CHENEY, Wash. — With the tradition re-established, the 2025 Eastern Washington University Hall of Fame class has been announced with seven individuals and one team joining the list of Eastern legends to be honored.
The 2025 Class includes former student-athletes Marc Axton (men's basketball), Jim Buzzard (football) Hayley Hills (volleyball), Kyle Kelly (men's golf), Jason Marsh (football) and Vic White (tack & field/men's basketball) as new individual inductees. In addition to the individuals, the 2004 EWU Volleyball team coached by Wade Benson will be inducted to the Hall of Fame, marking the first team entrance since the Hall of Fame resumed inductions in 2024.
The induction ceremony will take place on Oct. 18 in conjunction with Eastern football's matchup against Idaho. The ceremony is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. on Oct. 18 at the Pence Union Building's Nysether Community Room on the EWU campus in Cheney, and the public is invited to attend.
Reserve your tickets to the HOF ceremony online through the link HERE.
Inductees will be honored at halftime of the football game against Idaho later that day. The group will also be honored at the Eagle volleyball game against Northern Colorado the night before (Oct. 17).
Ed Simmons (football), an inaugural inductee into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame, will also be honored during the Hall of Fame Weekend (Oct. 17-18). When his class was inducted in 1996, Simmons was playing for the Washington Redskins in the NFL and was unable to attend. He was extended a special invitation by EWU Director of Athletics Tim Collins to be re-recognized at this year's event.
Established in 1996, the Hall of Fame will now consist of 103 individuals and 19 teams following this year's induction class, the 21st all-time. In addition, there have also been 20 individuals and one organization honored as recipients of the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame Service and Contribution Award. All of the inductees and induction classes may be viewed on the EWU Hall of Fame page.
Marc Axton (2001-05) was a key cog in the Eastern's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Basketball Tournament for the 2003-04 season. During his four-year career, Axton earned three All-Big Sky Conference first team selections, marking the 18th player in the conference history to achieve the rare feat. Axton scored 1,319 points as an Eagle, ranking seventh at the time of his graduation. His point total now ranks 12th on the EWU's all-time list. The iron man of the team, Axton played in 119 games, never missing a game in four seasons. Prior to the NCAA Tournament berth, Axton propelled the Eagles to a NIT berth in the 2002-03 season. Axton was named the Big Sky freshman of the year in 2002. Axton set program records in games played, three-pointers made (184) and three-point attempts (499) as a player. He currently still ranks ninth in games played and fifth in three-point attempts.
Jim Buzzard earned NCAA FCS All-America honors twice as an offensive tackle, earning first team honors in 1997 and third team accolades in 1996. He earned All-Big Sky Conference first team honors both seasons. He was selected by the Eastern Athletic Department to the "100 for 100" All-Time Football Team, which was honored on Sept. 27, 2008, to commemorate Eastern's 100th year of football. The 1997 football team he played on was inducted into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012. That 1997 squad won the Big Sky Conference title and went on to advance to the semifinals of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs (then I-AA). The 1997 team finished 12-2 overall and 7-1 in the Big Sky Conference under head coach Mike Kramer. Buzzard originally came to Eastern as an undersized 6-foot-3, 215-pound defensive lineman, but moved to the offensive line in the spring of 1994 and gained 60 pounds. He started the 1994 season as a backup, but he got a chance to prove himself after a couple of starters went down with injuries. Eastern finished just 3-8 overall and 1-7 in the Big Sky, but tailback Joe Sewell rushed for 1,025 yards and 11 touchdowns. Eastern had another 1,000 rusher in 1996 (Sewell with 1,094) and then two in 1997 (Rex Prescott with 1,793 and Mike MacKenzie with 1,058). After his Eastern career concluded, Buzzard signed a free agent contract with San Diego of the NFL in 1998. The 1993 graduate of Centralia, Wash., HS earned his bachelor's degree from Eastern and then attended law school at Seattle University and the University of Washington. He earned his Juris Doctorate in law in less than three years, and is now partner of Buzzard O'Rourke Attorneys at Law. His wife, Meaghan, played tennis at Eastern and they have two children. Their son, William, is a second-generation Eagle football player as a redshirt in 2023 and freshman in 2024.
