CANTON, Ohio - The Malone University Athletic Department and Hall of Fame Committee have officially unveiled the 2026 Class to the Malone University Athletics Hall of Fame. The new inductees will be honored on Saturday, September 19 at the Hall of Fame Ceremony inside the Johnson Center.
 
The 2026 Hall of Fame Class includes:
 
Eric Coblentz ('12, Men's Basketball)
Korey Heppeard ('06, Baseball)
Sarah Ogle ('03, Women's Soccer)
Brad Reifsnyder ('06, Football)
Paul Robinson ('10, Cross County/Track & Field)
Brooke Smith ('01, Women's Golf)
Ken Zupanic - Legacy Award ('76, Baseball)
 
First established in 1985, the MALONE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves in athletics while at the University. To qualify, athlete inductees must be graduates of Malone, must have graduated at least ten years prior to selection, must exemplify the highest ideals of intercollegiate athletics, and must have earned two letters in one or more sports. As a coach, they must have served the University athletics department five or more years (current coaches ten or more years). In 2007, a provision was established to allow athletics administrators or other support personnel to become eligible, with a minimum of ten years of athletics service to the University.
 
Eric Coblentz ('12, Men's Basketball)
Eric Coblentz left an incredible impact on the Malone University men's basketball program in just three seasons. He entered the program as a transfer from Mid-American Conference (MAC) champion, the University of Akron, and played under Head Coach Tim Walker. The 2012 graduate averaged the seventh-most points per game of players with more than 1,000 career points at 15.7 points per contest. Coblentz has scored the 29th-most points in program history at 1,366 and received NCCAA All-American honors in all three of his seasons in a Malone uniform. He was First Team in 2011-12, Second Team in 2010-11 and Honorable Mention in 2009-10. Coblentz was selected as a NCCAA First Team All-Region honoree in all three of those seasons as well. Coblentz was also a two-time First Team All-Conference recipient in the American Mideast Conference.
 
Korey Heppeard ('06, Baseball)
Korey Heppeard is a 2006 graduate of the Malone University baseball team who stood out in the biggest moments for the Pioneers. He wrapped up his collegiate baseball career with a three-hit shutout to clinch the NCCAA National Championship for Malone, the first and only NCCAA title for the program. That performance helped Heppeard to garner NCCAA Tournament MVP honors in 2006. The Pioneers finished the 2006 season with a record of 40-20 and individually, Heppeard was tabbed as NCCAA All-East Region and All-American Mideast Conference Honorable Mention. As a junior, Heppeard was selected as the NCCAA East Region Pitcher of the Year and chosen as an All-East Region pitcher and All-AMC North Division. Heppeard was 24-9 on the mound as a starting pitcher for Malone with 4.16 ERA and 179 strikeouts, the seventh-most in school history.
 
Sarah Ogle ('03, Women's Soccer)
2003 graduate Sarah Ogle of the Malone University women's soccer team is being inducted to the Malone University Athletics Hall of Fame as the program's all-time leader with 41 career assists. Ogle is also top-ten in career goals scored with 23 and fourth in total points with 87. She was a member of the 2002 NCCAA National Championship squad, the lone national title in Malone women's soccer history, as well as two American Mideast Conference championship teams in 2001 and 2002. Along with their championship, the Pioneers also appeared in the NCCAA Tournament in 1999 and 2000 during Ogle's career and was NCCAA East Region Champions in 1999. Her career closed after being named NAIA Honorable Mention All-American and NCCAA Honorable Mention All-American. She was an NAIA and NCCAA All-Region player in 2002 as well as a four-time all-conference award winner and four-time All-Ohio honoree. She participated in the OCSA Senior All-Star game in 2002 and was chosen as an NCCAA Scholar-Athlete. 
 
Brad Reifsnyder ('06, Football)
2006 graduate Brad Reifsnyder enters the Malone University Athletics Hall of Fame as one of the most decorated quarterbacks in school history despite just three years on the field. He holds Malone football's career records for pass completions at 596, passing yards at 6,893 and passing touchdowns at 54. Reifsnyder also holds the school record marks for most completions, fewest interceptions and best completion percentage in a single-season. His 60.2% career completion percentage is good for second in the history of Pioneer football. Reifsnyder was at the helm of an offense that qualified for the program's first of three straight NCCAA Victory Bowls in his senior 2006 season. In 2005, Reifsnyder was selected as a Second Team honoree in the Mid-States Football Association. He won the league's Offensive Athlete of the Week award four times and made the 2006 MSFA All-Academic Team.
 
Paul Robinson ('10, Cross County/Track & Field)
2010 graduate Paul Robinson was a pivotal team member for the Malone University cross country and track & field programs and helped lead the Pioneers to several team championships and secured multiple individual accolades as well. Robinson was a part of three NAIA Cross Country National Championships and during his four-year stretch with the program won four straight NCCAA and American Mideast Conference titles. The Pioneers also won two NCCAA Outdoor Track & Field national championships and two AMC Outdoor Championships. Individually, Robinson was the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Champion in the 5000-meter run and followed that up by winning the NCCAA National Championship in 2009 and 2010 in the same event. He totaled seven All-American awards across the three sports (four NAIA and three NCCAA). He is a part of the school record 4x800-meter relay and has the ninth-fastest time in the indoor 5000-meter run to this day.
 
Brooke Smith ('01, Women's Golf)
Brooke Smith was a standout from the Malone University women's golf team in the early years of the program and her accolades from the NAIA era of play are still recognized to this day. The 2001 graduate had a career scoring average of 84.5 and is the fifth-best mark in school history. Her low round of 74 is also among the top in Malone women's golf history. Each of those records stood for nearly 20 years. Smith helped lead Malone to its first of three NAIA Region Nine and American Mideast Conference Championships in 2001. The Pioneers finished 17th as a team in their first NAIA Tournament appearance, the best finish in school history. Smith was the individual medalist at the Region Nine Tournament and led the team with a 31st-place finish at the NAIA National Championship event.
 
Ken Zupanic - Legacy Award ('76, Baseball)
Ken Zupanic is being inducted into the Malone University Athletics Hall of Fame as a very prestigious legacy award recipient. Zupanic was a key member of the Malone University baseball team for a successful stretch under legendary head coach Bob Starcher. The Pioneers were 63-30 in his tenure and he helped lead Malone to their lone NAIA World Series appearance in program history in 1973. Zupanic graduated as a two-time Mid-Ohio Conference Champion, a two-time NAIA District 22 Champion and an Area Six Champion in 1973. When Zupanic was on the bump, he was a force with eight shutouts in his career, a record that lasts to this day, and the fourth-best ERA in school history at 2.47.