EKU Announces 2024 Athletic Hall of Fame Class

EKU Athletics Hall of Fame

The 2024 Eastern Kentucky University Athletics Hall of Fame induction class will include seven distinguished individuals and the 1973 volleyball team. The class is scheduled to be inducted Saturday, Sept. 28, at the EKU Center for the Arts. The Hall of Fame brunch and ceremony will begin at 10 a.m.

The 2024 induction class includes: Ole Hesselbjerg (track and field/cross country, 2011-15), Danny Hope (football, 1976-91, 2003-07, 2019, 2020-present), Jacob Korir (track and field/cross country, 2004-08), Sofie Levin (women’s golf, 2013-17), Nick Mayo (men’s basketball, 2015-19), Greg Stotelmyer (broadcaster, 1979-present) and Corey Walden (men’s basketball, 2012-15). The entire 1973 volleyball team will be inducted as a Team of Distinction.

“This year’s Hall of Fame class is another exceptional group of inductees,” said Kyle Moats, EKU vice president and director of athletics. “It includes exceptional players, a record-breaking team and a legendary broadcast partner, all of whom have helped build the legacy of EKU Athletics. I look forward to their induction and celebrating their unforgettable experiences and contributions as Colonels.”


Hesselbjerg was a four-time Ohio Valley Conference outdoor champion, a three-time first-team All-American and a two-time Olympian in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The Charlottenlund, Denmark, native won two bronze medals at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and competed three times at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.


Hope has been a player, head coach, assistant coach and staff member at EKU. He was a starting guard on the Colonels’ first national championship team. As a head coach, Hope was named OVC Coach of the Year after leading EKU to a conference title and a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff appearance. He also led Purdue to two bowl games as the Boilermakers’ head coach. Since 2020, Hope has worked in the EKU Development Office.


Korir is a three-time NCAA All-American in cross country and a two-time All-American in track and field. A native of Nairobi, Kenya, he finished fourth in the 10,000 meters at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships, second in the 5,000 meters at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships and has three top-20 finishes at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.


Levin is a four-time All-OVC selection and a four-time OVC All-Tournament selection. She was named MVP after winning the individual title at the 2015 OVC Championship. The Stockholm, Sweden native led the Colonels to two conference titles and ranks third in program history in career scoring average.


Mayo is EKU’s all-time leading scorer with 2,316 points. He is a four-time All-OVC First Team selection, the 2016 OVC Freshman of the Year and a member of the 2015-16 OVC All-Newcomer Team. The Oakland, Maine native is a four-time NABC All-District selection. He is sixth on the program’s career rebounding list and owns the seventh-best career free throw percentage.


Stotelmyer has been EKU’s sportscaster since 1979. He has broadcast more than 2,200 sports contests to Colonels fans. In 2023, he was inducted into the Kentucky Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame and was honored as Kentucky Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.


Walden was a two-time OVC Defensive Player of the Year and the 2014 conference tournament MVP. He had 29 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals in the championship game win over Belmont. The Daytona Beach, Fla., native was a finalist for the 2014 Lefty Driesell National Defensive Player of the Year Award and broke the program record for career steals despite playing only three seasons at EKU.


The 1973 volleyball team, led by Hall of Fame head coach Dr. Geri Polvino, compiled the best overall record of any team in program history, finishing 26-4. The team went undefeated against in-state competition, winning a third consecutive Kentucky Women’s Intercollegiate Conference crown. The Colonels were one of seven teams from across the country invited as at-large representatives to the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Volleyball Championship, but were unable to compete due to budget constraints.


For more information about the EKU Athletics Hall of Fame, please contact Karl Park, executive director of the EKU Athletics Hall of Fame, at [email protected].