Wheeling, W. Va. - As the Wheeling University Athletic Department enters its 70th year of competition, the Cardinals are set to continue their annual tradition of honoring the greats that came before us. On Monday, the Cardinals unveiled the 2026 Class of the Wheeling Athletics Hall of Fame, with nine honorees set to join the hallowed halls. Amber Ellison (WBB), Ricky Yahn (MBB), LaKisha Jones (SB), Kacey Frazier (WGOLF), Pete Malcolm (MRUGBY), Carmen Blissit (XC/TF), Chris Spencer (XC/TF), Denny Grimm (Special Contributor), and the 2015 National Championship Volleyball Team each earned the honor of the being the 34th Class of the Hall of Fame.
"With Wheeling University entering its 70th year of athletic competition, this is a special class featuring men and women of high integrity and athletic achievement," said Wheeling University Assistant Athletic Director for Communications & Engagement Zack Zeigler. "The hard work of these men an women have helped build the foundation for Wheeling Athletics, and they have paved the way for today's student-athletes to have the opportunities that they are afforded. We are honored to bring them back to campus and celebrate all of their accomplishments."
Included in the group of honorees are the first-ever Women's Golfer and Softball player to earn Hall of Fame honors, as well as the second special contributor since the 2015 class. This year's class features nine honorees, representing seven different sports, bringing the total number of Wheeling University Athletic Hall of Famers to 119 across 34 years of honorees. Unlike in year's past, this year's Hall of Fame Induction ceremony will be celebrated as its own weekend, taking place inside Troy Theater on Saturday, September 5th, at 10 AM. It will coincide with the Wheeling Volleyball teams home tournament that weekend, with several alumni set to be part of the weekend festivities. Each honoree is outlined below, with a list of their accomplishments in a Cardinal uniform.
Amber Ellison – Women's Basketball
Amber Ellison played for the Wheeling Women's Basketball team from 1999-2003, helping build a winning culture for the program that led them to the 2005 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) Championship. Ellison was a four-time All-Conference player during her four years with the Cardinals, including earning First Team WVIAC honors during the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons. She was named to the WVIAC's All-Freshman team during her freshman season, and made the conference's All-Tournament team on three different occasions. She finished her career as the program's 10th leading scorer, putting up 1.273 points during her career, and is one of just 12 players in program history to hit the 1,200+ point mark in her career.
Ricky Yahn – Men's Basketball
Ricky Yahn was a member of the Wheeling Men's Basketball team from 2004-2007, helping lead the Cardinals to the 2004-2005 WVIAC Championship. He was named to the WVIAC's All-Tournament team during that season, and was just getting started in what would be a storied career with the Cardinals. He would finish as the program's 13th leading scorer, putting up 1,467 point during his career with 507 of those coming during his senior year. During that season, he averaged 18.1 points per game, while pulling down a career-best 90 rebounds along with 84 assists. For his efforts, he was named a First Team All-WVIAC honoree during that 2007 season. He currently sits 9th all-time in single-season three-pointers made, and 4th all-time in single-season three-pointers attempted during his career.
LaKisha Jones – Softball
LaKisha Jones was a member of the Wheeling Softball team from 2002-2005, and is the first Wheeling Softball player ever inducted into the Hall of Fame. She was a four-time All-WVIAC honoree, and helped build the foundation of a young Softball program, helping make it what it is today. She burst onto the scene, earning Honorable Mention All-MEC honors in both 2002 and 2003, before breaking out during her junior and senior seasons. In 2004 she would help lead the Cardinals to the semifinal round of the WVIAC Softball Tournament, leading them to a 3-2 win over the University of Charleston. She would earn First Team All-WVIAC honors in both 2004 and 2005, rounding out a strong career in a Cardinal uniform.
