The Alfred State Athletic Department is excited to announce the 2026 Hall of Fame Class. The 2026 class includes five athletes, Lera Braun (Volleyball), Derrick Harper (Football/Track & Field), Rocky Myers (Baseball), Kali Muhleisen (Soccer), and George (Ian) Van Valen (Wrestling). The 2012-13 women's soccer team will be latest team to be honored while Craig Hoyt and Paul Welker will be inducted as athletic department contributors.
Derrick Harper was a two-time NJCAA All-American in track & field and a second-team All-Conference honoree in football. He was the 2000 National Champion in Long Jump and was part of the 4x400 and 4x100 National Champion relay teams. At the 2000 NJCAA National Championship meet, Harper finished fourth in the 200-meter dash, and fifth in the 100-meter dash. In the 2001 outdoor National Championship meet, he was part of the 4x400 winning relay team, while he also finished third in the long jump, fourth in the 100-meter dash, and fifth in the 200-meter dash.
Rocky Myers hit 16 home runs, 28 doubles, and six triples. He collected 105 RBI and had a .674 slugging percentage. During the 1998-99 season, he hit 14 home runs, with a .699 slugging percentage, leading the team to a Region 3 Championship. That year Myers garnered All-WNYAC, All-Region honors, and was Alfred State's Most Dedicated Player.
Kali Muhleisen was the offensive leader for three seasons for the women's soccer team, as she tallied 73 goals and four assists. In her freshman year she was named Alfred State Female Freshman Athlete of the Year as well as Division III Player of the Week. Muhleisen garnered both NJCAA and USCAA All-American honors.
Lera Braun was a two-time USCAA All-American. During her career, she tallied 3,792 assists (averaging 8.19 assists per set), 286 aces (averaging .63 aces per set), for a total of 612.5 points. She also was credited with 737 digs. She has the record for most aces in a three-set match (10), most assists in a four-set match (50), and is currently the career leader in assists and aces.
George (Ian) Van Valen was a three-time NWCA All-American, was a two-time NWCA finalist, and in 2018 he won the NWCA National Championship. He earned 117 career wins which stood as the program's best mark for eight years.
The 2012 women's soccer team went 18-2 and has the longest winning streak in program history at 17 wins in a row. The team finished second in Region III. Then in the 2013 season, the team went 12-5-1 and advanced to the USCAA National Championship semifinal game. They were the first team to compete in the USCAA postseason and the appearance was the first of four straight trips.
Craig Hoyt has served as the voice of Alfred State football and basketball since doing his internship in the Sports Information Office in the Fall of 2008. He has also pitched in a wide variety of public address roles for conference tournaments and high school events hosted at the college.
Paul Welker served as the Alfred State Sports Information Director from 2001 until 2021. In that time, he built the first athletics website, www.alfredstateathletics.com. He was the recipient of the William S. Havens award four times for his work, served on multiple different committees across the campus, and served as a pitching coach for multiple years for the baseball team.
The 2026 Hall of Fame Class will honored during the 2026 Alumni Reunion on Saturday, June 13. The induction ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. in the Student Leadership Center.