Lock Haven Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023 enshrined

LOCK HAVEN, PA – On Friday, Sept. 22, the Lock Haven Athletics Hall of Fame committee held its annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony during Homecoming weekend and the Class of 2023 was officially enshrined.

The event was held at Haywood’s on the Green in Mill Hall and once again provided a special event, and one that helped usher in Homecoming Weekend 2023 and the official start of fall in The Haven.

The ninth Hall of Fame Class included Mark Waite ’94, Blair Wynne ’07, the late Ken Cox, the late Ward Hile and the 1957 football team.

Founded in 2015, the Lock Haven Athletics Hall of Fame mission reads: The Hall of Fame will include and honor our finest athletes, teams, coaches, athletic trainers, administrators and supporters; it will also include our alumni who achieved greatness in sports after leaving Lock Haven. It will represent men and women in all sports across the entire history of the school, from its founding in 1870 to the present.

Lock Haven Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023
Mark Waite ’94 (Men’s Soccer)
Blair Wynne ’07 (Field Hockey)
Ken Cox (Wrestling, Boxing)
Ward Hile (Baseball)
The 1957 Football Team

Mark Waite (Men’s Soccer – Athlete)
Mark Waite ’94 scored 57 career goals which remains the Lock Haven men’s soccer career record. His 33 assists are tied for the all-time career record. Waite was a four-time All-Conference athlete and twice named the PSAC Player of the Year. The three-time All-Region selection was named a First Team All-American in 1992 and he was named an Academic All-American in 1993. Waite’s leadership and standout play led Lock Haven to back-to-back PSAC championships in 1990 and 1991, and he guided the Bald Eagles to two more championship matches and runner-up finishes (’92 & ’93).

Blair Wynne (Field Hockey – Athlete)
Blair Wynne ’07 scored 70 career goals during her career with the Division I field hockey team and that mark remains the fifth most in program history. During her Lock Haven career, Wynne was named the Northeast Conference (NEC) Player of the Year three times. She was also a four-time NEC First Team selection, a two-time NEC Offensive Player of the Year and a two-time NEC Tournament MVP. Wynne was a three-time All-American, and during her playing career the Bald Eagles won four straight NEC regular season titles (2005-08) and three NEC tournament titles (2006-08).

Ken Cox (Wrestling, Boxing – Coach/Contributor)
At Lock Haven, Dr. Ken Cox’s legacy was formed as a coach where he led the Lock Haven wrestling program to 101 wins from 1970-79. Overall, in his 25 years as a head wrestling coach which included several stops at the collegiate level, Cox obtained a record of 225-94-7. During his head coaching career, he produced two Olympic wrestlers, three NCAA All-Americans, eight NAIA National Champions, 14 NAIA All-Americans and 34 conference champions. While at Lock Haven, Cox was instrumental in the success and tradition that is the Club Boxing Program. He led Lock Haven to the 2007 National Collegiate Boxing Association National Championship, the program’s only team national title. Of note, Cox was a team manager of the 1996 U.S. Olympic boxing team.

Ward Hile (Baseball – Athlete)
From 1893-97 – the late Ward Hile was a standout on the baseball team – for what at the time was known as the Central State Normal School. Hile helped modernize the game and the catcher position by wearing his chest protector, shin guards and mask on every pitch, and by standing behind home plate, all of which was becoming new to the game. The traditional position for the catcher in the early days of the sport was 50-60 feet behind home plate. He was probably not the first player to use this style, but one of a few at the time who pioneered the change. The innovation became the standard in baseball in 1901, and years later in 1960, Hile was formally recognized by the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

The 1957 Football Team
The 1957 football team went a perfect 8-0, the only undefeated and untied season in Lock Haven football history. Led by Hall of Fame head coach Hubert Jack, the team was crowned co-PSAC champions. The Bald Eagles defeated Bloomsburg, Millersville, East Stroudsburg, Ithaca, IUP, Brockport, Lycoming and Mansfield. Lock Haven recorded three shutouts and outscored opponents by a total score of 169-39.