2026 Hall Of Fame Class Features Five Eagle Greats

The 50^th class of the Ashland University Hall of Fame boasts five of the top student-athletes over the last three decades of Eagle athletics.
 
As announced on Monday (June 8) afternoon, the latest AU Hall of Fame class officially will be inducted during the 2026 Ashland University Hall of Fame Induction and Student-Athlete of the Year recognition, Oct. 3 at 9 a.m. at the John C. Myers Convocation Center – prior to the Eagle football team's 102^nd Homecoming game at 1 p.m. vs. Tiffin at Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field.
 
Information on the newest Hall of Famers and Eagle Forever Award honoree follows.
 
JASON BOLAND, BASEBALL, 1998-2001 (AU CLASS OF 2001)
One of the top hitters in Eagle baseball history, as well as a top two-way performer, Boland is tied for second in program annals with 32 home runs, is third in games played with 223, and is tied for fourth in saves with 12. He helped Ashland make the NCAA Division II postseason three years in a row, including a College World Series appearance in 1999.
 
Boland showed his versatility by earning American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) second-team all-region honors twice and first-team All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference laurels in 2001 as a shortstop, first-team All-GLIAC recognition in 2000 as a utility player, and 1998 honorable mention All-GLIAC as a third baseman. He was the 1998 GLIAC Freshman of the Year.
 
HANNAH MATTAR KUBACKI, SWIMMING & DIVING, 2012-16 (AU CLASS OF 2016)
Mattar Kubacki was a singular force of nature at the 2016 NCAA Division II Championships – earning the Eagle women a 35^th-place national showing by herself following a 10^th-place finish in the women's 200 breaststroke, 12^th place in the women's 200 individual medley and 19^th place in the women's 400 IM.
 
A seven-time first-team All-American at Ashland, Mattar Kubacki also was a two-time GLIAC Commissioner's Award winner, two-time first-team College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-American, three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District, and the 2015 GLIAC women's Swimmer of the Year.
 
TAYLOR WOODS MCKENZIE, WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, 2011-15 (AU CLASS OF 2015)
Woods McKenzie was a starter on the Eagles' 2013 NCAA Division II national championship team, and was a long-range sharpshooter – setting program standards for 3-point field goals in a game (nine) and a season (111), and graduating with the most career triples (now No. 2 with 274). She is fourth in program history in career 3-point field-goal percentage (43.6), and No. 9 in all-time scoring with 1,509 points.
 
Along the way to the national title, Woods earned a spot on the Division II Elite Eight all-tournament team. She also was 2015 Daktronics second-team all-region, two-time first-team All-GLIAC, second-team All-GLIAC in 2013, two-time Midwest Regional all-tournament team, and 2015 GLIAC all-tournament team.
 
JAMIE MEDER, FOOTBALL, 2010-13 (AU CLASS OF 2014)
Meder was as dominant of a defensive lineman the GLIAC, the Midwest Region, and NCAA Division II saw in the first half of the decade of the 2010s. He helped the Eagles to the 2012 D-II playoffs, and was a 2013 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) first-team All-American, two-time GLIAC Defensive Lineman of the Year, 2010 GLIAC Freshman of the Year, and four-time first-team All-GLIAC.
 
Ranking fourth in Ashland football annals with 35 tackles for loss, Meder parlayed his collegiate success into a five-season National Football League career (2014-17, 2019), mostly with the Cleveland Browns. He was the 2016 Week 16 AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after he blocked a San Diego Chargers field goal attempt late in fourth quarter to help Browns maintain three-point lead during a 20-17 victory.
 
BEN MINARD, BASEBALL, 2007-10 (AU CLASS OF 2010)
Minard made his name both at the plate and on the mound as an Eagle. His career program ranks include being tied for second in home runs (32), third in batting average (.392), and fifth in RBIs (183), earning the second-most wins (35) and taking the ball for the second-most innings pitched (344 2/3). He helped Ashland to the NCAA playoffs in all four of his seasons on campus, including a College World Series spot in 2008.
 
A 2008 Daktronics and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) second-team and third-team ABCA All-American, Minard also was a two-time Daktronics honorable mention All-American (one as a pitcher, one as a designated hitter), the 2008 ABCA and Daktronics region Player of the Year, three-time ABCA and Daktronics first-team all-region, 2010 all-region second-team twice (ABCA as a first baseman, Daktronics as a pitcher), 2008 ABCA all-region Gold Glove team, 2008 GLIAC Player of the Year, three-time first-team All-GLIAC and 2009 All-GLIAC second team.
 
The 2026 class brings the total number of AU Hall of Famers to 241.
 
Tom Marquette is the 2026 Eagle Forever Award recipient. He is a 1982 Ashland College graduate who competed in varsity basketball and track and field, and he also earned his master's degree from Ashland in 1989. Marquette has been a part of the Eagle event management staff at home games since 2015, serving as the scoreboard and play clock operator at football games, shot clock operator at basketball games, and the scoreboard operator at STUNT contests.
 
Marquette is the 31^st Eagle Forever Award honoree all-time. The award is presented annually at the Hall of Fame Induction to a person or persons who have demonstrated extraordinary loyalty and support in a non-athletic capacity to the AU athletic department in ways not usually recognized.
 
Information on tickets for the 2026 Hall of Fame Induction and Student-Athlete of the Year recognition, as well as the 2025-26 AU Student-Athletes of the Year, will be released at a later date.