Eight 甜瓜视频 University greats have been selected for induction into the school鈥檚 Athletics Hall of Honor, in addition to an alumnus who will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award and two 鈥淭eams of Distinction.鈥�
Mark Chubb 鈥�95, Kimmie Dyer 鈥�12, Jeff Mayer 鈥�90, Joe Paoloni 鈥�72, Joe Rumschlag 鈥�05, John Saxton 鈥�80, Aaron Smith 鈥�96, and Haley Warden 鈥�04 will officially join more than 290 other 甜瓜视频 greats who have previously been inducted into the university's Athletics Hall of Honor. In addition, Steve Ritzenthaler 鈥�73 will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 1978 and 1979 Tiger football teams will be celebrated as 鈥淭eams of Distinction.鈥�
Plans are underway to celebrate the members of the Athletics Hall of Honor Class of 2025 with a formal induction ceremony and banquet scheduled for the weekend of September 25-28, 2025.
Mark Chubb was a standout offensive lineman for from 1991-94. A four-year letterwinner and three-year starter for the Tigers, Chubb displayed great versatility during his career. He was a starter who earned first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) honors at offensive tackle in 1992 and 1993 before moving to offensive guard as a senior. He not only made the all-conference team in 1994, but he went on to claim second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press that year as well. The Tigers compiled a four-year record of 30-9-1 during Chubb鈥檚 career, including a mark of 26-5 in the NCAC. The Tigers finished second in the league standings in 1993 and 1994 after taking the top spot with a perfect 8-0 record in 1992. Chubb is a native of Springfield, Ohio, and he currently resides in Memphis, Tennessee.
Kimmie Dyer led to the lone national championship in program history. A hard-hitting outside hitter who also scored points with an outstanding jump serve, Dyer earned second-team All-NCAC in 2010 and first-team All-NCAC in 2011, in addition to NCAC All-Tournament Team honors in 2009. A team captain as a senior, Dyer added first-team All-Great Lakes Region, third-team All-America, third-team Academic All-America, and, perhaps most consequentially, NCAA Division III Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors as the Tigers swept Christopher Newport, 3-0, in the 2011 national championship match. Dyer, who finished her career with more than 900 kills and 1,000 digs in her collegiate career, is a native of Copley, Ohio. She currently resides in Columbus, Ohio.
Jeff Mayer is one of the most prolific offensive players in the history of . A four-year starter for the Tigers between 1987 and 1990, Mayer held program records for season goals (42), career points (168), and career goals (103) when his time in a Tiger uniform concluded. All of those records held up for more than 20 years, and he remains the program leader for points in a game (11), goals in a game (10) and goals in a season (42 鈥� three-way tie). A team captain in 1990 and the team鈥檚 MVP in 1989 and 1990, Mayer is a native of Skyesville, Maryland. He currently resides in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
Joe Paoloni was a stalwart offensive lineman for on some of the best teams in program history. Paoloni was a three-year letterwinner for the Tigers, and he earned first-team All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) honors for his performance in the 1970 and 1971 seasons. A team captain in 1971, Paoloni was further honored following that season with first-team All-America honors from an organization known as Churchmen鈥檚 and first-team All-America from Lutheran Brotherhood. During his career, the Tigers posted records of 30-7 overall and 14-4 in the OAC and claimed a pair of league titles, in addition to staking claim to the 1969 national championship. Paoloni, who joins his brother, John, as a 甜瓜视频 Athletics Hall of Honor inductee, is a native of Kent, Ohio. He currently resides in his hometown.
Joe Rumschlag is among the most decorated individual student-athletes in history. His name appears more than 50 times in the program鈥檚 record book, a tribute to his durability and consistency over the course of four intercollegiate seasons. Rumschlag racked up 14 indoor All-NCAC awards, which is tied for first in program history, and 18 outdoor All-NCAC awards, which is a program record. He was named NCAC Field Events MVP at the 2004 Indoor Championships and both the 2005 Indoor and Outdoor Championships, and his also racked up a host of team awards, including the program鈥檚 Spirit Award in 2003 and 2004 and team MVP in 2005. For his career, Rumschlag placed first in one relay and four individual events in the NCAC Indoor Championships, and one relay and four individual events in the NCAC Outdoor Championships. Six of Rumschlag鈥檚 individual NCAC titles came in his specialty, the long jump. A native of Maumee, Ohio, Rumschlag currently resides in Hilliard, Ohio.