Hayley Hills put together a prolific career during four seasons in Cheney (2006-09), delivering 1,428 kills that remains second all-time in program history and 19th in the Big Sky's history. Her 3.85 kills per set also sits as the second-best average for an Eagle. Hills earned three All-Big Sky first team selections, the ninth player one of 18 players in conference history to achieve the mark. She was the ninth player in Big Sky history to achieve the feat at the time. The production from Hills led Eastern to success on court, winning the 2008 regular season title. That season, Hills was named the Big Sky Most Valuable Player after averaging 4.58 kills per set - 490 total - to lead the conference and rank eighth in the NCAA. She also earned the
CVU.com honorable mention Stellar Spiker accolades, becoming one of just two Big Sky players to be honored by the organization. Eastern was the runner-up in the conference tournament in both the '08 and 2006 seasons, while advancing to the semifinals in Hills sophomore and senior seasons (2007, 2009). EWU had a 46-18 record in the Big Sky and 71-46 overall during Hills' career.
Kyle Kelly is a former Eastern golfer from 1996-2000 who turned pro and made an impact regionally by winning the 2010 Rosauers Open Invitational Golf Tournament at Indian Canyon Golf Course in Spokane, Wash. He had a 15-under-par three-round total of 198 to win the title by one stroke. Kelly graduated in 1996 from North Central High School in Spokane, and played the next four seasons for the Eagles (letter winner in 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000). He was the Big Sky Conference runner-up in the 1998-99 season to earn All-Big Sky Conference honors, and also earned All-BSC honors in 1996-97 with a seventh-place finish. As a team, Eastern was second in the league in his freshman and sophomore seasons, third as a junior and sixth as a senior. In 1997-98, Eastern lost the title by a single stroke. Four times he was selected to the Big Sky Conference All-Academic team.
As a professional, Kelly spent 17 years as Director of Golf at Tamarisk Country Club in Rancho Mirage, CA. The Club has a storied history, with Ben Hogan serving as the first golf professional in 1952. Notable members include Frank Sinatra, Red Skelton, The Marx Bros, Bob Hope and others. Prior to that, he worked as an assistant professional at The Creek at Qualchan in Spokane. After his time in California, he has recently relocated back to Spokane and has taken over duties as Director of Golf at The Creek at Qualchan. Besides the 2010 Rosauers title, as a professional golfer won the Desert Chapter PGA title in 2012 and 2015. Kelly has qualified for, and competed five times in the PGA Professional National Championship, the most prestigious event for club professionals. Worth noting is he actually provided the winning nickname "The Inferno" for Roos Field in a contest prior to the debut of EWU's new red Sprinturf football surface in 2010.
Jason Marsh became EWU's first-ever MVP in the Big Sky Conference when he won the league's Defensive Player of the Year honor in 1993. That season. he was also a NCAA FCS All-American (then I-AA) at linebacker when he was selected to the third team by Associated Press. He earned first team All-Big Sky honors that season, second team accolades in 1992 and honorable mention in 1991. He set the EWU career tackles record with 347, a full 116 ahead of the previous record of 231. That record stood for seven seasons and is currently fifth entering 2024. His five career forced fumbles were a record for four seasons (now ninth). In addition, Marsh finished his career with four interceptions, 12 passes broken up, three fumble recoveries and 24 total tackles for losses totaling 46 yards. At the time, his single season tackles performances of 138 in 1991, 113 in 1992 and 96 in 1993 all ranked in the top eight in school history. His 138 were a school record for nine years (currently fifth) and his 113 tackles were second at the time (now 20th). Marsh had 22 tackles at Boise State on Sept. 21, 1991, which stood as a school record for two seasons and still ranks fourth in school history. He had a total of 11 performances of 10 tackles or more in his 32-game Eastern career. Eastern would go on to place second in the Big Sky Conference with a 5-2 record and finish 7-3 overall while just missing out on a postseason playoff berth. In 1992, the Eagles did advance to the FCS Playoffs (then I-AA) and finished 7-4 overall and 6-1 in the league to share the Big Sky championship with Idaho. Coupled with records of 5-6/4-4 in 1991, Eastern was 19-13 in his three seasons as an Eagle, including a 15-7 league mark. He was a 1989 graduate of Auburn (Wash.) High School and redshirted at Idaho in 1990 before sitting out the 1991 season because of transfer rules. Marsh was selected by the Eastern Athletic Department to the "100 for 100" All-Time Football Team, which was honored on Sept. 27, 2008, to commemorate Eastern's 100th year of football.
