{"id":8632,"date":"2026-01-05T11:03:57","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T16:03:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/?p=8632"},"modified":"2026-01-05T11:03:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T16:03:57","slug":"titans-announce-class-of-2026-athletics-hall-of-fame-honorees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/2026\/01\/05\/titans-announce-class-of-2026-athletics-hall-of-fame-honorees\/","title":{"rendered":"Titans announce Class of 2026 Athletics Hall of Fame honorees"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8633\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2026\/01\/hall-of-fame.jpg?resize=1249%2C703&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"announcement of HOF inductees\" width=\"1249\" height=\"703\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2026\/01\/hall-of-fame.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2026\/01\/hall-of-fame.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2026\/01\/hall-of-fame.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2026\/01\/hall-of-fame.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2026\/01\/hall-of-fame.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2026\/01\/hall-of-fame.jpg?resize=444%2C250&amp;ssl=1 444w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1249px) 100vw, 1249px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>The University of Detroit Mercy Department of Athletics announced its 2026 Hall of Fame Class, presented by the Titan Club, as 12 Titans earned the most recognized honor in school history.<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Detroit Mercy established its Sports Hall of Fame in 1977 to honor those student-athletes, coaches, and administrators who have helped develop the successful tradition of Titan Athletics. With this\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">year&#8217;s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0inductions, the Titan Hall of Fame will reach 169 all-time greats.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Chris Andrzejak &#8211; Baseball (1997-00)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Named the MCC Pitcher of the Year as a senior and was named to the All-Tournament Team as a freshman<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Three Team All-MCC, including First Team as a senior<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">All-time leader in innings pitched (292) and games started (43), and second in career games (61) and strikeouts (238)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Tied for fourth with three shutouts and in saves with 9, and had 21 wins in his career<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Helped the Titans win their lone MCC title in 1997, tossing 6 2\/3 scoreless innings of relief and picking up two saves in the postseason<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Adam Bedell &#8211; Soccer (2010-13)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In 2012, he was named the HL Player of the Year, Horizon League Offensive Player of the Year, and First Team All-League with his league-leading 11 goals<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Two-time First Team All-Horizon League<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Scored 23 goals and recorded 22 assists in his four-year college career<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As a freshman, he led the team in assists with eight, tying a school single-season assist record\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Two-time Horizon League All-Academic Team<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Played in the MLS and a few other professional soccer leagues following graduation<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The 2014 President Award winner<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Jerry Fitzgerald &#8211; Fencing (1959-63)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Earned All-American honors in 1962 with\u00a0the foil<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Tallied over 100 career wins, posting a school-record 44-4 mark as a senior and 35-11 ledger as a junior<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Helped the team to its second-best record in school history at 12-4 and a bid to the NCAA Championships<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Was a part of the US Olympic trials for the 1964 Olympics<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><strong>Derrick Hayes &#8211; Basketball (1996-98)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A Two-time First Team All-MCC performer<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Named the 1997 MCC Newcomer of the Year and Honorable Mention All-Mideast by the Basketball Times<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Averaged 14.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 steals in his two years with the Titans, leading the Titans in both years with 15.9 as a\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">junior &#8211;<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0second in the\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">league &#8211;<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0and 13.7 as a senior<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Helped the team tie a school record with 25 wins, a share of the league title, and a berth to the NCAA Tournament as a senior in 1998, the first for the school since 1979<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Led the team to its second win ever in the NCAA Tournament, upsetting St.\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">John&#8217;s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> in the first round, scoring 27 points in the game on 10-of-14 shooting<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Jamie Hebden &#8211; Lacrosse\u00a0(2010-2014)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A three-time All-MAAC selection, including First Team as a senior<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A two-time team Defensive Player of the Year, and a team MVP<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Reverend Nobert Heutter Award\u00a0winner as a senior<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Tallied 168 ground balls and 123 caused turnovers, which is the second most in NCAA history at the time of his graduation, while his\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">GB&#8217;s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0were third in the record book<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Ranked second (40), fourth (38), and tied for ninth (24) for a single season in caused turnovers as a sophomore, senior, and freshman, while his 60 ground balls as a sophomore is eighth<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Holds the school mark with seven takeaways against VMI as a senior<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Helped the Titans to a pair of MAAC title games, including winning it all in 2013 and advancing to the NCAA Tournament<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Gina Milana (Menta) &#8211; Softball (1986-90)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The MCC Player of the Year, Second Team NSCA All-Mideast, and the MCC Championship MVP in 1989<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Also a two-time First Team All-MCC<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Ranks second all-time in batting average (.389), slugging percentage (.591), and triples (15)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Batted .389 &#8211; top 30 in the nation &#8211; with<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a04\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">home runs, 32 RBI, 28 runs scored, 10 doubles, and nine triples in that player of the year campaign, and came back to hit .390 the following season with<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a02\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">home runs, 38 RBI, and 33 runs scored<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Played on a pair of 30-win teams, including a then-school record squad of 37 victories in 1989, helping the team to\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">a MCC<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0title<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Originally<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0recruited to the University to play basketball, suiting up for two seasons and playing in 26 games, with six starts, and averaging 5.4 points and 3.4\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">rebounds<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Tony Novitsky &#8211; Golf (1950-53)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Ranks fourth all-time in Titan historic era with a 75.4 scoring average<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Helped the Titans reach the NCAA Championship in 1951<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Tallied four wins as a Titan, while the team had more than 15 in his time<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">After college, he joined the Air Force<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He went on to play in three PGA Championships and served as host pro at Columbine for the 1967 PGA Championship and many LPGA tournaments.