May 3, 2022 4 min read

Washington & Jefferson College has announced eight new members who will be the 23rd class inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

James Aiken (football), Pat Benic (wrestling), Nick Carr (wrestling), Kelli Gee (track & field), Michael Grasso (golf), Amanda Howard (field hockey and softball), Jon Koch (basketball) and Joey Nichols (football) will be honored in a ceremony on Friday, Sept. 23, at 6 p.m.

Aiken was a member of the 1921 Rose Bowl team that celebrated its 100th anniversary this past January in Pasadena, Calif. He earned four letters on the Presidents’ football team playing the end position. Aiken was born in Wheeling, W.Va., and attended Martins Ferry High School. After graduating from W&J, Aiken has a distinguished coaching career as the head football coach at Akron (1936-38), Nevada (1939-46) and Oregon (1947-50). In 1948, he led Oregon to a Cotton Bowl appearance.

Benic, whose brother Tom ’67 is a 2013 inductee into the W&J Athletic Hall of Fame, holds the 11th-best winning percentage (.804) in W&J history, posting a 41-10 record during his career at 137 and 142 pounds. He is one of 11 wrestlers in school history to win three Presidents’ Athletic Conference championships (1967, 1968, 1969). Benic helped W&J earn to runner-up finishes at the 1967 and 1969 PAC tournaments.

Carr is the first wrestling national champion in W&J history, winning the 157-pound NCAA Division III title in 2015. Carr defeated Wabash’s Reece Lefever 6-2 in the finals. That national title capped a 27-0 season for Carr. He had a 41-1 career record with his only loss occurring in the 2014 national championship match at 165 pounds. Carr won two PAC titles after starting his career at Division I Kent State.

As a freshman, Gee made an immediate impact for the track & field team, earning the 2005 PAC Women’s MVP award. She won the long jump (17-10¼) and triple jump (34-11¾) events while helping W&J to a second-place team finish. In 2006, she set a PAC record during her long jump title (19-0¾) and led the Presidents to their first-ever track & field team championship. Gee helped W&J make it back-to-back team titles in 2007. A two-time NCAA national qualifier, Gee competed at the 2005 indoor and 2006 outdoor national meets in the long jump.

Grasso was the first men’s golfer in PAC history to earn an at-large bid to compete at the NCAA Division III Championship. A three-time national qualifier, Grasso was the first W&J golfer selected to the PING All-America Team. At the 2006 NCAA tournament, he finished in 22nd place. He helped W&J to three PAC team championships and two NCAA tournament appearances.

A two-sport standout, Howard is one of the top female athletes in school history. Howard starred for the field hockey team, scoring 27 goals (8th in school history) and 20 assists (4th) for 74 points (4th). She led the team to a 15-5 record during her senior year and the first postseason game in program history. On the softball diamond, Howard set the school record for career hits (181, which currently ranks 2nd). She played more games (153) and stole more bases (60) than any softball player in school history. Howard ranks second in runs (116) and seventh in batting average (.351).

Koch is the leading scorer in W&J men’s basketball history with 1,812 points. The 2007 PAC Player of the Year played 108 games and made 196 three-pointers (3rd all-time). In 2004, Koch was the PAC Freshman of the Year. He was named All-PAC after all four seasons, including a pair of first-team honors. Koch was selected to the PAC Men’s Basketball 60th Anniversary Team.

Nichols is the second-leading rusher in W&J football history with 4,833 yards. He is fourth in scoring with 326 points, including 54 touchdowns. The four-time All-PAC honoree ranked 20th among all NCAA Division III running backs as a junior with 124.0 yards per game. A year later, he was 26th in the nation (121.7 ypg). Nichols’ teams won four PAC championships and made appearances in the NCAA playoffs.

For ticket information, please contact Ellie Simpson at esimpson@washjeff.edu or 724-223-6054.