPU center fielder Nate Roberts as a recent pro baseball signee. Roberts was the 2010 Big South Player of the Year, was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the fifth round and recently completed an impressive showing in the Arizona Fall League. He helped the Peoria Javelinas championship and led the league with a .446 batting average, .662 slugging percentage and .565 on-base percentage.

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HPU's two senior guards on the men's basketball team--Nick Barbour and Shay Shine--signed with pro teams after the 2012 season. Barbour is playing in Spain with Ourense Baloncesto, which is based in the Galicia region. Through nine games, he was leading the team with 15.4 points per game. Shay...