October 14, 2024
10 Individuals and One Team Enter Athletic HOF During Homecoming
Wheeling, W. Va. – During Homecoming and Family Weekend, 10 individuals and one team were inducted into the Wheeling University Athletic Hall of Fame. This year’s HOF class were honored before the start of the Cardinal Football game and were inducted during a ceremony at 5 p.m. Saturday, September 28.
The 2024 Wheeling Athletics Hall of Fame inductees were:
Charles R. Davis (Rugby) is considered the founder of the Wheeling University Rugby program, bringing Club Rugby to Wheeling in the spring of 1966. It started with a trip to the University of Notre Dame, when Davis went to see his brother and saw a game being played between Notre Dame and Navy. Davis was immediately fascinated by the sport and when he got back to campus, he passed out flyers to form a club team. After a talk with Father McGroarty, Wheeling Rugby was born. The team began in the spring of 1966, playing against John Carroll, Ohio State, and Penn State. Davis was the pioneer for Rugby at Wheeling, paving the way for today’s varsity program.
Brandon Rouchion (Track & Field) was constantly a top hurdler, representing the Wheeling University Men’s Track & Field team at four National Championship events. He was a three-time Track All-American and earned five different All-West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) awards in his career. Along with his individual accomplishments, Rouchion helped lead his team to four WVIAC Track & Field Championships. He ended his career with the second fastest time in the 110-Meter Hurdles in Wheeling history and sits fourth all-time in the 100-Meter Dash.
Noah Mull (Baseball) helped build the foundation of the Wheeling University Baseball team, serving the top starting pitcher from 2007-2010. Over his four seasons in a Cardinal uniform, he went 11-15 with a 4.26 ERA over 160.2 innings of work, while striking out 230 batters. Mull holds the team record for wins (11), strikeouts (230), and strikeouts per nine innings (12.92). As a senior, he went 7-1 with a 2.01 ERA while striking out 81 batters. During that season, he was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Regional Pitcher of the Year and a third team All-American. He was picked by the San Diego Padres in the 38th round of the MLB draft – the second Cardinal to earn this honor.
Ronnie Hunte (Men’s Soccer) during his four seasons in a Cardinal uniform, Hunte helped captain some of the best teams in Wheeling Men’s Soccer history. During his tenure, the Cardinals went a combined 63-16-5, winning the NCAA Regional Championship in 2000 which propelled the team to its first NCAA National Tournament appearance. He was a four-time All-WVIAC honoree and a four-time Regional All-American. Hunte holds the career assist record with 51 and is one of just five Cardinals to score 40 or more goals and is the only Cardinal to eclipse the 40-assist mark.
Kayla Johnson (Track & Field) was one of the most dominant Cardinals on the track for the Wheeling Track team. Over her four-years, Johnson won 16 All-WVIAC awards as a sprinter and jumper, and qualified for the Track & Field National Championships three times. She holds the Indoor Track & Field and Outdoor Track & Field record in the 200-Meter Dash. Johnson is second all-time in the 60-Meter, 100-meter and 400-meter dashes, third all-time in the Long Jump, and fifth all-time in the triple Jump. She received WVIAC Rookie of the Year honors in 2004, as well as WVIAC Track & Field MVP and Athlete of the Year honors.
Stephanie Petterson (Women’s Soccer) served as an offensive leader for the Wheeling Women’s Soccer team, leading them to a 43-34-1 record during her four seasons winning a WVIAC Championship in 2000. She is a three-time First-Team All-WVIAC award winner. During her senior year she earned First-Team All-WVIAC honors for the third time and was named the WVIAC’s Player of the Year. That year Petterson earned First-Team National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) All-Region honors and First Team NSCAA All-American honors.
Jenna Pew (Volleyball) was a rare six-rotation Middle Blocker and setter for most of her four years in a Cardinal uniform. She helped lead Wheeling to its first-ever NCAA Regional Championship, followed by the team’s first-ever National Championship appearance. During her four years, the Cardinals won four conference championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament each year. Pew took home honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) three times in her career, and was an All-Region honoree three times, All-Conference choice four times, while being named the WVIAC Player of the Year in 2012 and the MEC Player of the Year in 2013. Pew holds the single-season Blocks/Set record.
Lesley Kohlmyer (Women’s Soccer) helpedlead the team to the first-ever WVIAC Championship during the 2000 season. That year, she was the team’s leading scorer with 21 goals and four assists to finish with 46 points. As a result of her efforts, she was named the WVIAC’s Player of the Year, while also earning First-Team All-Region honors and 3rd Team All-American honors from the NSCAA. During her career, she was a three-time All-WVIAC award winner, two-time All-Region player, and two-time All-American. She is one of just nine Cardinal players to reach the 40-goal plateau in their career.
Sue Vail (Women’s Golf) during her 18 years as Head Women’s Golf Coach, she built the program from the ground up. She was named the head women’s golf coach ahead of the 2004-2005 season and had the team sitting as the ninth team in the region by the spring of 2013. During her career, she coached the Cardinals to three MEC Women’s Golf Championships, and her teams finished in the top three of the MEC Championships in each season from 2013 to 2021. Vail has coached five MEC Players of the Year over her 18- year tenure, helping former Cardinal Kasey Frazier make it to the NCAA DII National Tournament in each of her four seasons with the Cardinals. In the spring of 2021, Vail would lead the team to its first-ever team appearance at the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Tournament, where the squad finished 15th. Vail is a three-time Coach of the Year Award winner.
Joe Key (Women’s Basketball) led the Wheeling University Women’s Basketball team for 14 seasons, finishing his career as the most successful coach in program history. He led the Cardinals from 1995-2009, compiling a record of 243-158 (.606) during that span. His teams had 15 or more wins in 10 of his 14 seasons, and Key led the Cardinals to the WVIAC Championship in 2005-06, when he won WVIAC’s Coach of the Year. The team made the NCAA Tournament that season. Key spent seven seasons as an assistant coach under Don Hustead.
1994 Wheeling Women’s Basketball Team finished the regular season 21-3, including a 17-game winning streak and was the WVIAC Tournament number one seed. The team won the first-ever WVIAC Championship, defeating Bluefield State 78-66 to claim the title. The team moved on to the NAIA National Championship tournament for the first time. The Cardinals had four members earn All-WVIAC honors, with Kathy Long winning the WVIAC Tournament MVP and Head Coach Don Hustead earning WVIAC Coach of the Year.