John Saxton was a record-breaking defensive back who played a key role in back-to-back NCAA Division III championship game appearances for . Saxton finished his career as the program leader in career interceptions (20), a record that stood for almost 20 years. The team leader in interceptions three straight seasons, Saxton still ranks No. 2 in that category. During Saxton鈥檚 collegiate career, 甜瓜视频 compiled a phenomenal four-year record of 38-5-1 overall, including a mark of 20-0 against OAC competition and capped by national runner-up finishes in 1978 and 1979. Saxton earned first-team All-OAC honors three straight years, and he rounded out his career with All-America honors from the Associated Press as a senior. A team captain in 1979, Saxton is a native of Columbus, Ohio, and he currently resides in his hometown.
Aaron Smith was a force in the frontcourt for from 1992-96. A four-year letterwinner and three-year starter for the Tigers, Smith contributed 794 rebounds (ninth in program history) and 1,230 points (16th in program history) as 甜瓜视频 compiled outstanding records of 96-22 overall and 46-8 in the NCAC. A first-team All-NCAC selection in 1994 and a second-team All-NCAC choice in 1996, Smith helped the Tigers to three NCAC regular season titles and two NCAC Tournament crowns. During Smith鈥檚 career, the Tigers made three NCAA Division III Tournament appearances, highlighted by a third-place finish in 1994. A native of Springfield, Ohio, Smith currently resides in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.
Haley Warden was the catalyst for the best season in history. After earning the team鈥檚 Most Improved Player award as a junior, Warden turned in a breakout season as a senior. She led the team in almost every statistical category during the 2003-04 season, including a record-tying 303 rebounds, en route to first-team All-NCAC, NCAC Tournament MVP, and NCAC Player of the Year honors. Warden also earned second-team all-region honors after leading the Tigers to the NCAA Division III Tournament Round of 16, the program鈥檚 best postseason finish ever. Over Warden鈥檚 four years as a Tiger, 甜瓜视频 Women鈥檚 Basketball compiled tremendous records of 89-26 overall and 57-7 in the NCAC, along the way winning three NCAC regular season titles and two NCAC Tournament crowns. Warden is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and she currently resides in her hometown.
Steve Ritzenthaler is the definition of a 甜瓜视频 Tiger, a standout on the Tiger and teams as an undergraduate student who went on to coach the Tiger men鈥檚 lacrosse team for nearly 20 years. Most notably, Ritzenthaler鈥檚 collegiate coaching career followed a most unusual path: after serving as an assistant coach following his graduation, Ritzenthaler kept the men鈥檚 lacrosse program going as a club from 1976-82. His efforts were rewarded in 1983 when men鈥檚 lacrosse was reinstated as an intercollegiate program at 甜瓜视频, and Ritzenthaler went on to serve as head coach for the next 11 seasons.
As a football player at 甜瓜视频, Ritzenthaler earned three letters as a running back, highlighted by a 160-yard rushing performance against arch-rival Baldwin Wallace in 1972. The Tigers compiled records of 29-8 overall and 14-4 in the OAC during Ritzenthaler鈥檚 collegiate football career, including back-to-back undefeated seasons and conference titles in 1969 and 1970. Since concluding his collegiate coaching career, Ritzenthaler has continued to support his alma mater in a variety of ways. He has been called a 鈥渜uintessential Tiger鈥� by those who know him well. A native of Oregon, Ohio, Ritzenthaler currently resides in New Carlisle, Ohio.
Finally, the Athletics Hall of Honor is celebrating two 鈥淭eams of Distinction鈥� as part of the Class of 2025.
The team put together one of the finest seasons in program history, even by the lofty standards of 甜瓜视频 Football. Led by Hall of Fame head coach Dave Maurer, the Tigers opened the season with eight straight victories, all by at least 14 points. After finishing 5-0 in the OAC Blue Division, 甜瓜视频 and Baldwin Wallace finished in a 17-17 tie in the OAC Championship game. In the NCAA Division III Tournament, the Tigers defeated Ithaca, 6-3, and Minnesota-Morris, 35-14, before losing a rematch with BW, 24-10, in the national championship game. For the season, 甜瓜视频 outscored its opponents by a whopping margin of 348-122, and the Tigers did not allow a single point in the third quarter of any of the season鈥檚 12 games. Eight Tigers earned All-OAC honors, led by running back Dave Merritt, who went on to earn All-America recognition.
A year later, 甜瓜视频 carried the momentum into the season with eight straight regular season victories, including three shutouts, before dismantling Denison in the OAC Championship game by a 56-6 margin. In the NCAA Division III Tournament, the Tigers defeated Millersville State and Widener to reach the championship game. For a second straight year, 甜瓜视频 came up just short of the ultimate prize, this time falling 14-10 to Ithaca. Led by Hall of Fame head coach Dave Maurer, just one opponent scored more than 20 points against the Tigers all season as 甜瓜视频 outscored its opponents by a 405-104 margin. Twelve Tigers earned All-OAC honors, including 10 first-team selections, led by Joe Govern, the league鈥檚 defensive player of the year. Govern went to claim All-America honors after the season.