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u200bIn 1967, he was named the Colorado PGA Golf Professional of the\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Year<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Angie Otten (Lefere) &#8211; Cross Country\/Track &amp; Field (1997-01)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Won the MCC cross country\u00a0title as a freshman, where she was also the\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">league&#8217;s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0Newcomer of the Year<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Was All-MCC all four years in cross country<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Ran sub-19-minute\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">5k&#8217;s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0in 24 of her 28 races, the most in school history, and owned the 5k and 6k school records at the time of her graduation<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Posted four top-100 NCAA Regional finishes, including her best place of 40th in 1997, leading the Titans to their best regional finish of 16th<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In track, captured the MCC indoor 5,000 meters twice and set a meet record, winning the outdoor 3,000 meters once<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Helped the team win two indoor league championships in 1998 and 1999 and two outdoor titles in 1999 and 2000<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Radek Papiez &#8211; Soccer (1991-94)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Was a three-time All-MCC honoree, including first team as a sophomore and junior<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">An immediate impact player, he was named to the MCC All-Newcomer Team as a freshman<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">His 16 assists as a junior\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">is<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0a school record and\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">is<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0still second all-time in league history<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Helped the team to a school-record 16 wins as a junior<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Graduated as the school record holder in points (72) and assists (26), and second in goals (23), and still ranks in the top 10 in all three categories<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Mark Risch &#8211; Track &amp; Field (1994-98)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A six-time All-MCC performer and graduated as the school\u00a0record holder in the hurdles<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As a senior, he was\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">a NCAA<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0provisional qualifier in the 400-meter hurdles and ranked 39th\u00a0in the nation with a school-record 51.25<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Won the 400mH at the Central Collegiate Conference and would go on to earn the Athlete of the Meet Honor<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Won the outdoor 400mH in a MCC record and was on the winning 4&#215;100 in 1998<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Also claimed the 400 hurdles MCC title in the indoor campaign<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Ran a leg on the winning 1995, 1996, and 1997 4&#215;400-meter relays<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Part of a team that won the conference indoor championship in 1996 and\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">runner-up<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0in 1995 and 1997, as well as the first year of the\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">league&#8217;s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> outdoor championship in 1998<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Nancy Scott (Horvat) &#8211; Fencing (1980-84)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A two-time Most Outstanding Fencer for the school<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree and was a First Team At-Large Academic as a senior<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The first female to win 100 matches and was 125-90, including 39-14 as a junior and 42-16 as a senior<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Named the Most Outstanding Female Athlete and was a team captain as a freshman<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Led the team to its best-ever finish with 13 wins as a senior<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">1984 President Award winner\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Ed Zaliagiris &#8211; Baseball (1946-48)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Posted a 9-0 record in his two seasons, with the nine-straight wins the most in school history<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">His 1.79 ERA is tops in school\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">history<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Was 4-0 in 1947 with a 1.00 ERA, the third-best single-season ERA, and held hitters to a .146 batting average<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Played in the minors in the Brooklyn Dodgers farm system with the Sheboygan Indians<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Awarded the Silver Star<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0&#8220;<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity against the enemy<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">while serving with the 104th Infantry Division during World War II before coming to U-D<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Hall of Fame ceremony will be held on Saturday night, Feb. 21, starting at 6 p.m. in the University Ballroom in the Student Union Building.<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The cost to attend is $50, and those who want to RSVP for the event should email Director of Athletic Communications\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/detroittitans.com\/staff-directory\/p-j-gradowski\/15\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"15\">P.J. Gradowski<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0at\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"mailto:gradowpj@udmercy.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">gradowpj@udmercy.edu<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0by Jan. 23.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The University of Detroit Mercy Department of Athletics announced its 2026 Hall of Fame Class, presented by the Titan Club, as 12 Titans earned the most recognized honor in school history. Detroit Mercy established its Sports Hall of Fame in 1977 to honor those student-athletes, coaches, and administrators who have &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":8633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[22,30],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2026\/01\/hall-of-fame.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Kcng-2fe","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8632"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8632"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8634,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8632\/revisions\/8634"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}