SEARCY – Harold Valentine, the chairman of the Harding University Bison Boosters Hall of Fame committee and Jeff Morgan, Harding athletic director, announced Monday that 13 new members will be inducted into the Harding Athletics Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Friday, Sept. 30 at 6:30 p.m. in the Charles White Dining Hall.
The new members include Molly (Arnold) Reynolds (volleyball), Kristen (Celsor) Johnson (women’s basketball/track and field), Adam Darby (baseball), Guillermo Hernandez (men’s tennis), Adrian Hickmon (football), Dave Hudson (bowling), Ronnie Huckeba (outstanding coach), Artur Kern (men’s track and field), Gerald Payne (football), Robert Towns (football), Calister Uba (track and field), Chad Ware (men’s basketball), and Ewa Zaborowska (track and field).
The Hall of Fame induction dinner and ceremony are open to the public. Tickets prices and link to purchase tickets will be available at a later time.
The Bison Boosters induct new members into the Harding Athletics Hall of Fame every five years, and the 2022 class with be the 12th in the Hall’s history. The Hall of Fame currently includes 100 members.
Below are brief bios of the 2022 Harding Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Class:
Molly (Arnold) Reynolds, volleyball, 2010-13
· Two-time Honorable Mention AVCA All-America
· Two-time Great American Conference Player of the Year (2012 and 2013)
· Three-time First Team All-GAC
· Ranks second at Harding in career kills (1,884)
Kristen (Celsor) Johnson, women’s basketball/track and field, 2010-14
· 2014 women’s basketball consensus All-American
· 2014 Central Region and Great American Conference Player of the Year
· Two-Time Academic All-American
· Harding record holder in the outdoor high jump at 5 feet, 8 inches
Adam Darby, baseball, 2006-09
· 2009 First Team Daktronics All-America
· Two-time All-Region and two-time All-GSC
· Second at Harding with 27 career home runs, third with 153 RBI and fourth with a .377 batting average
· Harding’s single season home run leader with 16 in 2009
Guillermo Hernandez, men’s tennis, 1994-98
· 1995 NAIA All-American
· 64 career doubles wins, including 43 wins at No. 1 doubles
· Harding-record 12 career tournament wins with Arturo Rodriguez
· Ranks fourth at Harding with 64 career doubles wins
Adrian Hickmon, football, 1973-76
· 1976 First Team All-AIC
· 1976 NAIA Honorable Mention All-American
· Captain and starting defensive lineman on Harding’s 1976 AIC championship team
· Signed a free-agent contract in 1977 with the NFL’s Washington franchise
Dave Hudson, bowling, 1969-73
· 1972 NAIA All-Events Champion
· 1973 NAIA Singles National Champion
· 1973 NAIA All-Events Runner Up
· 1971 NAIA Doubles National Champion
Ronnie Huckeba, outstanding coach
· Became Harding’s fifth head football coach in the modern era in 2007 and went 69-40 in 10 seasons
· Spent 30 seasons at Harding on the coaching staff
· Led Harding to an undefeated conference championship in 2016 and a trip to the Super Region 3 finals
· Starting offensive lineman on Harding’s 1976 AIC championship team
Artur Kern, track and field/cross-country, 2004-08
· 2006 South Region Indoor Track Athlete of the Year
· Four-time Indoor Track All-American … 2007 Outdoor Track All-American
· 2006 GSC Cross-Country individual champion
· Three-time Cross-Country All-American
Gerald Payne, football, 1999-2000
· 2000 Harlon Hill Award Regional Finalist
· 2000 Cactus Bowl (Division II All-Star Game) Offensive MVP
· Signed a free agent contract in 2001 with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals
· Second at Harding in career receiving TD (25) in only 19 games played
Robert Towns, football, 2003-06
· 2006 Second Team AP All-America
· 2006 Harlon Hill Award Regional Finalist
· 2006 First Team All-Region
· Harding career leader with 50 passes defended and second with 18 interceptions
Calister Uba-Okoli, track and field, 1996-98
· 1998 NCAA Indoor 55-meter dash national champion
· 1997 NAIA Outdoor 100-meter dash national champion
· Three-time indoor All-American and three-time outdoor All-American
· Harding’s record holder in the indoor 55 meters, indoor 60 meters, indoor 200 meters, outdoor 100 meters and outdoor 200 meters
Chad Ware, men’s basketball, 2000-04
· 2004 Division II Bulletin Third Team All-American
· 2004 GSC Player of the Year
· 2004 First Team All-GSC
· 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-District
Ewa Zaborowska, track and field, 2012-15
· Four-time indoor All-American and two-time outdoor All-American
· 13-time All-Central Region (seven indoors and six outdoors)
· Three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American
· 2015 NCAA Elite 89 Award for highest GPA at indoor national meet