Five former student-athletes were recently selected to the 32nd annual class of the Malone University Athletics Hall of Fame and will be officially inducted at a banquet on the University's campus this coming February.

The newest Hall of Fame inductees include Laurie (Franklin) Nichols ('05, women's soccer), Jason Hess ('04, men's basketball), Todd Hoffman ('94, baseball), Dr. Leo Kormanik ('06, men's cross country, track & field), and Randy Lane ('83, men's soccer).  With the addition of the five newest members, the current total of inductees now stands at 123.

Established in 1985, the Malone University Athletics Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves in athletics while at the University. To qualify, athlete inductees must be graduates of Malone, must have graduated at least ten years prior to selection, must exemplify the highest ideals of intercollegiate athletics, and must have earned two letters in one or more sports. As a coach, they must have served the University athletics department five or more years (current coaches ten or more years). In 2007, a provision was established to allow athletics administrators or other support personnel to become eligible, with a minimum of 10 years of athletics service to the University.

A specific date and time for the Hall of Fame festivities will be announced in the coming weeks.

Laurie (Franklin) Nichols, a 2005 Malone graduate (Sport Management), was a four-year letter winner on the Pioneer women's soccer team.  A 2001 graduate of South Oldham High School in Louisville, Kentucky, Nichols received her Master's degree in Sports Administration from the University of Louisville in 2007.

A four-year starter at the goalkeeper position, Nichols currently owns Malone's single-season and career records for goals against average and shutouts.  She allowed just 68 goals in 88 career games for a microscopic GAA of 0.77.  Nichols never allowed more than 20 goals in any season and totaled 34 career shutouts, 11 more than any other keeper in program history.

The Pioneers experienced tremendous success throughout her career as the squad compiled a 66-15-7 record during her four years in a Malone uniform.  In 2003, she helped lead the Pioneers to an NAIA Region IX Championship and the program's first and only NAIA National Tournament appearance.  Nichols also played a critical role in guiding Malone to an NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) National Championship in 2002 and back-to-back American Mideast Conference Titles in 2001 and 2002.

Nichols received a multitude of awards for both her athletic and academic accomplishments.  She was a four-time member of the NAIA All-America Honorable Mention Team, a four-time NAIA Region IX selection and a four-time NCCAA All-American.  In each of her four years, Nichols was also named to the American Mideast Conference Team, the OCSA (Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association) All-Ohio Team and the NCCAA East Region Team.  She earned NCCAA All-Tournament Team accolades in 2002 and was named an All-American Scholar Athlete by the NAIA and the NCCAA in both 2002 and 2003.

Nichols is currently employed as an Operations Manager with Healthcare Asset Network while also serving as an assistant coach with the Oldham County High School girls soccer team.  In 2014, she helped South Oldham High School's girls soccer team capture a State Championship as an assistant coach.  Laurie and her husband, Michael, and their son, Mason (1), currently reside in Crestwood, Kentucky.

Jason Hess, a 2004 Malone graduate (Business Administration & Accounting), was a four-year letter winner on the Pioneer men's basketball team.  He is also a 2000 graduate of Ashland High School.

Hess is the only player in Pioneer men's basketball history to achieve a combination of 1,500 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.  As a senior in 2003-04, the 6'7" post player led NAIA Division II with an incredible average of 13.1 rebounds per contest while also tossing in 19.3 points per game.  Hess still ranks second all-time on the Pioneers' rebounding list with 1,083 career boards, trailing only John Flad (1,118).  In addition, he currently ranks 17th on Malone's all-time scoring list with 1,501 career points and his 61 career blocked shots are the ninth-most all-time.

Hess collected NAIA Third Team All-American accolades following his remarkable senior campaign, joining Mark Klein and Todd Rowe as the only players in Malone men's basketball history to receive NAIA All-American honors.  Hess was also named an NCCAA All-American, the NCCAA East Region Player of the Year and was voted to the All-AMC First Team after the 2003-04 season.

As a junior in 2002-03, Hess was selected to the NCCAA All-America Team, the All-AMC First Team and the NCCAA All-East Region Team after averaging team highs of 15.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per outing.  In addition, he helped lead the Pioneers to a pair of AMC Tournament victories and a 20-14 overall record in 2001-02.

Academically, Hess earned All-American Scholar Athlete recognition from the NAIA and NCCAA in both 2002-03 and 2003-04.

Hess currently resides in Ashland where he helps manage his family's farm and also serves as the head boys basketball coach at his alma mater, Ashland High School.

Todd Hoffman, a 1994 Malone graduate (Business Administration), was a four-year letter winner on the Pioneer baseball team.  A 1989 graduate of Tuslaw High School, Hoffman received his MBA from Ashland University in 2003.

A four-year member of the Malone pitching staff, Hoffman compiled a 20-10 career record with two saves and a 3.50 earned run average.  Over 210.2 innings pitched, he struck out 205 batters while walking just 83.  Hoffman also tossed an impressive total of 21 complete games during his career with four shutouts.

