Messiah University

In 2009, President Kim Phipps set aside $10,000 of seed money to begin design and construction on the Messiah Athletics Hall of Champions. Over the last decade-plus, the Hall of Champions has evolved with the addition of multiple trophies and honors for the Falcons.

Since 2000, Messiah has claimed 35 National Championships (19 team, 16 individual) while also earning 192 Conference Championships in the department's history. Located adjacent to Fredricksen Natatorium and Hitchcock Arena, the Hall of Champions recognized these athletic achievements as well as the academic laurels of Messiah's student-athletes with areas celebrating our National Champions, Conference Champions, All-Americans, Academic All-Americans, and Players and Coaches of the Year. 

National Championships

The Falcons have claimed 35 NCAA Division III National Championships, all coming since 2000. Included in those 35 National Titles have been 19 team titles and 16 individual championships in wrestling, women's track & field, and men's track & field.

Mike Helm claimed the first ever National Championship for the Falcons, winning the 157 lbs. bracket at the 2000 DIII Wrestling Championships. Less than a year later, men's soccer earned the first team National Championship in school history in the fall of 2000 with a 2-0 victory over Rowan University.

Men's soccer has claimed 11 National Championships, the most in DIII soccer history. Women's soccer has earned six National Titles while softball (2009) and field hockey (2016) have each been crowned as Champions once.

Individually, five Messiah wrestlers have hoisted National Championship Titles and Messiah track & field has garnered 11 individual National Champions. Esther Seeland (women's track & field) is the most decorated individual with five National Championships to her name. Kristen Bates (women's track & field) was a three-time National Champion in 2010 while Lucas Malmberg (wrestling) repeated at 125 lbs. in 2016 and 2017. 

Click Here to view all 35 of Messiah's National Champions

Conference Championships

Since joining the Middle Atlantic Conference in the early 1980s, the Falcons have claimed 192 team Conference Championships across 21 different sports. Field hockey has been the most decorated Messiah program in conference, claiming 29 championships in program history.

Women's outdoor track & field earned the first conference championship for the Falcons in the spring of 1984 and currently holds 21 such team championships.

The Hall of Champions features plaques with the names of student-athletes on conference-winning teams, located on the ramp heading to the Eisenhower Campus Center.

Click Here to view all 187 of Messiah's Conference Champions

Falcons All-Americans

Since 1976-77 the Falcons have earned 388 NCAA Division III All-American honors. Randy Hoffman (wrestling) was the first All-American for Messiah in the spring of 1977. Messiah field hockey leads the Falcons with 65 All-Americans honors while men's soccer (51), wrestling (50), women's soccer (45), and women's outdoor track & field (43) all have 40-plus accolades.

The Falcons' 388 honors have come across 18 different sports.

Located outside of the wrestling room, visitors can view a year-by-year listing of Messiah All-Americans on glass panels with an assortment pictures, highlighting selected individuals.

Click Here to view all 381 of Messiah's All-Americans

CSC Academic All-American

One of the highest honors a student-athlete can earn, the Collegiate Sports Communicators (CSC), formerly College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), Academic All-American award is given to student-athletes that excel in the classroom and in competition. The Falcons have claimed 75 CSC Academic All-American awards since the 1986-87 school year. Jennifer Patton (women's volleyball) was the first honoree for the Falcons. Ester Seeland (women's track and field/women's soccer) is the most decorated individual in Messiah history with five individual honors. She was also named the CSC Academic Team Member of the Year across all of Division III athletics in 2021-22, the only time a Messiah student-athlete has earned the distinction.

Including the 2022-23 year, Messiah has earned multiple honorees in each of the last 12 academic years.

Visitors can view a full listing of Academic All-Americans as well as a selection of the most recent awards received by Messiah student-athletes in the Hall of Champions.

Click Here to view all 73 of Messiah's CSC Academic All-American honors

Player and Coach of the Year 

Messiah student-athletes and coaches have been honored by their national organizations on multiple occasions for their play on the field and their coaching on the sidelines. The Falcons have claimed 23 National Player of the Year honors across four sports and 16 National Coach of the Year honors across five sports. 

Hayden Woodworth (men's soccer) was the first Falcon honored as the National Player of the Year after the 2002 season. Including Woodworth, Messiah has picked up 23 Player of the Year honors across men's soccer (11), women's soccer (seven), field hockey (four), and men's volleyball (one). On four occasions, the Falcons have swept the men's and women's soccer Player of the Year honors and in 2010 Messiah had three student-athletes honored as Player of the Year in the fall semester.

In 1986 Layton Shoemaker was named the National Coach of the Year, the first such honor in Messiah history. Since Shoemaker, six other Messiah coaches have been honored as the Coach of the Year.

Click Here to view Messiah's Player and Coach of the Year honors

Hall of Honor

Established in 1995, the Messiah Athletics Hall of Honor recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves in athletics while representing the Falcons.

Former student-athletes, coaches, and staff/personnel members are eligible and a total of 77 members have been inducted into the Messiah Hall of Honor, including a 4x400m relay team for a total of 74 individuals.

Visitors can view plaques of all Hall of Honor inductees in the cases heading into Hitchcock Arena, opposite the large trophy cases.

Click Here to view more information on the Messiah Hall of Honor