Wheeling, W. Va. - In 2024, the Wheeling University Athletic Department brought back the Athletics Hall of Fame with their first induction since 2019. On Friday, the Department announced their 2025 Hall of Fame Class, including 10 inductees and one special honoree across five different sports. The group will be honored with their official induction ceremony during Homecoming, Hall of Fame, and Family weekend on Saturday October 4th before the Wheeling Football game against West Virginia Wesleyan later that afternoon.
"This year's Hall of Fame Class features young men and women who are role models for what it means to be a member of the Cardinal Family," said Wheeling University Athletic Director Carrie Hanna. "Their hardwork has continued the strong tradition of Wheeling Athletics and we are honored to be able to bring them back and celebrate their Cardinal careers."
Included in this year's class are volleyball players Kirstin Hearn and Kim Melinauskas, Track & Field athletes Rusty Fry, Amanda Davidson, and Eric Faulkner, Women's Basketball player Katie Repickey, Men's Basketball Player Terrance Bradley. The Class also features its first special contributor since John Beilein was inducted during the 2015 class. Statistician Rick Soos will be inducted as a Special Contributor, celebrating his contributions to Wheeling Athletics for over 30 years. The second Hall of Fame Team will also be inducted, as the Cardinals induct the 1988-1989 Men's Basketball Team as the second team following the induction of the 1993-1993 Women's Basketball team last season. Finally, while not officially a part of the Hall of Fame, the department will also be honoring Alma Grace McDonough for her contributions to the Athletic Department.
Mark Greaney – Men's Lacrosse
Mark Greaney was a member of the Wheeling Men's Lacrosse team from 2004 to 2007 and helped build a strong foundation for the program. Over his four years with the Cardinals, he became the program's all-time leading scorer with 161 goals, a record that would stand until the 2024 season when former Cardinal Mike Andersson surpassed him. He was a four year captain for the Cardinals and won the Team's MVP award in each of those four seasons. His senior season would be his top season on the field, seeing him lead the country in both goals and goals per game, when he scored 52 goals while averaging 2.17 goals per game. At the end of his playing career, he would rank 4th All-Time in NCAA DII in career goals per game and sat Top 20 All-time in career points per game.
Kirstin Hearn – Volleyball
Kirstin Hearn played for the Wheeling Volleyball team from 2000 to 2003 and was one of the first All-Americans in program history. It was during her senior year that she would earn the honor, being named an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Honorable Mention All-American. During that same season, she was named both the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) Player of the Year as well as a First Team AVCA All-Region Award winner. She would lead the Cardinals to four WVIAC Conference titles as well as four NCAA Regional Tournament appearances and was a two-time All-WVIAC honoree during her career. She helped build the foundation of a successful Volleyball program that has continued that winning tradition today.
Rusty Fry – Track & Field
One of the most decorated Track & Field athletes in the program's history, Rusty Fry competed with the Wheeling University Track & Field team from 1998-2000. He qualified for the NCAA DII Track & Field Championships six times during his career, and earned six All-American honors during that time. His biggest showing came during the 1999 season, when he claimed the National Championship in the 110-Meter Hurdles. During his time with the Cardinals, he helped the team win three WVIAC team Track & Field Championships and was a leader on those teams earning three WVIAC Track & Field Athlete of the Year awards. He rounded out his career earning 20 All-WVIAC honors through his three seasons with the Cardinals, and finished his career as the most decorated Cardinal in Track & Field history.
Kim Melinauskas – Volleyball
Like Hearn, Kim Melinauskas also played for the Wheeling Volleyball team from 2000-2003 and was one of the first All-Americans in program history. She won that award during her senior season, earning Honorable Mention AVCA All-American honors after finishing with 454 kills and a .374 hitting percentage in 40 matches. In that same season, Melinauskas would earn First Team All-Region honors and finished behind Hearn in Player of the Year voting. She was a two-time First Team All-WVIAC honoree and was named a member of the 2002 WVIAC All-Tournament Team after leading her team to the conference championship that season. The Cardinals would win four WVIAC Championships during her four seasons with the Cardinals and also helped the Cardinals make it to the NCAA Regional Tournament in four straight seasons.
Eric Faulkner – Track & Field
One of the top throwers in program history, Eric Faulkner competed in shot put, discus, and javelin over his four seasons with the Cardinals. He currently sits in the top 10 in two of those three events, sitting 2nd all-time in the shot put (16.26 M) and third all-time in discus (48.20 M). During his playing career, he helped lead the program to four WVIAC Track & Field Championships and was named All-WVIAC eight times during his career. During his senior season, he was named WVIAC Track & Field MVP and was named the Track & Field Athlete of the Year twice in his career. His impact on the program extended beyond his playing career as he also came back and helped lead the team to two WVIAC Championships as a coach.
