GRANTHAM, Pa. – On Wednesday afternoon, Messiah Athletics announced the 2024 induction class for the Messiah Hall of Honor. The Falcons are pleased to announce the seven members of the class of 2024: Dóri (Gyori) Komáromi '13, Jansen Hein '10, Dave Henninger '05, Wendy Barrett Long '94, Jessica (Rhoads) Morret '12, Geoff Pezon '11, and Jack Cole.
The seven-member induction class matches the 2022 and 2023 classes as the largest ever in Messiah Hall of Honor history.
The induction banquet is schedule to take place on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024 in Martins Commons. Fans are welcome to register for the event by
clicking here.
Below is a quick bio for each of the individuals being inducted as part of the Class of 2024:
Dóri (Gyori) Komáromi '13 – Women's Basketball
Dóri (Gyori) Komáromi did a lot of everything for the Falcons during her four years on the hardwood. A four-year All-Conference honoree, Komáromi was named First Team All-Conference three-straight seasons, capping off her career as the MAC Commonwealth Player of the Year in 2013. In her senior season of 2013, Komáromi earned First Team All-American honors while also being named the Mid-Atlantic Player of the Year, averaging 17.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.
The ultimate teammate and player, Komáromi was the hardest worker with the sweetest spirit on a number of successful teams. Komáromi sees her name appear in the top five in program history with 1,577 career points (third) and 970 rebounds (fourth). She finished her career with a 53.2% field goal percentage while blocking 144 shots, collecting 159 steals, and dishing out 188 assists. A starter in all 113 games played during her time in Grantham, the Hungary native helped Messiah to a career record of 90-24. Komáromi helped Messiah to the 2010 MAC Commonwealth Championship while playing in the NCAA Tournament each season, advancing as far as the Sweet 16 in 2013.
Jansen Hein '10 – Men's Tennis
Jansen Hein was an energetic team leader that oozed contagious enthusiasm to his teammates while also holding down the top spot on the Messiah men's tennis teams in 2009 and 2010. A three-year member of the Messiah tennis team, Hein carried a career conference record of 27-1 across singles and doubles while holding an overall record of 59-15 at No. 1 singles and doubles in 2009 and 2010.
A two-year captain for the Falcons, Hein was named the MAC Commonwealth Player of the Year in both 2009 and 2010. He was a three-time All-Conference honoree, claiming First Team accolades his final two years in Grantham. In his freshman year of 2008, Hein was named the MAC Commonwealth Rookie of the Year while helping the Falcons to their third-straight Conference Title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. An involved member of the Messiah community, Hein was the Chair of the EYAS Alumni Council while also serving as the Business School and Accounting Department Campus Student Ambassador during his time as an undergrad.
Dave Henninger '05 – Baseball/Men's Basketball
A two-way star, Dave Henninger excelled on the mound and on the hardwood as a member of the Messiah baseball and men's basketball teams. On the diamond, Henninger holds numerous Messiah baseball records, including the highest winning percentage in program history (.818, 18-4), strikeouts per nine innings (10.8), and lowest hits per nine innings (6.3). With a career record of 18-4 and an ERA of 2.30 ERA, Henninger struck out 225 batters across 187.2 innings. Henninger was named the MAC Commonwealth Pitcher of the Year in 2004, carrying a 1.20 ERA with an 8-0 record and six complete games in 67.1 innings. He struck out 86 batters while allowing just nine earned runs to claim Messiah's third-ever Conference Pitcher of the Year accolade. After graduation, Henninger was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 21st round of the Major League Baseball draft, becoming the first player in program history to be selected.
In the gym, Henninger was a 1,000-point scorer for the Falcons, finishing his career with 1,106 career points. A menace on the boards, Henninger also grabbed 683 career rebounds to be one of just 10 players in program history with at 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. Henninger earned Second Team All-Conference accolades in men's basketball in both 2003-04 and 2004-05.
