FULTON, Mo. - The William Woods University Athletic Department is excited to announce the William Woods Athletics Hall of Fame inductees for the class of 2026. Four individuals – Megan Van Harn (women's track and field), Zlata Shuraeva (women's tennis), Rodrigo Alves (men's soccer), and David Houlding (men's golf) - and the 2006 Women's Cross Country team were voted by the committee to become the next members of the university's esteemed Hall. Each honoree is an embodiment of the mission of William Woods Athletics, to strive for a lifetime of excellence.  

Megan Van Harn is the first of the individual nominees. Easily one of the most athletic individual performers the university has seen, Van Harn spent the end of the 2010's dominating a variety of events. Her best scores place in the top five for eight indoor and nine outdoor events at William Woods, including the first-place record for the indoor 400-meter dash (59.81), indoor 4x400-meter relay (4:05.94), and outdoor 400-meter dash (57.73). Van Harn is one of seven indoor and eight outdoor NAIA All-Americans for the university, placing fourth in the indoor pentathlon in 2019, and third, seventh, and third in the 2017, 2018, and 2019 outdoor heptathlons respectively. She helped the outdoor team to a conference championship in 2017, and five total top three finishes between the indoor and outdoor seasons. Her other accolades include three AMC Outstanding Track Athlete of the Years (one indoor, two outdoor), two AMC Freshman of the Years (one indoor, one outdoor), 2020 CoSida Academic All-America Second Team, nine All-AMC First Team finishes, seven second teams, and three third teams. 
 

Zlata Shuraeva receives her moment of well-deserved honor after a career of consistently high achievement for the Owls' women's tennis program from 2016-21, highlighted by three NAIA All-American nods: 2019 first team, 2018 second team, and 2017 honorable mention. To pair, Shuraeva earned her flowers from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association as well, notching three ITA All-Americans for singles and one for doubles. Her sophomore season in 2017-18 was arguably the most elite, seeing her win the second most single season combined matches in program history with 39, a program-high 24 doubles wins, and earn a fourth-place finish in both singles and doubles at the ITA Cup. Across her successful career, Shuraeva now holds the third most singles wins in program history (62), most doubles wins (84), and second most combined wins (146). Her play earned her individual national ranking each season, and she contributed to a total of 8 team wins at the NAIA National Championship and a program-high national ranking of three in the 2016-17 season. 
 

Rodrigo Alves stands as one of the most credentialed alumni of the men's soccer program, competing for the Owls from 2014-17. Only five men's soccer players have earned the coveted title of NAIA All-American, and just three have done it twice. Alves' dynamic 2016 and 2017 campaigns made him one of the three, earning honorable mention status in each season. For his combination of athletic and academic success, Alves was selected as a member of the CoSida Academic All-America First Team in 2016 and 2017 as well, the only William Woods Men's Soccer player with two first team nods. His 35 goals and 76 points stand as third and fourth most in program history respectively. Likewise, his 32-point seasons in 2016 and 2017 are tied for third, and the 15-goal season in 2016 is enough for second all-time. Beyond just the individual accomplishments, Alves was a determined leader capable of winning matches. The 2017 season is widely regarded as the most successful in the almost 30-year history of the men's soccer team. The group had an overall record of 13-4-3, a team record for wins and winning percentage, were 10-0-1 in conference play, establishing one of two first place finishes, and had the only NAIA National Tournament appearance for the program. 
 

David Houlding rounds out the group of individual honorees after a career of national significance for the men's golf team from the 2013-14 to 2016-17 seasons. As an individual performer, Houlding easily resides with some of the most decorated. A 4x All-AMC First Team, 4x NAIA All-American, 4x NGCA All-American, a 2015 finalist for NAIA National Player of the Year, 2015 AMC Player of the Year, 2016 AMC Individual Tournament Champion, and member of the 2015 All-Nicklaus Team (top 15 players in college golf) Houlding's accomplishments are endless. He holds the school and AMC record for 18-hole score (11-under par, 61) and 72-hole score (8-under par, 280), and his play placed him or his team in the top three of 11 different records at William Woods. With such a stretch of individual mastery over the sport, Houlding's teams were not lacking in successes either. Men's golf won four straight AMC Championships, placed third (2014), second (2015), third (2016), and fourth (2017) at the NAIA National Championships, and ranked number one overall in 2016 by the NAIA and throughout Houlding's career by various organizations. The 2013-14 and 2014-15 William Woods Men's Golf teams are already enshrined in the Hall of Fame, and it is only right that Houlding takes his place next to them. 
 

The final inductee for the William Woods Hall of Fame class of 2026 is the 2006 Women's Cross Country team. A program that began in 2004, the third team to ever don William Woods' green and white is still regarded as the most successful in 21 years. The team broke onto the scene with a first-place finish at the NAIA Mid States Classic over 23 teams, five of which were nationally ranked, placing five runners in the top 30 finishes in a pool of 196 runners. This victory earned the program its first national ranking. From there, the group proceeded to cruise through the AMC Championship, finishing the one through five positions for a perfect score of 15 and the second conference title at the time. Loice Chipkorir was named the AMC Runner of the Year for her first-place finish. At the NAIA Central Region Championships, the cross country team finished second, high enough to compete at the NAIA National Championship for the first time. At nationals, the team finished 16th with a total score of 447 points, the best national finish to date. Ranked seventh at their peak and 12th in the final NAIA poll, the 2006 Women's Cross Country set the standard for the future of runners at William Woods.

The 2026 Hall of Fame ceremony will take place on Friday, September 25th at the historic McNutt Campus Center.