Katie Repicky – Women's Basketball
One of the top Women's Basketball players of the early 2000's Katie Repickey played for the Cardinals from 2003 to 2007, leading her team to the WVIAC Championship during the 2004-2005 season. She currently sits as the program's fifth leading scorer, with 1.596 career points, making her just one of five players in program history to eclipse the 1,500 career points mark. She was a three time All-WVIAC Honoree and earned a spot on the WVIAC All-Tournament team twice in her career. She holds the program record for career steals (330) and is second All-time in games played with 121. She added 535 career rebounds and 391 assists across her four years. After her playing career, her number 35 jersey was retired by the program and is one of only two retired numbers for the Wheeling Women's Basketball program.
Terrance Bradley – Men's Basketball
One of the most prolific scorers in program history, Terrance Bradley played for the Wheeling Men's Basketball team from 2002 to 2006. During that time, he helped the team to the WVIAC Championship during the 2005-2006 season, and helped them to the NCAA Tournament twice in his career. He is the program's second leading scorer with 2,002 points in his career and is one of two players to ever reach the 2,000 point mark in program history. During that championship season in 2005-2006 season, Bradley was named the WVIAC Tournament MVP. He earned two All-WVIAC awards during his career, including First Team All-WVIAC honors during his senior season. He held a 42.2% mark from the floor and a 37% mark from beyond the arc as he led the Cardinals offense throughout his career.
Amanda Davidson – Track & Field
Amanda Davidson was a versatile athlete throughout her career with the Wheeling Track & Field team, holding record both on the track and in the field. Her top event was the 60-Meter Hurdles, where she still holds the program record with a time of 8.92 seconds. She also holds the program record in the Women's Long Jump for Indoor season (5.64 M) and sits second all-time in the Long Jump during Outdoor Season (5.66 M). She qualified for the NCAA DII Track & Field National Championships twice in her career, earning one All-American Honoree. She was also named All-WVIAC four times during her career as she helped set the standard for versatility in the program.
Rick Soos – Special Contributor
An alumni of Wheeling University, Rick Soos has been a dedicated member of the scorers table at Wheeling home athletic events for over 30 years. After graduating as a member of the class of 1987, Soos has come back to do stats for the university in all but one season. He has covered several varsity sports during his career, including softball, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, and Men's and Women's Lacrosse. He worked closely with the Sports Information Department during the early 2000's and continues his work today as a statisician for Volleyball, while also keeping the official book for Men's and Women's Basketball home games. Outside of his work with the university, Soos also serves as an official scorer for Major League Baseball, and works with other colleges and universities as a freelancer, including WVU.
1988-1989 Men's Basketball Team
The 1988-1989 Wheeling Men's Basketball team is the most successful team in program history, holding the program's win record going 31-4. During that season, the team earned their first-ever National Ranking and won the NAIA District 28 Championship. They would advance to the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in program history as they traveled to Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. The Cardinals would pick up their first National Tournament win, beating Guilford (NC) 82-74 in the first round and followed that up with a 99-72 win over Drury (MO). However, their run came to an end with a loss to Central Washington, rounding out a strong season. During that year, the Cardinals had four All-WVIAC honorees, with Mike Connor and Dave Foose each earning First Team honors. Head Coach Jay DeFruscio was named the WVIAC Coach of the Year that season and Mike Connor and Doug Kepreos each added to the success in the classroom with Academic All-American Honors.
Alma Grace McDonough – Special Honoree
While not officially a member of the Hall of Fame, the Wheeling Athletics Department will also be honoring Alma Grace McDonough at the Hall of Fame ceremony. McDonough and her family donated over nine million dollars to the university to help build the foundation of the campus. One of her biggest contributions came in 1993, when she donated six million dollars for the construction of the Wheeling Jesuit University Athletic Center. Today, the Alma Grace McDonough Center serves as the home venue for Wheeling Volleyball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Wrestling, Men's and Women's Swimming, and Acrobatics & Tumbling. McDonough was born in Spencer, West Virginia and began an 11-year teaching career in the Wood County School District. Without her contributions, Wheeling Athletics wouldn't be what it is today.
The 2025 Wheeling Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony will be held on Saturday, October 4th, where the inductees will receive their plaques and be officially named members of the Hall of Fame.
