Boasting 12 national championships and 21 All-American honors, six Charger athletes will join the Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Fame at a ceremony in the Searle Center this fall. 

Keith Otterbein ’79, Michael Michno ’84, Michael Nugent ’85, Cleves Delp ’86, Troy Weatherhead ’11, and Emily (Oren) Newcomb ’16 will join 96 individuals and 17 teams as the 26th class of inductees to receive the honor. 

“It’s been fun to reflect on my time at Hillsdale and relive some of the moments,” Newcomb said. “It’s great to be recognized for all the hard work I put in during my time at Hillsdale. But I also don’t think any of this would have been possible without my teammates and coaches who really pushed me to be better, so in a way, it also feels like I’m sharing the honor with all of those people as well.” 

Newcomb, the youngest member of the 2025 hall of fame class, is the most-decorated athlete the college has ever produced, racking up nine national championships and 14 All-American honors while on the track team, according to a Hillsdale College Athletics press release. 

Her school records in the indoor mile, indoor 3,000-meter run, outdoor 3,000-meter steeplechase and distance medley relay still stand today, as well as her indoor mile record at the NCAA Division II National Championships.

Newcomb said the thing she remembers the most about her time at the college is all the friendships she built running on the back roads of Hillsdale.

“Obviously it was super fun to win all the national titles and become All-American a lot, but it would have not been nearly as satisfying if I didn’t have my team around me cheering me on while I did it,” Newcomb said.

After graduating, Newcomb worked at Hillsdale College for several years as an admissions counselor while running professionally and competing at the 2016 and 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials in the steeplechase.

“The support I received from the college while a student and an employee has allowed me to really fully explore all these different parts of myself and life and grow in so many ways,” Newcomb said. “It has made me a better wife, friend, daughter, sister, and employee.”

Another star on the track for Hillsdale, Michael Michno finished his collegiate career as the NAIA national champion in the 1,500-meter run during the 1984 season. He also earned All-American honors twice while wearing the Charger uniform.

“I look at the names who have been inducted in front of me,” Michno said. “It’s just quite an honor to be put with those types of athletes.”

According to Michno, Hillsdale was the perfect place for him to be during that part of his life and athletic career.

“Those four years of development really helped the rest of my career because starting in 1984 I was able to then dedicate myself to seeing how much I could really push my body, which got me to the 1988, 1992, and 1996 Olympic trials,” Michno said. “I also was able to run professionally for close to 10 years on both the European circuit and on the indoor and outdoor circuits in the United States.”

Michno said he attributes much of this success to his coach, Joe Rogers.

“There were times he probably should have just put me on a bus and sent me back to Detroit, and he just stuck with me. I think he saw something in me,” Michno said. “I needed to do some serious maturing as an individual and an athlete. When I look back at my career, I’m going ‘yeah, I would’ve gotten rid of me in a heartbeat.’”

Making the honor all the more exciting for Michno is the nomination of his teammate, Michael Nugent, he said.

Nugent won back-to-back NAIA National Championships in the indoor 3-mile run and collected three All-American awards at Hillsdale. In addition to his athletic success, Nugent was named the Outstanding Senior Man of the 1985 class.

On the football field, hall of fame inductee Troy Weatherhead set NCAA all-division records for single season completion percentage (76.9%) and career completion percentage (70.2%) during his three years as starting quarterback for the Hillsdale football team.

Weatherhead won All-American honors in 2010 while leading the Chargers to their first conference title in nearly two decades. 

“I am truly humbled and honored by this recognition,” Weatherhead said. “It is a true testament to my teammates and coaches I played with during my time. I was so blessed to play quarterback with incredible talent at every position around me, and this honor is as much about those guys as it is about me.”

Weatherhead said the lessons he learned in building trust, accountability, and responsibility while in a Charger uniform he still carries with him today in his personal and professional life.

“I remember the pride I had wearing a Hillsdale jersey, and carrying on the legacy of so many that played before me,” Weatherhead said. “The rich tradition associated with the football program is special, and to represent the school and alumni was something I cherished during my time.”

Alongside Weatherhead at the induction ceremony will be his head coach — Keith Otterbein. An All-American linebacker during his time as a player for Hillsdale in the 1970s, Otterbein returned to the Charger football program as a head coach in 2002. 

In his 22 seasons coaching, he won 133 games and four conference championships. The Chargers made three NCAA DII playoff appearances under Otterbein’s tenure where they collected their only two NCAA DII playoff victories in program history.

The final inductee of the 2025 hall of fame class, Cleves Delp, started at first base for the Hillsdale baseball team and led the team in slugging percentage for two years in a row. Delp has continued to support the Chargers since graduation with gifts that have enabled the construction of athletic facilities on campus. All five of his children have attended and played sports at Hillsdale College.

The hall of fame induction for the new class of Chargers will begin at 5 p.m. on Sept. 26 with a cocktail hour followed by dinner and a ceremony.

Newcomb and Weatherhead said their advice to current Charger athletes is to cherish every moment of their collegiate careers and the relationships they build.

“The accolades are fun in the moment, and even fun to relive years later, but what has really changed me and been a lasting piece of my time as an athlete is my friends,” Newcomb said. “Make sure you surround yourself with the right people who will give you good advice and keep you going when it gets hard.”

Regardless of the size of the school, Michno said Hillsdale athletes should never underestimate what they can do.

“Once you get out, nobody cares whether you went to Hillsdale or you went to Villanova or you went to Michigan,” Michno said. “Once you put your toe on the line everybody’s equal. Never underestimate what you can do just because of the size of the school. Whether you’re an athlete or just a student there, it’s quite an accomplishment to be a part of the Hillsdale family.”