Kacey Frazier – Women's Golf
Kacey Frazier is the most decorated Wheeling Women's Golfer in program history, hitting the golf course from 2013-2016. During her four years with the Cardinals, she qualified for the NCAA DII National Championships three times as an individual, while qualifying for the Regional Championships in each of her four seasons with the Cardinals. She set the program record with 15 tournament wins across her four-year career, and took home the Mountain East Conference (MEC) and WVIAC Individual Championship in each of her four seasons. Her success extended into the classroom as well, when she became the first-ever Wheeling Women's Golfer to earn the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Women's Collegiate Golf All-American Scholar Honors, and continues to be the lone Cardinal to win the award.
Pete Malcolm – Men's Rugby
Pete Malcolm was a member of the Wheeling Men's Rugby team from 2012-2016, helping elevate it from a club sport to a full varsity sport on campus. He crossed out several program firsts throughout his career, becoming the first Cardinal ever selected to the USA National Team and the USA Rugby Eagle team. He was a two-time USA Rugby All-American during his time with the Cardinals, and was a key part of helping the team through a coaching change during his senior year, serving as both a player and part coach for the program. He ended his career as the all-time leader in tries during 15's season, a record that has now been broken by current Cardinal Alex Nyamunda, and sat as the third leading point scorer in program history. After graduation, Malcolm continued his rugby career in Major League Rugby (MLR) playing for Austin, San Diego, and Seattle throughout his career.
Carmen Blissit – Track & Field
Carmen Blissit was a member of the Wheeling Women's Track & Field team from 2000-2003, competing on both the Track & Field and Cross Country teams. She would qualify for the NCAA DII Track & Field Championships during her senior season, and took home five All-WVIAC honors during her career. On the Cross Country course is where she really shined, being named the WVIAC Cross Country Rookie of the Year in 2000. She would be named the Cross Country Athlete of the Year during her senior season, leading the Cardinals to the WVIAC Championship that season. On the track, she holds two program top 10 records, sitting 7th all-time in the 5000 Meter Dash (18:33.21) and 8th all-time in the 10,000 meter run (40:23.10).
Chris Spencer – Track & Field
Chris Spencer was a member of the Wheeling Men's Track & Field team in the late 1990's and established himself as a top sprinter. He holds the program record in the 200-meter dash, running a time of 20.93 seconds, and is a member of the program record 400 Meter Relay team that posted a time of 41.10. He qualified for the NCAA DII Track & Field National Championships six times throughout his career, earning All-American honors on three different occassions. Spencer was named WVIAC Track & Field Athlete of the Year twice during his career, and earned Track & Field MVP honors two more times. He was a part of two WVIAC Championship teams for the Cardinals, leading the sprinting group in both appearances.
Denny Grimm – Special Contributor
Denny Grimm served as Director of Transportation for over 25 years, helping the Cardinals get to and from their events safely. Along with planning travel for all of the Cardinal programs, he also served as a bus driver when needed taking the Cardinals to several of their accomplishments throughout the year. He is an avid supporter of Cardinal athletics, consistently going to games and supporting the Cardinals throughout his time as the Director of Transportation.
2015 Volleyball National Championship Team
The 2015 Wheeling University Volleyball team has the distinction of being the first National Champions in the history of Wheeling University Athletics. They went 39-4, taking home both the Regional and conference titles during that year. At the NCAA DII National Championships, they would pick up a four-set win over the University of Arkansas Fort Smith, before sweeping Western Washington to get to the National Title game. They would meet Palm Beach Atlantic in the National title game, earning a 3-0 sweep to claim the National Championship.
The Cardinals would win three of the four Player of the Year honors, with Kayce Krucki winning Player of the Year, Jessica Thobe winning Libero of the Year, and Christy Benner earning Coach of the Year. Krucki would also go on to win the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) Atlantic Region Player of the Year and Lauran Graves earned Atlantic Region Freshman of the Year, as part of Five All-Region honorees for the program. They would round out the postseason awards with two AVCA All-Americans, with Andrea Thobe earning 2nd Team honors and Haley Kindall taking home Honorable Mention honors.
The 2026 Wheeling University Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, September 5th, beginning at 10 AM in Troy Theater.
