Athletic Hall of Fame
Established 1994 · Administered by the Department of Athletics with the Drover Club · Members: 41 · Most recent class: 2026
The Bellweather College Athletic Hall of Fame recognizes former student-athletes, coaches, and contributors whose records and service to the College’s intercollegiate athletics program are of lasting distinction. The Hall was established in 1994 by the Drover Club, the College’s athletic booster organization, and has been administered jointly with the Department of Athletics since its establishment. Classes are inducted in even-numbered years at the Drover Club annual banquet.
Categories and eligibility
Student-athletes. A nominee must have competed for at least two seasons in an intercollegiate sport sponsored by the College at the time of competition, and must have left the College in good standing. A nominee becomes eligible in the fifth year after his or her final season of competition. Completion of a credential is not required.
Coaches. A head or assistant coach must have served at least ten seasons at the College. A coach becomes eligible upon leaving the College’s employment, or upon the College’s discontinuation of the sport, whichever is earlier. Current employees of the Department of Athletics are not eligible.
Contributors. Administrators, officials, volunteers, team physicians, and others whose service to the athletics program extended over at least ten years. There is no waiting period for contributors.
Athletes and coaches in sports the College no longer sponsors remain eligible on the same basis as those in current sports; see Discontinued Sports. Competition for the Bellweather Vocational Institute, before 1988, is counted as competition for the College.
Criteria
The committee considers individual and team honors, including NJCAA All-American, All-Region XII, and conference recognition; national tournament qualification; College records; length of service; and conduct during and after the nominee’s time at the College. No single honor qualifies a nominee for induction, and no minimum is required.
Records are evaluated as held by the Athletics office. Where a nominee’s materials and the office record differ, the office record is used. Nominators may submit programs, score sheets, newspaper accounts, and photographs in support of a nomination; materials are copied for the Hall of Fame archive and returned.
Nomination procedure
Any person may submit a nomination except the nominee. Nominations are made on the Hall of Fame nomination form, available from the Athletics office, and must include the nominee’s sport or sports, years at the College, and a statement of the basis for the nomination.
Nominations are received through January 31 of an induction year. A nomination remains active for three induction cycles, after which it may be resubmitted. Repeat nominations of the same candidate by the same nominator are consolidated into the original file and do not add weight to the nomination.
Selection committee
- Director of Athletics, chair (votes only to break a tie)
- Executive Director of the Bellweather College Foundation, or designee
- President of the Drover Club
- One member of the Drover Club, appointed by its president
- Two members of the Hall of Fame, appointed by the chair for two-cycle terms
- One member of the faculty, appointed by the Provost
Sports Information serves as secretary to the committee and does not vote. Induction requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the voting members present. The committee may select no more than three members in a cycle, exclusive of the charter class of 1994, and may select none.
Nominees are notified after the committee’s vote and before any announcement. Induction requires the nominee’s written acceptance. Posthumous induction is accepted on the nominee’s behalf by a member of the family.
Members are listed under the name in which they competed or served. A member may ask that a later name be added.
Members
| Name | Category | Sport(s) | Years at the College | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerald Wenninger | Athlete | Men’s Basketball | 1968–1970 | 1994 |
| Harold Dettmer | Coach | Men’s Basketball | 1968–1986 | 1994 |
| Ronald Kopsch | Athlete | Men’s Wrestling | 1973–1975 | 1994 |
| Dale Ruffing | Athlete | Men’s Cross Country | 1976–1978 | 1994 |
| Leonard Fritchley | Contributor | Drover Club | 1971–1993 | 1994 |
| Thomas Albaugh | Athlete | Men’s Basketball | 1979–1981 | 1996 |
| Craig Neiswander | Athlete | Men’s Wrestling | 1981–1983 | 1996 |
| Linda Overholt | Athlete | Women’s Softball | 1985–1987 | 1996 |
| Patricia Hamsher | Athlete | Women’s Volleyball | 1989–1991 | 1998 |
| Eugene Voytko | Coach | Men’s Wrestling | 1974–1997 | 1998 |
| Kevin Mapes | Athlete | Men’s Basketball | 1986–1988 | 2000 |
| Sharon Ebersole | Athlete | Women’s Softball; Women’s Volleyball | 1990–1992 | 2000 |
| Walter Zehner, M.D. | Contributor | Team physician (volunteer) | 1972–1999 | 2000 |
| Brian Stoneburner | Athlete | Men’s Cross Country | 1993–1995 | 2002 |
| Michelle Rinehart | Athlete | Women’s Softball | 1994–1996 | 2002 |
| Jeffrey Kandel | Athlete | Men’s Wrestling | 1995–1997 | 2004 |
| Donna Pettit | Coach | Women’s Volleyball | 1984–2002 | 2004 |
| Anthony Ciesla | Athlete | Men’s Basketball | 1996–1998 | 2006 |
| Rebecca Huffman | Athlete | Women’s Cross Country | 1997–1999 | 2006 |
| Mark Ulery | Athlete | Men’s Golf | 1998–2000 | 2006 |
| Stacy Kerns | Athlete | Women’s Softball | 1999–2001 | 2008 |
| Douglas Wagler | Athlete | Men’s Wrestling | 2000–2002 | 2008 |
| Lowell Harsha | Contributor | Director of Athletics | 1979–2009 | 2010 |
| Jason Rupp | Athlete | Men’s Basketball | 2001–2003 | 2010 |
| Amanda Lorentz | Athlete | Women’s Volleyball | 2003–2005 | 2012 |
| Ryan Kaltenbach | Athlete | Men’s Bowling | 2004–2006 | 2012 |
| Carl Mosier | Coach | Men’s Basketball | 1987–2008 | 2012 |
| Heather Steiner | Athlete | Women’s Bowling | 2006–2008 | 2014 |
| Joseph Barnhouse | Athlete | Men’s Wrestling | 2005–2007 | 2014 |
| Kristen Lapp | Athlete | Women’s Softball | 2008–2010 | 2016 |
| Nathaniel Ohler | Athlete | Coed Rifle | 2009–2011 | 2016 |
| Jennifer Cottrill | Coach | Women’s Softball | 1993–2013 | 2018 |
| Derrick Swope | Athlete | Men’s Cross Country | 2010–2012 | 2018 |
| Lauren Musser | Athlete | Coed Clay Target | 2011–2013 | 2018 |
| Eric Wallick | Athlete | Men’s Golf | 2012–2014 | 2020 |
| Ashley Sommer | Athlete | Women’s Volleyball | 2013–2015 | 2020 |
| Corey Gallion | Athlete | Men’s Wrestling | 2014–2016 | 2022 |
| Samantha Burkey | Athlete | Women’s Bowling | 2015–2017 | 2022 |
| Dennis Rufener | Coach | Men’s Wrestling | 1997–2019 | 2024 |
| Courtney Hartzler | Athlete | Women’s Cross Country | 2016–2018 | 2024 |
| Brandon Leffler | Athlete | Men’s Bowling | 2018–2020 | 2026 |
Years are years of competition for athletes and years of service for coaches and contributors. Years before 1988 are years at the Bellweather Vocational Institute. The class of 2020 was selected in January 2020 and inducted in 2021; the 2020 Drover Club banquet was not held. Results and records for seasons before 2020 and for discontinued sports are being reconstructed for the Hall of Fame archive; entries reflect the record as held at the time of induction.
Member plaques are displayed in Drover Court. The archive is available for review by appointment, ext. 2200.
Page last revised 30 October 2026 · athletics/hall-of-fame · Department of Athletics