GAMBIER, Ohio -- As part of Kenyon College's 2025 Homecoming Weekend, a class of six will be inducted into the Kenyon Athletics Hall of Fame. The class, which includes Michael Baird '03, Estevão de Ávila '02, Maureen Hirt '14, Matt Marcinczyk '06, Jamie Samuel '13, and Tasha Willis '94, will be the 32nd group of inductees to enter the Hall since 1988. 
    
The induction ceremony will be held in Oden Hall on the evening of Friday, September 26. The following day, the new Hall of Fame class will be introduced at halftime of the Owls' football game with John Carroll University.

In addition to the inductions, the Donald May Award will be presented to David Dawson '63, while the Burchell Rowe Award will be given to Warren Martin '78 and Kate Loomis Sutherland '78. The Donald May Award honors former Kenyon athletes who have had outstanding accomplishments in sports and who have performed creditably and honorably in a career, while the Burchell Rowe Award goes to those who embody the finest spirit of Kenyon College and have made significant contributions to Kenyon Athletics.    

Michael Baird '03 Cross Country, Track & Field, Swimming & Diving Michael Baird is one of very few Kenyon athletes to be named an All-American in two different sports. As a member of the swim team, he gained his first All-American honor after placing fifth in the 1,650-yard freestyle at the 2000 NCAA Championship. Then, in 2002, he earned All-America status in cross country after placing 26th at the NCAA Championship. He was a two-time national qualifier in cross country, the 2002 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) champion and NCAC Runner of the Year. Baird also ran track, a sport in which he gained five all-conference honors and still holds program records for the 3,000- and 5,000-meter runs.

   

Estevão de Ávila '02 Swimming & Diving A backstroke specialist, Estevão de Ávila was a five-time individual national champion. He won two NCAA titles in the 100-yard backstroke (1999, 2001) and three straight titles in the 200-yard backstroke (1999, 2000, 2001). He was equally as impressive in relays, winning 10 NCAA titles to bring his overall career count to 15, a total tied for eighth best in program history. In three years with the team, he was a 21-time All-American, set program records in both backstroke distances, and was named the team's 2000 Daniel G. Ray Memorial Trophy winner, presented to the swimmer chosen by his teammates and coach as the most valuable member of the squad.

   

Maureen Hirt '14 Basketball Maureen Hirt is the women's basketball program's all-time leading scorer with 1,819 points. In her senior season, she was voted the 2014 North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year and named a finalist for the Jostens Award, given to the nation's top player. In addition to points scored, Hirt set multiple program game, single-season, and career records. She was a four-time all-conference honoree, a two-time All-Region player, and one of just four in program history to be named an All-American. A two-time team captain, Hirt was Kenyon's 2014 Senior Athlete of the Year, was awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, and was named to NCAC's 40th Anniversary All-Decade Team.

   

Matt Marcinczyk '06 Baseball A two-time, second-team Rawlings/ABCA All-Region baseball player, Matt Marcinczyk was one of the best pure hitters in program history. He graduated as Kenyon's record-holder for career batting average (.380), slugging percentage (.590), on-base percentage (.465), runs scored (142), hits (192), doubles (50), runs batted in (121) and total bases (298). In 2005, his .422 batting average went down as program single-season record. A year later, his 47 RBI and 102 total bases also became single-season records. He was a three-time All-North Coast Athletic Conference honoree, including first-team selections in 2005 and 2006. He was a two-time team captain and was voted Kenyon's 2006 Senior Athlete of the Year.

   

Jamie Samuel '13 Softball Jamie Samuel was one of the best, if not the best, hitter in the history of the Kenyon softball program. A dozen years after her graduation, she still holds five Kenyon career records, including top marks for batting average (.448), hits (214), doubles (60), runs batted in (112), and total bases (291). She maintains seven Kenyon single-season records, as well. Samuel was a three-time all-conference honoree, the 2010 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Newcomer of the Year and 2013 NCAC Player of the Year. She is the program's only three-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region honoree and was later named to the NCAC's 30th Anniversary All-Decade Softball Team.

   

Tasha Willis '94 Swimming & Diving An 18-time All-American and 10-time national champion, Tasha Willis excelled in relay competition. She won three NCAA relay titles as a first-year, four as a sophomore, and two more as a senior. In 1992, she won an NCAA individual title in the 50-yard freestyle. She was a two-time winner of the program's Shawn M. Kelly Memorial Award for inspired performances as a member of relay teams, was the program's 1991 winner of the Carl A. Weiant Memorial Plaque for being voted the most promising swimmer, and named the program's 1992 winner of the Coach's Award. She capped off her senior season as the recipient of an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.