Harper College Athletics inducts inaugural Hall of Fame class

Harper College Athletics recently started not one, but two new traditions. At a recent ceremony, the department inducted the inaugural class of the Harper Athletics Hall of Fame while simultaneously awarding the first-ever HAWKYS Awards to celebrate the best of the 2025-26 seasons.

With the ESPYs as inspiration, Harper Athletics hosted a gala event in the gym of the campus Health and Recreation Center, honoring the best athletes, teams, coaches, partners and moments from the past year. At the same time, the event brought back some legendary figures back to Harper, including members from national championship teams and coaches that have left a lasting impact on generations of student-athletes.

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“The inaugural HAWKYS Awards and Hall of Fame ceremony successfully established a new tradition within Harper College Athletics – one that unites past and present while celebrating the people, performances and partnerships that continue to elevate the Hawks,” said Dr. Cedric Brown, director of athletics. “By honoring both current achievements and historic milestones, the event reflects the department’s commitment to excellence, community engagement and sustained competitive success.”

The induction of the Harper College Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026 honored individuals and teams whose impact helped shape Harper’s athletic tradition. The class features four influential coaches and administrators whose decades of leadership built the foundation for sustained success across multiple programs. The inductees included:

John Eliasik, who led Harper’s football program from 1971 to 2005. The winningest coach in NJCAA football history who drove teams to national championships, Eliasik built a premiere football program that developed student-athletes who often moved on to compete at higher levels.

Martha Lynn Bolt, athletics administrator and coach for women’s tennis and gymnastics from 1974 to 1996. A trailblazer for women’s sports, Bolt established the women’s tennis and gymnastics teams in the 1970s, displaying a commitment to development, competitiveness and academic balance.

Roger Bechtold, athletics administrator and coach for men’s basketball and golf from 1972 to 2002. Bechtold helped shape the foundation of Harper Athletics by sharing his long-term vision and imbuing stability during a transformative era for the department.

Renee Zellner, who has coached Harper’s men’s and women’s track and field programs since 1980. Zellner was praised for more than four decades of leadership that built programs into national powers and achieved multiple NJCAA championships.

The Hall of Fame class also recognized two championship teams whose achievements stand among the finest in Harper history: the 1994 NJCAA Division III Wrestling National Championship team and the 2011 NJCAA Division III Women’s Track and Field National Championship team. These were the first teams in Harper’s history to capture men’s and women’s national championships, respectively.

“This championship laid the foundation for a lasting wrestling dynasty, as [Coach Dan] Loprieno would go on to lead the Hawks to five additional national titles and cement the 1994 team’s legacy as true pioneers,” said emcee (and Harper Athletics Academic Advisor) Steve Hayes, while inducting the wrestling team. Hayes also highlighted the enduring influence of the women’s track and field team. “This landmark championship not only represented a breakthrough moment for Harper women’s athletics, but also solidified the program’s place on the national stage.”

To highlight the best of what’s happening right now in Harper Athletics, student-athletes, coaches and others were invited to vote for their peers in the first edition of the HAWKYS. Categories varied from Best Male Athlete and Best Female Team to awards that honored the best in student service to the community, Hawks pride, scholar-athletes and campus partners.

The Moment of the Year award went to Dominic Giuseffi for breaking Harper records at indoor Track and Field meets. The freshman made a memorable debut as a Hawk with a 60-meter sprint at North Central College that established a new school record (6.93 seconds). He set another Harper record at the following meet, the Chicago Collegiate Invitational, in the 200-meter sprint (22.53 seconds).

The full list of 2026 HAWKYS recipients is below. For more information about Harper College Athletics, visit HarperHawks.net.

Male Athlete of the Year: Aiden Cohen (Wrestling)

Female Athlete of the Year: Grace Nikolakakis (Women’s Soccer)

Male Team of the Year: Men’s Cross Country (NJCAA Division III National Champions)

Female Team of the Year: Women’s Cross Country (NJCAA Division III All-Americans)

Moment of the Year: Dominic Giuseffi – Indoor Track and Field School Records

SOAR Award: Nejira Duratovic (Women’s Soccer)

Unsung Hero Award: Steve Hayes

Hawks Pride Awards: Vera Tun (Athletics Administrative Assistant) and Carter Swearingen (Men’s Track and Field)

SAAC Spirit Award: Michael Galloway (Wrestling)

Male Service Award: Mitchell Hall (Baseball)

Female Service Award: Jocelyn Erling (Volleyball)

Male Team Service Award: Baseball

Female Team Service Award: Volleyball

Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Ukyo Takahashi (Soccer)

Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Winner: Ana Kadolph (Volleyball)

Professor of the Year Winner: Dan Loprieno (Mathematics)

Campus Partner of the Year: Student Engagement (Erin Graff and Melanie Duchaj)

Community Partner of the Year: Eddie Wojcik

Stakeholder of the Year: Renee Zellner