Five new inductees were welcomed as part of W&J’s 20th Athletic Hall of Fame class Sept. 21, 2018 during a ceremony in the Allen Ballroom of the Rossin Campus Center.
John Bord ’73 (Football), Bill Dukett (Coach/Administrator), Jennifer Pergola Kirchner ’06 (Soccer), Aaron Krepps ’06 (Football), and Demas McVay ’55 (Swimming) are the latest Presidents to earn the distinctive honor.
“Our hall of fame committee was proud to elect these special members of our W&J athletic family into the hall of fame,” said Director of Athletics Scott McGuinness. “These individuals made positive impacts in the lives of their teammates, classmates and colleagues. They represent the very best of NCAA Division III athletics and we are proud to call them W&J Presidents.”
Bord was the recipient of the Robert M. Murphy Award, named for Robert M. Murphy, Class of 1906, graduate manager of W&J athletics for nearly two decades. Murphy was general secretary and graduate athletic trainer at W&J from 1906 until the time of his death in 1925. The award bestows special recognition, in Murphy’s name, to selected athletes, male or female, who exemplify outstanding lifetime achievements and induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame.
Bord was a two-time All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference center for the football team and a leading blocker for one of the program’s top aerial combinations, W&J Hall of Famers quarterback Don Kasperik ’72 and receiver Rich Pocock ’72. He has worked as the prosecuting attorney in Taylor County, W.Va., since 1998 after 13 years serving as the assistant prosecuting attorney. After graduating from the California Western School of Law, Bord also worked as a magistrate court judge. Bord was recently named as the statewide liaison to the National Football League and Major League Baseball, assisting the leagues with investigations of criminal matters and helping to identify false and frivolous claims before any damages result.
Dukett was a member of the football coaching staff at W&J from 1982-1998 and helped guide the Presidents to national prominence, including two trips to the Stagg Bowl. He also spent 10 years as the head track & field coach and nine seasons as the head men’s and women’s golf coach. After spending eight years in development, Dukett worked his final seven years before retirement as the W&J Director of Athletics. In football, W&J won 137 games with Dukett as assistant coach. He led six golf teams to PAC championships and was named PAC Golf Coach of the Year six times.
Kirchner started 77 consecutive matches and concluded her career as only the second W&J women’s soccer player to be named First Team All-PAC all four years as a President. Kirchner netted 59 goals (4th in school history) and added 24 assists (7th at W&J) for 142 points (4th at W&J).
Kirchner, who set a school record with 15 game-winning goals, led W&J to its first-ever postseason appearance in the 2005 ECAC Division III Tournament. Her senior class finished as the most successful in school history with 39 victories.
Krepps earned All-America accolades during his junior and senior seasons. The 2004 PAC and ECAC Southwest Player of the Year produced 181 career receptions for 2,788 and 49 total touchdowns. He amassed 5,638 all-purpose yards and ended his career with a 36-game reception streak. In 2005, Krepps was selected to participate in the Aztec Bowl, a Division III All-Star Game in Toluca, Mexico. Currently, Krepps is the head football coach at Bluffton University.
McVay was a two-sport athlete for the Presidents as a four-year swimming letter winner and a two-year golf standout. McVay racked up 105 points for W&J in dual meets during his senior year in which he earned first-place touches in 16 different races. McVay established the school record for 100 freestyle (56.20) versus IUP Jan. 8, 1955 and set the 60 freestyle record (30.90) a month later against Slippery Rock. He was the team captain for swimming during his final two years on the squad.
Ted Cuneo ’78 (Football and Wrestling), Nicole David ’96 (Women’s Basketball), Chris Edwards ’06 (Football), Dr. Mark Johnson ’94 (Men’s Basketball), and Matthew Rudzki ’08 (Men’s Cross Country and Track & Field) will be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame this September.