Vic White was a stalwart performer for the Eagles, winning six NAIA Championships in the high jump and triple jump from 1978-80. White continues to hold the outdoor triple jump record (52-8) and is second in the long jump (25-1 ¼). With White on the roster, EWU won four NAIA District 1 titles from 1977 to 1980, leading Eastern to a sixth-place finish in the NAIA Outdoor Championships in 1980 after a fourth-place finish in 1978. His two titles in 1978 helped lift Eastern to a second-place finish in the NAIA All-Sports Trophy, the school's highest placing ever. In 1980, when Eastern had dual membership in NAIA and NCAA, he finished second in the high jump (7-0 3/4) and seventh in the triple jump (50-0) at the NCAA Division II Championships to lead Eastern to a fourth-place finish. He also lettered for Eastern basketball teams in 1978 and 1979. The 1980 Eastern track and field team he competed on was inducted into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.
Led by head coach Wade Benson, the 2004 Volleyball squad won the Big Sky Conference regular season championship with a record of 12-2 and went 20-10 overall, marking the program's third-straight title. Senior Keva Sonderen received the Big Sky MVP award, finishing her career with 950 kills, a .333 hitting percentage, 326 blocks and 210 digs. She was inducted into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019. In addition, defensive specialist Andrea Verdoljak won the BSC Libero of the Year Award. Besides Sonderen, junior Lizzy Mellor earned first team All-Big Sky honors. Junior Ashley Jensen and junior Christina Albers were on the second team, and senior Deanna Albers received honorable mention. The Albers sisters, Mellor, Sonderen, Verdoljak, senior middle blocker Megan Kitterman and redshirt freshman Coco Poirer were all named to the Big Sky All-Academic team. Mellor earned a pair of Big Sky Player of the Week honors, and Deanna Albers and Jensen earned that honor once each. The Eagles swept Portland State in their first Big Sky Tournament game in front of 1,750 fans at Reese Court, then 1,544 showed up the next night for a four-set loss to Sac State in the title game. Sonderen and Kitterman were named to the Big Sky All-Tournament team as Kitterman finished her career with 810 kills, 236 blocks, 267 digs and a .315 hitting percentage.
2025 EWU football tickets are now on sale! Join Spokane County's team for all five home games at Roos Field in Cheney starting as low as $99. Group tickets, fundraising options and single game tickets are also available. For more info, visit goeags.com/fbtickets or contact the EWU Ticket Office at 509-359-6059 or tickets@ewu.edu.
2025 EWU volleyball tickets are now on sale! Join Spokane County's team for all ten home games at Reese Court in Cheney. For more info, visit https://goeags.evenue.net/list/VB or contact the EWU Ticket Office at 509-359-6059 or tickets@ewu.edu.
Join the Eagle Athletic Fund for as low as $50 per year! Support Eagle student-athletes on and off the field while enjoying exclusive EAF perks such as season ticket and tailgating priority, invitations to special events, exclusive access and more. Visit goeags.com/eaf for more information.
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
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