LIBERTY, Mo. - William Jewell College Athletics has announced the five individuals and one team that will be enshrined into the Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Among the former greats to be honored are Austin Kretchmar, '16 (baseball), Andrew Peters, '02 (men's basketball), Jimi Reed, '86 (football), Faith Song, '15 (softball), and Jessica Stewart Boan, '10 (women's basketball), along with the 2015 baseball team. 

The Hall of Fame induction will take place at Yates Gill College Union on Thursday, September 24, as part of Homecoming Weekend. Ticket information will be available in the coming weeks. 

Hall of Famers are selected by a two-thirds vote of the Hall of Fame Committee which consists of athletics alumni and current and former staff. A ten-year waiting period is required for all honorees and may be presented posthumously. Below are brief summaries of the accomplishements of the 2026 induction class. 

Austin Kretchmar, '16
Kretchmar appeared in 30 games on the mound with 28 starts, going 18-7 over two seasons with Jewell after transferring from Redlands Community College. As a junior, he was the No. 1 pitcher for the Cardinals, going 9-3 over 16 games with a 2.66 earned run average to lead hist team to the program's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. That season, he struck out 53 batters over 98 innings of work on his way to First Team All-GLVC honors, the first Cardinal to do so. As a senior, he boasted a 3.07 ERA in 14 games (91 IP) with 63 strikeouts. Over two seasons, he was twice named to the All-GLVC First Team and was a member of three All-Region Second Team squads, twice as junior (NCBWA & D2SIDA) and once as a senior (ABCA). He graduated as the Cardinals NCAA era leader in career ERA (2.34) and wins (18), and single season innings pitched (98). 

Andrew Peters, '02
The latest in a line of men's basketball greats to be selected for the Hall of Fame, Andrew Peters was a four-year letterwinner from 1998-2002, earning All-HAAC First Team honors twice, before picking up a coveted NAIA All-America First Team selection in 2001. Today, he still ranks among the top-25 in career defensive rebounds (571), rebounding average (7.0), defensive rebounding average (4.6), offensive rebounds (293), offensive rebounding average (2.4), assists (377), assists average (3.0), games played (124), free throws made (308), rebounds, (864), field goal percentage (.541), starts (95), minutes played (3,259), and scoring, (1,159). In a single season, he is among the top-25 all-time in minutes played, rebounds, assists, assists average, offensive rebounds, and defensive rebounds. Over his career, the Cardinals went 88-51 with a conference championship and one NAIA National Tournament apperance.

Jimi Reed, '86
A member of the great football team of the early 1980's, Jimi Reed was a two-time NAIA All-America Honorable Mention selection while also earning consecutive All-HAAC honors. Today, he still sits atop the all-time single season receiving yards list, hauling in 1,165 in 1982 for an average of 20.09 per catch, second all-time. He also ranks among the top-25 in a single season in total receptions (58), receiving touchdowns (6), and all-purpose yards (1,165). During his career, the Cardinals went 42-6-1 with four conference championships and three trips to the NAIA National Playoffs, culminating in a national runner-up finish in 1982. 

Faith Song, '15
The second softball player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in as many years and third overall, Faith Song was a 2015 NCAA All-America Third Team performer and is recognized as one of the great two-way players in program history. The all-time leader in career home runs (37) and single season RBI (50), she also sits among the top-15 in program history in batting average (.337), slugging percentage (.581), on-base percentage (.381), games played (195), starts (195), at-bats (635), runs scored (126), hits (214), doubles (42), RBI (150), walks (42), ERA (3.60), opponent batting average (.271), wins by a pitcher (29), appearances  (70), starts by a pitcher (45), complete games (18), innings pitched (303), strikeouts (116), and assists (281). During her career, the Cardinals went 115-82 with two trips to the GLVC Tournament. In her final two seasons, she was selected All-GLVC First Team twice before earning NFCA All-Region First Team honors in 2015. 

Jessica Stewart Boan, '10
Stewart wasted no time bursting upon the scene for the Cardinal women's basketball program, earning Heart of America Freshman of the Year honors in 2006. She went on to pick up four consecutive All-GLVC honors, before being named an NAIA All-America Honorable Mention honoree in 2009. The all-time assists leader in program history, she handed out 459, including 109 in 2010, for an average of 3.4 per game. In her career, she boasted five games with at least seven assists, highlighted by a nine assist performance against William Woods in November 2006. During her career, the Cardinals went 119-48 with regular season conference championships in 2007 and 2010, along with a tournament titles in 2009 and 2010. Jewell also made four trips to the NAIA National Tournament that included back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances. 

2015 Baseball Team
The first Jewell men's team in any sport to break into the NCAA Division II National Tournament, this Cardinal squad, coached by Mike Stockton, went 38-19 overall and 24-12 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, highest marks of the program's NCAA era. The team featured five All-GLVC performers along with two players, Luke Lucchetti and Austin Kretchmar, who combined for four All-Region honors across three organizations, while Stockton was named the NCBWA Midwest Region Coach of the Year.