DC to honor Hall of Fame inductees, Coaches of the Year on Saturday

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College will honor five new members to the DC Athletic Hall of Fame, seven Coaches of the Year and two impactful eras of DC football during Saturday's homecoming football game.

The five individuals that will be inducted into the DC Athletic Hall of Fame are Peggy (Hoops) Wolf ('93), Mike Moorman ('04), Lucas Dillon ('08), Justine Johnston ('09) and veteran Head Athletic Trainer Kevin Tong. DC's seven Coaches of the Year are Jason Hale, Tim Held, Tom Held, Juan Vela, Adam Huber, Sonny Lewis and Bryn Lehman. Defiance's 2001 HCAC Championship football team and many members of the 1990-93 football teams will also be recognized as they have long-awaited reunions scheduled for homecoming weekend.

"On behalf of our AVD and Hall of Fame committees, I would like to sincerely congratulate our new members and welcome them to the Defiance College Athletic Hall of Fame," said Alumni Varsity 'D' president Mark Miller ('81). "I would also like to thank them for their contributions and dedication to the women's basketball, softball, football, baseball and athletic training programs here at DC."

Peggy (Hoops) Wolf, a Patrick Henry grad from Deshler, was a standout in women's basketball during Defiance's transition from NAIA to the NCAA. A four-year letterwinner for the Yellow Jackets, Hoops was part of two conference championship teams in 1990-91 and 1992-93 while the team compiled a record of 67-33 during her four years on the floor. Hoops earned all-conference honors four times with three first team honors and two conference player of the year awards in 1992 and 1993. She currently ranks third on the all-time scoring list with 1,635 career points, fourth with 880 rebounds and remains one of just four players in program history to average more than 20 points per game in a single season.

Coldwater, Ohio native Mike Moorman played baseball in 2001 and 2002 and dotted his name all over the team's record books. His .409 career batting average still stands as the only mark better than .400. During the 2001 campaign, he batted .445 with nine homers and 36 RBIs, all top-five single-season totals including a tie for the program single-season record in home runs. Moorman was also a two-time recipient of First Team All-HCAC honors.

Lucas Dillon, hailing from Temperance, Mich., played football for the Yellow Jackets from 2004-07 as one of the program's most prestigious pass-catchers. He set single-game receiving records in the second game of 2007 against Otterbein when he hauled in 17 passes for 258 and four touchdowns. His 258 receiving yards in that contest are also an HCAC record. He also holds the football program's all-time career receiving touchdowns record with 28, highlighted by 14 scores on 93 grabs and 1,241 yards during an All-American 2007 season.

Wauseon native Justine Johnston played softball for the Yellow Jackets from 2006-09 during a three-year run of conference championships under head coach Jodie Holava. A two-time First Team All-HCAC honoree, Johnston holds the school's career pitching records with 66 wins and 412 strikeouts while ranking second in career innings pitched at 653.1 and fourth in career ERA at 2.40. 

Kevin Tong has served as the Head Athletic Trainer for Defiance College athletics since 1997. Tong has worked with every team sport at some point over 27 years with Yellow Jacket athletics with current primary focuses on football and wrestling. He also taught athletic training on campus for 23 years. Tong is an Athens, Ohio native with degrees from Ohio University and Wagner College. Counting this year's Hall of Fame class, Tong has aided the health and wellness of 11 Defiance College Hall of Famers. Kevin was also named Assistant Athletic Director during the summer of 2023.

DC's Coaches of the Year all made significant impacts on their communities during the 2022-23 seasons. Jason Hale (Class of 2022) is the head football coach at Antwerp High School and guided the Archers to the best season in school history, finishing 13-1 and advanced to the regional championship game in 2022. Tim Held (Class of 1996) is the head baseball coach at Moeller High School in Cincinnati and won his fifth state championship in 2023, and he also owns 767 career victories at the high school level. His brother, Tom Held (Class of 1985), just completed his final season as the head coach at Defiance High School where he won two state titles and went 806-182 over 35 seasons at Elmwood, Bryan and DHS. Juan Vela (Class of 2004) led the Fremont Ross girls basketball team to a 21-4 season last winter to a district championship. Adam Huber (Class of 2006) also made a deep tournament run with Kalida's girls basketball team after an 18-7 season and district final game appearance. Bryn Lehman (Class of 2013) is the head coach of DHS boy's basketball and aided the Bulldogs to a 20-5 season, runner-up in the WBL, and district runner-up in Division II. And at the college level, Sonny Lewis (Class of 1970) guided Owen's Community College women's volleyball a national runner-up finish in the 2022 NJCAA DIII Volleyball Championships and narrowly missing a fourth-straight national title.

In addition to the individual honors, the 2001 football team celebrates their 20-year reunion, which was postponed due to the pandemic. The 2001 Yellow Jackets won the school's lone HCAC football championship to date and reached the NCAA DIII playoffs after an 8-3 season and 5-1 conference record. The 1990-93 football teams were among the finest in the college's history and recorded a 33-7 record over four years under Malen Luke and was ranked as high as No. 7 in the DIII Top 25.

Saturday's football highlights DC Homecoming 2023. Kickoff between the Yellow Jackets and the Mount St. Joseph Lions is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Justin F. Coressel Stadium.

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