Hall-of-fame class, award winners for 2019-20 announced

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College Department of Athletics has announced award winners from the 2019-20 academic year, including its hall-of-fame class, the male and female athletes of the year and its coaches of the year.

The award recipients are typically honored during homecoming weekend. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Defiance canceled its 2020 homecoming, originally scheduled for Oct. 9-10, and is not competing in the traditional fall sports of football, soccer and volleyball until the spring 2021 semester.

The Yellow Jackets' Alumni Varsity D Club chose four new members to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Those 2020 honorees include Wayne Cooper '72, Danyel Bowman '10, Bill Ondrus '80 and Scott Swartz '80. Cooper, Ondrus and Swartz were four-year lettermen in football for DC while Bowman was a standout volleyball player for four seasons.

Selected by Defiance's Purple and Gold Club, Yellow Jackets Rosendo Beltran (wrestling) and Madi Bowman (track and field, soccer) were named to receive the Marv Hohenberger Award and the Duane Hocking Award, respectively, for 2019-20. The Hohenberger Award is presented annually to DC's top male student-athlete in a given academic year while the Hocking Award goes to the most outstanding female student-athlete. Hohenberger and Hocking are former athletic administrators and coaches at Defiance and longtime supporters of the college. 

Also picked by the Alumni Varsity D Club, four area alumni are to collect a Coach of the Year Award. After leading their teams to tremendous seasons in 2019-20, Owens Community College head volleyball coach Sonny Lewis '70, Evergreen High School head boys basketball coach Jerry Keifer '88, Antwerp High School head boys basketball coach Doug Billman '02 and Defiance High School head boys cross country coach Obie Mouser '68 were named as top coaches.

More information about each of the award winners will be announced prior to them being recognized during the Yellow Jackets' 2021 homecoming festivities next fall.