2026 Hall of Fame Class Announced

OXFORD, Ohio -- Miami University Athletics will recognize one team and seven worthy and deserving candidates in its Hall of Fame Class of 2026. This year's Hall of Fame Class is Stephanie Danesis (tennis), Dea Dechant (field hockey), Patrick Flavin (golf), Ron Harper (men's basketball), Mary Haskell O'Leary (administration), Andy Miele (ice hockey) and Kelsey Vehr (women's swimming). Miami is also inducting the 2006-07 skating team, just the second team in school history to make the Miami Hall of Fame.

The 2026 class will be celebrated on Friday, Sept. 25 with a dinner. More information will be available soon.

Stephanie Danesis, 2012 (Women's Tennis)
Stephanie Danesis was a four-year letter-winner for the RedHawks from 2009-2012, racking up an impressive 156-79 overall record between singles and doubles action. The 2012 MAC Player of the Year went 78-39 in singles competition throughout her career and earned first-team All-MAC accolades in 2011 and 2012 and added second-team all-conference honors in 2010. She was also a two-time Academic All-MAC performer (2011, 2012) and earned a spot on four-straight MAC All-Tournament Teams. Miami went 32-0 in conference play during Danesis' four-year career, helping the RedHawks to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances.

Bea Dechant, 2016 (Field Hockey)
Bea Dechant was a four-year letter winner for the Miami field hockey team from 2012-15. She was named first-team All-MAC all four seasons and was named MAC Player of the Year and a Consensus All-American in 2015. Dechant was also named MAC Freshman of the Year in 2012 and is the only RedHawk in program history to earn MAC Freshman of the Year, MAC Player of the Year, MAC Tournament MVP and earn first-team All-MAC accolades four different times. She currently ranks ninth in program history in goals (33), tenth in total points (87) and helped Miami to back-to-back MAC Tournament titles in 2012 and 2013, the first two in program history.

Patrick Flavin, 2018 (Golf)
Patrick Flavin was a standout for Miami Golf from 2014-2018, earning First-Team All-MAC honors in all four of his seasons with the RedHawks. Flavin, who was named MAC Freshman of the Year in 2015 and received the Earl Yestingsmeier Sportsmanship Award in 2018, won a record eight tournaments with the Red and White. He was twice named Miami Male Athlete of the Year and also earned Scholar All-American honors in 2017 and 2018. Flavin helped the RedHawks to the 2015 MAC team title and went on to represent Miami in the NCAA Regionals four years in a row (2015-18). He compiled a career scoring average of 72.99 through 136 rounds, which still ranks among the best marks in program history. Since graduating from Miami, Flavin has earned multiple wins in PGA Tour-sanctioned events and has produced double-digit top-10 finishes as a pro across all tours.

Ron Harper (Men's Basketball)
Ron Harper led the RedHawks for four years as a starter from 1982-86 and is one of the most decorated men's basketball players in Mid-American Conference history, ranking second all-time among MAC players with 2,377 career points. He also earned back-to-back MAC Player of the Year awards in 1984-85 and 1985-86 and became the first player in league history to top 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. His 1,119 career rebounds still rank fifth all-time in the MAC. Harper earned Second-Team All-American honors in 1986. Miami was 81-39 with Harper in the lineup, capturing a pair of conference championships and three-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament during his four-year span. His 45 points scored on March 8, 1985 versus Ball State is still a MAC Tournament record today. The 1983 MAC Freshman of the Year ranks first in Miami history in minutes played (4,164), points (2,377), scoring average (19.8), field goals (969), rebounds (1,119), blocked shots (173) and steals (287). Following his time in Oxford, Harper was selected eighth overall in the 1986 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers and went on to capture five NBA Championships during his 15-year playing career. Harper averaged 13.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.7 blocks per game over the course of his professional career.

Mary Haskell O'Leary, 1979 (Administration)
Mary Haskell O'Leary graduated from Miami in 1979 and then went on to serve the Miami Athletics Department as an equipment manager for 25 years. Known for her high professional standards and hard-working nature, O'Leary worked with thousands of student-athletes during her time. In 1991 she was awarded the National Equipment Manager Association (AEMA) Glenn Sharp Award, given annually to the most outstanding professional in the field. She was also a catalyst for AEMA, helping them grow from a few members to over 1,000 active equipment managers. During her time with AEMA, she served as a regional director before being elected into the association's Executive Director position, where she oversaw all operations of the national organization. She was elected into the AEMA Hall of Fame in 2002.

Andy Miele, 2011 (Ice Hockey)
Andy Miele starred for four years (2007-11) with Miami Hockey, finishing his 141-game career with 60 goals and 99 assists for 159 points, the seventh-highest total in program history. He became Miami's first Hobey Baker Award winner during the 2010-11 season, when he racked up 71 points on 24 goals and 47 assists in his senior campaign and earned All-American honors. He was also named USA Hockey College Player of the Year, USCHO Player of the Year and INCH Player of the Year. Miele was part of both of Miami's Frozen Four teams, first in 2009 and again in 2010. He was recognized as All-CCHA twice, including being named the conference player of the year and the CCHA All-Tournament MVP in 2011. He was named captain of the U.S. Olympic men's ice hockey team in 2022 and also represented the United States at the IIHF World Championship twice, in 2011 and 2014.

Kelsey Vehr, 2011 (Women's Swimming)
Kelsey Vehr spent four years (2007-11) with the RedHawks, where she was a 10-time MAC Champion (eight individual MAC titles) and helped Miami to a MAC title in the 2008-09 season. She finished seventh in the 100-meter breaststroke at the NCAA Championships in 2010, becoming the first woman in school history to receive All-American first-team honors. Vehr was a four-time All-MAC first-team selection, two-time Academic All-MAC honoree and also earned Miami University's Female Athlete of the Year award twice. She was recognized as MAC Swimmer of the Year in 2011, setting Miami and MAC records in the 400-meter individual medley (4:14.61) and as part of the 200-meter medley relay team (1:39.68) in the conference championship meet that season.

2006-07 Miami Skating Team
The 2006-07 Miami Skating senior team made history in the sport, finishing second at the World Synchronized Skating Championships in London, Ontario. The RedHawks became the first United States team ever to medal at the event, with the silver medal standing alone as the highest USA team finish for the next 17 years. The Red and White placed second at the U.S. national championships and also became the first United States synchronized skating program to compete in the World University Games, skating to a fourth-place finish in Torino, Italy that season. Miami earned an international silver medal at the Spring Cup in Milan, Italy and produced first-place finishes at the Dr. Richard Porter Classic and the Mid-America competition. Head coach Vicki Korn was recognized as the 2007 PSA/US Figure Skating Coach of the Year and the 2007 PSA Synchronized Skating Coach of the Year in honor of the RedHawks' accomplishments.

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