Wendy Barrett Long '94 – Softball
Wendy Barrett Long was a ground breaker in Messiah softball history, becoming the first position player in program history to earn All-American honors in 1994 with a Second Team accolade. Her senior season of 1994 still stands in the record books as one of the strongest years for a Falcon all-time. On the season, she batted .504 with 17 RBI and 21 stolen bases on 21 attempts. Barrett Long collected a hit in all 36 games on the year, finishing the campaign with 62 base knocks and, at the time, setting the mark for longest hitting streak in Division III.
In addition to her Second Team All-American nod in 1994, Barrett Long earned First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Region honors in 1993 and 1994. During the 1994 season, the Falcons claimed their first Conference Championship in program history, going 31-5 on the year and advancing to the NCAA Regional for the first time. Barrett Long certainly helped lay the groundwork for sustained success that the program would experience for years to come.
Jessica (Rhoads) Morret '12 – Softball
The most dominate pitcher in Messiah softball history, Jessica (Rhoads) Morret holds nearly every single season and career pitching record in program history. In three seasons with the Falcons, Morret carried a 0.52 ERA with 895 strikeouts across 501.1 innings pitched. She went 71-6 with 52 complete games and 34 shutouts. She also earned seven saves while holding batters to a minuscule .113 batting average against. No slouch at the plate, Morret also hit .349 in her career with 10 home runs and 60 RBI.
A First Team All-American in 2010, Morret's best year might have been her freshman campaign in 2009 when the Falcons claimed the National Championship. Morret, in many ways, willed the Falcons to the Title. In eight starts in the NCAA Tournament, she went 8-0 with a 0.50 ERA with 84 strikeouts across 56.0 innings, allowing just four runs on 21 hits as the Falcons swept their way to the first National Championship in program history. Across her career, Morret was a three-time First Team All-Conference honoree (2009, 2010, 2011), two-time Conference Pitcher of the Year (2009, 2010), and two-time First Team All-Region honoree (2009, 2010).
Geoff Pezon '11 – Men's Soccer
The last thing Geoff Pezon did as a Falcon was score the game-winning goal of the 2010 Division III Men's Soccer National Championship in overtime against Lynchburg. The goal capped off a stellar four-year career that saw Pezon earn multiple national accolades and land himself in rarefied air among the best players in Messiah men's soccer history. Pezon finished his career in the top-10 of nearly every major statistical category, currently ranking second in career assists (46), tied for third in game-winning goals (20), fourth in career points (154), 10th in career goals (54), and is one of just three players to ever play 99 games in program history. With 54 career goals and 46 career assists, Pezon is also the lone member of the Messiah men's soccer 40-40 club.
In his senior year of 2010, Pezon was named the National Player of the Year after scoring 14 goals and adding 11 assists. He was a two-time All-American, claiming First Team honors in both 2009 and 2010. Additionally, he was the Conference Player of the Year in 2009 and a three-time First Team All-Region honoree in 2008, 2009, and 2010. In his four years, Pezon helped the Falcons to an overall record of 90-7-2 while hoisting National Championship trophies in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
Jack Cole - Administration
An integral part of Messiah University for more than three decades, Jack Cole served as an educator, instructor, department chair, coach, and Director of Athletics during his time in Grantham. Cole stepped into the Director of Athletics role in 2010 and was later elevated to Executive Director of Athletics and Fundraising in 2016. During his tenure overseeing Athletics, the department continued its tradition of success, winning eight team and six individual NCAA Division III National Titles and 72 Middle Atlantic Conference Championships. Individually, the Falcons earned 144 All-Americans, 66 Academic All-District, 40 Academic All-Americans, and 27 MAC Senior Scholar-Athletes with Cole leading the department.
Outside the lines, Cole oversaw a pair of comprehensive five-year strategic plans, added additional staffing, enhanced facilities, reimagined the Falcon Athletic Network (FAN), and helped with the addition of men's volleyball as a Division III sport at Messiah. A mentor and leader to many, Cole impacted the lives of not only the coaches and staff that he worked with, but the hundreds of student-athletes that came through the department during his tenure.
