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Shawnee State University

Hall of Fame

EricaHayes05

Erica Hayes

  • Class
    1999
  • Induction
    2005
  • Sport(s)
    Women's Basketball

The most notable player in the rich history of the Shawnee State women's basketball program, Hayes led Shawnee State to an 85-11 overall record and won three consecutive Mid-Ohio Conference Tournament Championships from the 1995-96 to 1997-98 seasons, advancing all the way to the NAIA National Quarterfinals in 1996 with back-to-back NAIA Sweet 16 appearances in both 1997 and 1998.

Hayes Zinn averaged 24.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per contest while shooting an incredible 67.7 percent from the field.

After falling in the American Mideast Conference championship game, Shawnee State rebounded to win the 1999 NAIA National Championship, defeating Saint Francis (Ind.) 80-65 on March 16 for the program’s first national title. The national championship was Shawnee State's first of any kind.

By the time Hayes finished her career at Shawnee State, the three-time NAIA All-American and All-AMC talent had added the titles of All-American, NAIA National Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player and NAIA National Player of the Year to her nameplate. She remains the only player in Shawnee State history to accomplish all of those feats in the same year.

Hayes was a two-time NAIA Scholar-Athlete and set 11 different program records, including single-season records in points and rebounds.

Hayes was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023. 

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