Hall of Honor Homepage

Camp Hill, PA – Messiah College Athletics hosted their annual Hall of Honor induction banquet on Friday, Jan. 10, and welcomed four new members to the exclusive group: Jessica (Regan) Cotton '99, Sam Lenhert, Jan Trapp, and Hayden Woodworth '03.
 
Over 100 guests gathered at the West Shore Country Club to honor the four inductees, which also accounted for the second-largest group ever inducted in a single year.
 
"We're thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate these four individuals," Messiah Director of Athletics Jack Cole said. "Our athletic legacy runs deep and it's always a special time when we can pause and recognize men and women that have represented the Falcons and the College so well."
 
The induction evening also included the recognition of this year's Senior Scholar-Athletes for Messiah College. The honor celebrates a standout male and female student-athlete from each the fall, winter, and spring seasons. At the conclusion of the 2014 spring season, a single male and female winner will be chosen from among finalists.
 
Both the Hall of Honor inductions and the Senior Scholar-Athlete recognitions are made possible through the Falcon Athletic Network (FAN). 
 
"The Falcon Athletic Network has been a growing, special piece of Messiah College Athletics," Cole said. "Our alumni and community supporters care deeply about the experience of our student-athletes, and we're thankful for the opportunity celebrate both our athletic and academic achievements. The FAN has allowed this to happen."
 
The Scholar-Athlete finalists were recognized by Messiah's Vice Provost and Dean of Students, Dr. Kris Hansen-Kieffer. This year's finalists were Joshua Wood (men's soccer), Alicia Frey (women's soccer), Daniel Wingert (men's swimming), Taylor Miller (women's basketball), Mitch McClure (baseball), and Erin Ipsen (women's tennis). Additional details on each finalist can be found here.
 
After both the Scholar-Athlete recognition and dinner, each inductee was introduced and welcome to the podium to speak on their experiences as a Messiah student-athlete. As has been the case for every other Hall of Honor member, each inductee also made it clear how their experiences as a Falcon did much to shape their lives to this day.  
 
"Our coaches, administrators, and support staff want to build relationships with our student-athletes that both last a long time and leave a lasting impact," Assistant Athletics Director Steve King said. "It is really special whenever we have the opportunity to hear and see the fruit of that effort. Tonight's inductees reinforced why Messiah College is a special place."
 
A brief bio on each inductee is below, with a photo gallery of the weekend at the bottom.
 
Jessica (Regan) Cotton '99 – Softball
 
Cotton was a three-time All-American and four-time All-Conference pitcher for the Falcons in the late 1990s. She was a member of four conference championship teams and led the Falcons to three NCAA Regional appearances and two trips to the NCAA Division III World Series (1998, 1999). Currently, she is first-all time in program history in wins, innings pitched, appearances, and games started; she is second all-time in ERA, strikeouts, and shutouts.

Sam Lenhert – Personnel/Staff Member
 
Lenhert began working at Messiah College in 1963 and completed 45 years of service to the College and Falcons Athletics. Sam worked in the College's General Services department for more than 30 years while also filling roles as scorekeeper and bookkeeper for a number of the Falcons' teams. For close to a dozen years at the end of his career he worked as an Athletics attendant. Known by countless former student-athletes and coaches as one of the first "number one fans of Messiah College Athletics" Sam will be the first staff/personnel member inducted into the Hall of Honor.
 
Jan Trapp – Field Hockey Coach
 
Trapp retired at the end of the 2011 season after 39 years of service as the Falcons' program leader. Her career has rivaled those of legendary coaches in all of NCAA Athletics history. Trapp's career record is complete at 535-179-28 with her victory total ranking first all-time in NCAA Division III field hockey and third all-time across all NCAA divisions.
 
Trapp's coaching accolades include, but are certainly not limited to, six NCAA Regional Coach of the Year awards, eight Conference Coach of the Year awards, 25 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, 14 NCAA Regional Championships, eight NCAA Division III National Runner-Up honors, and 18 Conference Championships.

Hayden Woodworth '03 – Men's Soccer
 
Woodworth was a standout midfielder for the Falcons and a key contributor to the program's first NCAA Division III National Championship in 2000. He was also a part of the Falcons' 2002 National Championship and that year also earned the College's first-ever National Player of the Year honors. Beyond these outstanding accomplishments, Woodworth was three-time All-Conference, two-time All-Region, two-time All-American, the 1999 Commonwealth Rookie of the Year, and the 2000 Commonwealth Player of the Year.

Click on the gallery to see higher resolution!

Related Videos

Now Playing:

• Play Video