2026 Class of Richard A. Rasmussen UAA Hall of Fame Selected
Sixteen women and men etched their names into history as 2026 Richard A. Rasmussen UAA Hall of Fame honorees. This year’s class marks just the second full class in the Hall of Fame, which began on June 4, 2024, with then retiring UAA Executive Director Dick Rasmussen selected as the namesake and the lone inductee.
2026 Richard A. Rasmussen UAA Hall of Fame Release
A committee formed with representatives from each institution and the Association office nominated and selected individuals to be included in the latest class. To be eligible as a student-athlete, a person must have earned their undergraduate degree from a UAA institution, competed for at least three years in the UAA, and graduated at least 10 years ago. Coaches and administrators become eligible once they have retired from a UAA institution.
The 2026 class includes 10 athletes representing men’s basketball, women’s cross country/track & field, softball, women’s swimming, men’s swimming, men’s tennis, men’s track & field, and volleyball.
Dillon Pottish of Emory University became the first men’s tennis player in the Hall of Fame, while Brian Zimmerman of Carnegie Mellon University was the first men’s swimmer chosen.
Four head coaches entered the Hall of Fame: Washington University in St. Louis men’s basketball coach Mark Edwards, Johns Hopkins University women’s and men’s swimming and diving coach George Kennedy, Emory volleyball coach Jenny McDowell, and University of Chicago wrestling coach Leo Kocher. Kennedy became the first representative from Johns Hopkins, which was part of the UAA from the beginning of the Association through the 1999-2000 academic year.
Two administrators made history with their selections. Rick Larsen of WashU, who passed away in 2020 after 39 years in the Bears’ athletic department, was selected as the first athletic trainer to be inducted. John Arenberg, who spent 14 years in charge of Emory’s athletic communications (1991-2005), became the first sports information director to be chosen for the Hall of Fame.
Emory led all institutions with six inductees. Joining Pottish, McDowell, and Arenberg were Liz Horvat (women’s swimming), Megan Light (softball), and Troy Thompson (men’s track & field).
WashU’s four selections gave them 12 Hall of Famers, equaling Emory’s total. In addition to Edwards and Larsen, Lucy Cheadle (women’s cross country/track & field) and Jennifer Martz (volleyball) were chosen for the 2026 class.