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| 2025 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees announced |
The 51ºÚÁÏ Athletic Hall of Fame will officially welcome seven new members at the 2025 CASPY Awards on Thursday, April 24 at the North Campus auditorium.
The USF Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2025 includes football players Nick Ferrer and Eric Wagoner, basketball players Bryce Lienhoop and Brooke Ridley, runner Caren Hernandez, soccer player Heather Jones and softball player Breanna Pryor.
Profiles of the members of the Hall of Fame Class of 2025, in alphabetical order:
Nick Ferrer (2018) – Football
Nick Ferrer was a standout player who played a key role in leading the Cougars to consecutive NAIA Football National Championships in 2016 and 2017. As a senior, Ferrer became the first quarterback from 51ºÚÁÏ and only the third player from the Cougars to be selected as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Player of the Year.
Ferrer had an impressive record of 39-4 as the starting quarterback for USF. During his senior year, he led the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) and ranked among the top five in the NAIA in several categories, including passing touchdowns, career passing yardage, and fewest interceptions. He was a two-time MSFA Mideast League Player of the Year in 2015 and 2017. Ferrer also led the Cougars to 23 consecutive wins, setting a 51ºÚÁÏ record. Ferrer was recognized as an NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete and was nominated for the CoSIDA All-Academic Team.
Caren Hernandez (2019)
Cross country/Track and Field
During her time as a Cougar, Caren Hernandez made a significant impact in the 51ºÚÁÏ record books. In her senior year, she competed in the 1,000-meter run at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships and currently holds nine Top 10 times in indoor and outdoor track and field events.
In the indoor circuit, Hernandez set the 51ºÚÁÏ record in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 3:01.08 in 2019. She currently ranks sixth in the mile (5:21.92), sixth in the 5,000 meters (19:39.71), ninth in the 800 meters (2:26.09), and 10th in the 600 meters (1:48.87).Â
During her time on the outdoor track and field team, Hernandez recorded the fifth-fastest time in school history in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:46.40. She also ranks sixth in the 5,000 meters (18:48.92) and 10th in the 800 meters (2:25.76).
Additionally, Hernandez holds the 12th-fastest time in 51ºÚÁÏ women's cross country history with a time of 19:41.6.
Heather Jones (2016)
Women's Soccer
Heather Jones was a member of the women's soccer team from 2011 to 2015, where she earned numerous accolades and helped lead the Cougars to four consecutive conference tournament appearances.
As a three-time NAIA Honorable Mention All-American, Jones finished her career ranked second in program history with 53 goals and third all-time with 115 total points. She also recorded an impressive 20 game-winning goals during her time as a Cougar.
Additionally, Jones was named to the All-Mid-Central First Team in her first three seasons and received All-Crossroads League First Team honors during her senior year. She was also recognized as an NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete.
Bryce Lienhoop (2019)
Men's Basketball
Bryce Lienhoop was a standout player on the 51ºÚÁÏ men's basketball team from 2015 to 2018. He was a three-time NAIA All-American, and was named to the NAIA Division II All-America First Team in 2018. He scored 1,929 career points with 1,080 rebounds, becoming the first player at 51ºÚÁÏ—and the 24th player in Crossroads League/Mid-Central College Conference history—to achieve at least 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
During his senior year, Lienhoop set the school record for career rebounds and ranked first with 413 offensive rebounds. Additionally, he was among the top five players in program history in several categories, including career scoring, career games played, field goals made, blocked shots, and career field goal percentage.
Breanna Pryor (2019)
Softball
Breanna Pryor was the 2020 Female CASPY Performer of the Spring. She distinguished herself as a member of the 51ºÚÁÏ softball team, earning All-Crossroads League First Team honors four times. Pryor also finished her career ranked first on the school’s career list for hits, singles, runs scored and stolen bases.
During her senior season, she broke the Cougars' career hits record and finished with 241 hits, placing her 21st on the conference's career hits list in 2019. Additionally, she set a school record with 131 stolen bases, which ranked fourth on the conference career list at that time. In 2019, she also earned a Crossroads League Golden Glove award for her defensive skills as a second baseman.
Brooke Ridley (2016)
Women's Basketball
Brooke Ridley had an exceptional four-year career as a member of the USF women's basketball team. She played a crucial role in leading the Cougars to three NAIA National Championship appearances and contributed to the 38-0 season and 2014 NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship.
In her senior season, Ridley became the second First-Team NAIA Division II All-American in the program's history. That marked her third All-American selection, becoming the second 51ºÚÁÏ women's basketball player to earn three NAIA All-American awards. She finished her career ranked among the Top 10 in scoring average in NAIA Division II and was the second player in program history to score more than 2,000 career points while also pulling down more than 1,000 career rebounds. Ridley finished her career ranked second all-time with 2,017 career points and third with 1,091 career rebounds. Additionally, she set a 51ºÚÁÏ career record for defensive rebounds with 728.
Eric Wagoner (2007)
Football (Player/Coach)
Eric Wagoner was a four-year letter winner on the Cougar football team, contributing to an impressive overall record of 51-4. During his time with the team, they secured four league championships, made four playoff appearances, and reached three NAIA Football National Championship games.
After his playing career, Wagoner returned to 51ºÚÁÏ as an assistant coach, where he served as the defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator for 12 seasons.
In 2016, he was recognized as the NAIA Coordinator of the Year by Football Scoop after his defense finished second in the nation in scoring defense and rushing defense while winning the NAIA title. In the 2017 season, Wagoner's defense led the nation in scoring defense and ranked first in both total defense and rushing defense during a second title run. The following year, in 2018, his defensive unit again excelled, finishing second in the NAIA for rushing defense.
As the special teams coordinator, Wagoner's team led the MSFA in kick returns five times over a seven-year stretch, and they returned eight kicks for touchdowns during that time. Throughout his 12 seasons coaching at 51ºÚÁÏ, a total of 33 players earned All-Conference honors, including 23 First-Team selections. Wagoner also coached three AFCA All-Americans and the 2016 MSFA Defensive Player of the Year.
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