Wheeling, W. Va. – After a long nomination and selection process, the Wheeling University Athletic Department is ready to welcome a new class into the Athletic Hall of Fame. The 2025 Wheeling Athletics Hall of Fame Induction ceremony will be held Saturday, October 4th, at 10 AM in Troy Theater. This year's class features nine individuals and the second team to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, covering six programs, as the department honors them for their time in a Cardinal uniform.
The day will begin with a special reception in Troy Theater from 9 AM – 10 AM, where guests can mingle with the Hall of Famers and fellow alumni. There will be light breakfast hors d'oeuvres available as everyone heads in to begim the celebration. The ceremony will then begin at 10 AM with addresses by Dr. Vargo, Athletic Director Carrie Hanna, and Keynote Speaker Mark Swinger, before the unveiling of the 2025 Hall of Fame Plaques. Then, each of the inductees will take the podium to accept their nomination and talk about their time in Cardinal Athletics. Following the event, inductees and their families are invited to the President's Red Zone Tailgate beginning at 1:30 PM in the Sara Tracy Lot. On the other side of the field, there will be the student athlete and club carnival, with all the Wheeling programs represented, beginning at 2 PM. The final event of the day for the Hall of Famers will be a special pregame ceremony on the field before Wheeling Football takes on West Virginia Wesleyan at 3:30 PM.
Serving as this year's keynote speaker is former Wheeling University Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach, and 2006 Wheeling Athletics Hall of Fame honoree Mark Swiger. He served as the Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach for 12 seasons, being one of the founders of the program in 1991. During that time, he would earn 17 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) Coach of the Year awards and helped guide three NCAA National Champions. His teams excelled both on the field and in the classroom, with the group earning 17 Team All-American Academic Honors. Outside of coaching, he has had a 43 year career in education that had spanned across both the High School and College level. He has had stops along the way at Marshall County Schools, the West Virginia Department of Education, and WVU among other stops. He will be tasked with welcoming the class of 2025 to the Wheeling Athletics Hall of Fame's brotherhood and sisterhood.
This year's class features 10 honorees, including the second-ever team to be inducted into the Hall. This year's honoree is the 1988-89 Men's Basketball team, that set the program wins record at 31-4 and made the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in program history. During that season, the team earned the first ever #1 National ranking during the regular season, and would go on to win the NAIA District 28 championship. Their trip to the NAIA National Tournament took them to the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, where they picked up their first-ever National Tournament win before falling in the quarterfinals. Individually, the team featured three current Wheeling Athletic Hall of Fame Members, including their Head Coach Jay DeFruscio, as well as two players who have had their jerseys retired. Several of the team members have close ties to the Ohio Valley and we are excited to welcome them back to campus.
This year's list of honorees also features the Wheeling Men's Lacrosse player to earn a spot in the Hall of Fame. Mark Greaney played for the Cardinals from 2004-2007, and helped build a strong foundation in the program's early years. In his four seasons with the Cardinals, Greaney would score 161 goals and become the program's all-time leading scorer. His record would be tied in 2012 by former Cardinal Derek Downs, but wasn't exceeded until the 2024 season when former Cardinal Mike Andersson hit the mark. At the end of his career, Greaney was ranked among some of the best Lacrosse players in NCAA DII, sitting 4th all-time in goals per game and ranked in the top 20 in career points per game. His senior season would be his best on the field where he scored 52 goals and averaged 2.17 goals/game. He would win the team's MVP award that season and helped lay the foundation for Wheeling Men's Lacrosse.
After having Jenna Pew inducted last season, the Wheeling Volleyball team will have two more honorees in the 2025 class. The first honoree is Kim Melinauskas, who played for the Cardinals from 2000-2003. Melinauskas was one of the first players to receive All-American honors, doing so during her senior season. It was a year that saw her 454 kills and a .374 hitting percentage on her way to earning First Team All-WVIAC honors. The two-time First Team All-WVIAC honoree would earn First Team All-Region honors as well as Honorable Mention All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Joining her in this year's class is Kirstin Hearn, who also played for the Cardinals from 2000-2003. Like Melinauskas, Hear was also an AVCA All-American award winner during her senior season, while also being named the WVIAC Player of the Year. Both players were cornerstones of the early 2000's Volleyball teams and helped build the winning culture that is still in place today.
Both Wheeling Basketball programs also have individual honorees, with Women's Basketball player Katie Repicky and Men's Basketball Player Terrance Bradley each earning the nod. Repicky is one of just five players in Women's Basketball history to score 1,500+ points in her career and holds the program record with 330 career steals. She was a three-time All-WVIAC honoree and is one of just two Women's Basketball players to have their number retired. Bradley was a staple in the Men's Basketball program from 2002-2006, helping lead the Cardinals to the WVIAC Championships during the 2005-2006 season. He is one of just two players to ever eclipse the 2,000 point mark in their careers, sitting as the second all-time leading scorer with 2,002 career points. He would finish his career shooting 42.7% from the floor and 37% from beyond the arc while earning two All-WVIAC awards throughout his career with the Cardinals.
The final three athletes to be honored come from the Wheeling Track & Field team, with Rusty Fry, Amanda Davidson, and Eric Faulkner being honored. Fry competed for three seasons with the Cardinals, winning the 110-Meter Hurdle National Championship during the 1999 season. He is one of the most decorated athletes in the program's history, earning 20 All-WIAC honors and six All-American honors throughout his career. Fry would earn the WVIAC Track & Field athlete of the year award in each of his three seasons, and helped lead the team to three WVIAC Championships. Amanda Davidson was one of the most versatile athletes in program history, holding records on both the track and in the field events. She holds the program record in the 60-Meter Hurdles (8.92) as well as the Long Jump during both indoor season (5.64 M) and outdoor season (5.66 M). She was a two-time All-American while earning four All-WVIAC honors during her career.
The final Track & Field athlete to be honored is Eric Faulkner, who was one of the top throwers in program history. He earned eight All-WVIAC honors during his career, and was named the WVIAC Track & Field Athlete of the Year twice in his four year career. He currently sits second all-time in the shot put (16.26 M) and third all-time in discus (48.20 M). His impact on the program continued after graduation, as he spent two seasons as an assistant coach, helping lead the Cardinals to two WVIAC team championships. The final honoree in this year's class is Rick Soos, who has been a contributor to the athletic department since his days as a student in the late 1980's. Soos has spent time with the Softball, Men's and Women's Lacrosse programs, and the Sports Information Department over his career, and he continues work today as a Statistician and bookkeeper for the Volleyball and Men's and Women's Basketball programs. He is the first special contributor to be inducted into the Hall of Fame since Henry Sutherland in the Class of 1998.
The 2025 Wheeling Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, October 4th, beginning at 10 AM. Those who are unable to attend can watch the event live by clicking HERE.