The Pioneers posted a combined record of 96-63-2 during Hoffman's four seasons and finished as the NAIA District 22 Runner-up in both 1992 and 1993.

As a senior in 1993, Hoffman compiled an 8-2 record on the mound with a team-high 77 strikeouts.  His impressive showing that season helped the Pioneers register a 36-9-1 record and a .793 winning percentage which still stands as the best single-season mark for winning percentage in school history.

Hoffman tossed nine complete games and ranked third in the district with an average of 9.65 strikeouts per nine innings as a junior in 1992.  One of the best performances of his career came during the team's trip to Cocoa Beach, Florida that year when Hoffman struck out an incredible 16 batters in a seven-inning victory over NCAA Division II California University of Pennsylvania.

Hoffman currently serves as the President of A.R.E. Accessories in Massillon and is married to Stacey (Patterson), a 1994 Malone graduate.  The couple resides in Canton with their daughter, Lauren (15), and son, Tyler (12).

Dr. Leo Kormanik, a 2006 Malone graduate (Sports Science/Exercise Physiology), was a four-year letterman on the Pioneer men's cross country and track & field teams.  A 2001 graduate of Ellet High School, Kormanik earned a Doctor of Chiropractic degree and a Master's degree in Sports Injury Management from Life University in 2011.

Over the span of his Pioneer career, Kormanik garnered an impressive total of six NAIA All-American Awards, including one in cross country and five in track & field.

In cross country, Kormanik and his teammates registered Top 5 finishes at the NAIA National Championship Meet in three of his four years, placing as high as second as a team in 2001.  The Pioneers also captured two NCCAA National Titles (2002 & 2003), had two NCCAA Runner-Up performances (2001 & 2004) and won four AMC Championships during his career.  Individually, Kormanik captured NAIA All-American honors with a 16th-place finish at the 2004 NAIA National Championship Meet.  He was also a three-time NCCAA Cross Country All-American and captured an individual NCCAA National Title in 2004.

In track & field, Kormanik excelled at the 5000-meter distance in both indoor and outdoor competition, earning all five of his NAIA Track & Field All-American awards in the event.  Kormanik's first NAIA All-America award came in 2004 with a fifth-place finish in the indoor 5000.  He then earned a pair of All-American accolades in 2005, placing fifth in the 5000 meters at both the indoor and outdoor national championship meets.  He concluded his outstanding collegiate track & field career with two more NAIA All-America awards in 2006 as he placed sixth in the 5000 meters at both NAIA Championships (indoor and outdoor).  On top of his NAIA accolades, Kormanik also captured multiple NCCAA Track & Field All-America awards.

Kormanik, who qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, currently operates Ohio Sports Chiropractic in Akron, Ohio where he specializes in the treatment and prevention of injuries, both athletic and non-athletic related.  He is recognized by the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians as a Certified Chiropractic Sports Practitioner (CCSP) and, this past summer, he served on the USA Track & Field medical staff at the 2016 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.

Randy Lane, a 1983 Malone graduate (Chemistry), was a four-year member of the Pioneer men's soccer team.  He is also a 1979 graduate of Cincinnati Christian High School.

 A defender and midfielder, Lane helped lead the Pioneers to an 8-4 overall record as a freshman in 1979 which marked the first winning season in Malone men's soccer history.  The winning then continued throughout the remainder of Lane's collegiate career as Malone compiled an impressive 44-17-2 record (.706 winning percentage) over his four years on the team while also collecting three consecutive Mid-Ohio Conference Titles. During Lane's senior year in 1982, the Pioneers registered a 13-6-1 record and captured an NAIA District 22 Championship.

Lane was the recipient of numerous awards throughout his career.  He is one of only two Pioneer men's soccer players to collect NAIA All-American honors, earning Second Team All-America accolades following his senior season and All-America Honorable Mention recognition as a junior (Lane's former teammate, Phil Eades, is the only other Malone men's soccer player to receive the NAIA All-America distinction).  Lane, who was named the team's "Best Defensive Player" following the 1982 campaign, was a three-time All-MOC First Team selection and a three-time NAIA District 22 honoree.  He also collected NAIA All-Area VI, NSCAA All-Ohio and NSCAA All-Mideast honors following both his junior and senior campaigns.

Lane currently serves as a Vice President for Zion Industries in Medina, Ohio.  After graduating from Malone, he continued his playing career in the Lake Erie League for 25 years.  Lane also spent 12 years coaching youth soccer in Medina and Columbia Station, Ohio and then coached soccer for HEARTS for Jesus Christ High School in North Olmsted, Ohio for 10 years.  During his time at HEARTS, he guided his teams to six state championships and five national titles.  Lane is married to Susan (Puls), who attended Malone in 1981 and 1982.  The couple resides in Medina and has four grown children, Heather (West), Tiffany (Andreoli), Matthew and Jeffrey, along with six grandchildren.