Three former student-athletes, Andrea (Marin) Blanton, Monique (Maher) Hurrle, and Josh Robson, were all honored for their contributions to MVNU as part of the evening’s festivities that also included honoring the first Cougar men’s basketball and baseball teams on the 40th anniversary of the first year of sports at MVNU.

Blanton was a three-year member of the softball team from 1989 to 1991 after transferring to MVNU from Scottsdale Community College in Arizona. She also played one season on the Lady Cougars’ volleyball team.

During her career with the Lady Cougars, Blanton helped lead MVNU to an impressive three-year mark of 82-30 for a .732 winning percentage. The team captured a share of the Mid-Ohio Conference title in 1989 by posting a 33-10 overall record.

As a pitcher for the Lady Cougars, Blanton posted a 45-12 record on the mound for her career with a microscopic 0.97 earned run average that still stands as the best mark in the program’s history. She is also still tied for third place in school history with 45 career wins. In 382.2 innings, she allowed just 53 earned runs.

Blanton was named to the Mid-Ohio Conference Team as both a junior and a senior and she was selected as the NAIA District 22 Co-Player of the Year as a senior in 1991.

Hurrle was a four-year member of the women’s basketball team during her time at MVNU from 1992 to 1996.

During her career with the Lady Cougars, Hurrle helped lead MVNU to its first-ever National Christian College Athletic Association national title and the best record in program history during her sophomore season (1993-1994) when the team posted a 23-10 final mark.

At the time of her graduation, Hurrle held the Lady Cougars’ records for career scoring (1,319 points), single-season scoring (489 points), and single-game scoring (34 points) as well as the school records for most field goals made in a season (183) and in a career (481), most free throws attempted (374) and made (280) in a career, most games played in a career (105), most steals in a season (95), and most blocked shots in a game (7). She still ranks fifth in career points and field goals made, second in career blocked shots (98), and ninth in career rebounds (628).

Hurrle was named to the Mid-Ohio Conference First Team and the NCCAA All-American First Team as a senior. She was also named to the NCCAA All-National Tournament Team as a sophomore when the Lady Cougars won the NCCAA national title. In addition, she was a two-time NAIA and NCCAA Scholar-Athlete.

Robson was a three-year member of the men’s soccer team during his time at MVNU from 1998 to 2000 after transferring in from the University of Akron for his final three seasons.

During his career with the Cougars, Robson helped lead MVNU to a 52-20-3 overall record - the best three-year span in the history of the program so far. He also helped the team to its first two National Christian College Athletic Association East Region titles and the Cougars’ first three berths in the NCCAA National Tournament as the team qualified each of his three seasons.

Robson still holds the school records for most goals scored in a single season (32) and in a career (79) as well as most total points in a season (77) and in a career (196). He actually still ranks 20th in NAIA history in career points despite playing just three seasons.

Among the many honors that Robson received, he is the only three-time American Mideast Conference First Team and NCCAA All-American First Team selection in MVNU men’s soccer history as well as the only two-time NAIA Honorable Mention All-American pick. He was also chosen as the AMC Player of the Year as a senior in 2000, and he was named the NAIA National Player of the Week once in each of his three seasons.

With the addition of the three new inductees, the Cougar Wall of Fame has now grown to include 46 members. Of the 45 living members of the Wall of Fame, 10 of them were at the banquet and were each introduced.

In addition to the annual Wall of Fame induction ceremony, the 1968-1969 men’s basketball team and the 1969 baseball team were honored as the first MVNU teams in celebration of the 40 years of Cougar sports. A 10-minute video tribute of the history of MVNU sports was shown, and Chet Foraker, the school’s first athletic director and coach, was the featured speaker. He praised the current coaches for continuing the tradition that was started, for winning the right way, and for making such a tremendous impact on their players. "MVNU is very fortunate to have the people in the athletic department that they do,” said Foraker. "Not every Christian institution can boast of the success both on and off the court or field that MVNU does. The coaches are doing things the right way and God has honored that.”

Two of Foraker’s former players, Rick Hershberger and Dan Noel, also shared a few memories of their time at MVNU and what that time has come to mean to them now 40 years later. Dr. Dan Martin, MVNU’s president, also announced that a conference room that was being built in the renovated Barn where the first basketball team practiced would be named in honor of Foraker.

40-Year Video Tribute to MVNU Athletics