Taylor Athletic Announces 2022 Hall of Fame Class
UPLAND, Ind. – Taylor Athletics will induct a class of six members into its Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 22 as part of the 2022 Taylor Homecoming festivities. The 2022 inductees are Germania Bedon, Henrietta Carey, Josh DeGraaf, Denny Ladd, Rod Shafer and Steve Wit.
The six individuals mark the largest class of Hall of Fame inductions for TU Athletics since the inaugural class of 1973, which included seven members exactly 50 years ago.
Bedon graduated from Taylor in 2012, after playing to a pair of NAIA All-American honors and becoming the only player in TU women’s tennis history to be named a NAIA First or Second-Team All-American. Bedon also was a three-time ITA Midwest Regional Singles Champion and a four-time First-Team All-MCC performer. During her senior season, Bedon went 17-2 at singles and finished sixth at the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships.
Carey graduated from Taylor in 2013 as a five-time NAIA All-American and five-time All-MCC standout on the track for the Trojans. During her time in Upland, Carey was an eight-time NAIA National Championships qualifier, was named the MVP of the 2013 Little State Championships and was voted as Taylor’s 2013 Natalie Steele Award recipient as TU’s top female student-athlete. Carey excelled in sprints and jumps for Taylor, setting indoor program records in the 55, 60 and 200-meters and outdoor records in the 100 and 200-meters, the long jump and the 4×100-meter relay.
DeGraaf graduated from Taylor in 2015 following an accomplished career on the mound for the Trojans that was highlighted by a trio of Crossroads League Pitcher-of-the-Year honors and three First-Team All-CL selections. DeGraaf set TU career records with a 2.95 earned-run average, 29 wins, 17 complete games and 258 strikeouts over 271.2 innings and posted single-season records with 15 starts, 89.2 innings, 93 strikeouts and eight complete games. The righty was Taylor’s 2014 and 2015 Gates-Howard Award winner as TU’s top male student-athlete, was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and was selected as the 2015 CoSIDA NAIA Baseball Academic All-American of the Year. Following his time with Taylor, DeGraaf was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 31st round of the 2015 MLB draft. DeGraaf played four seasons within the Toronto organization, logging 22 wins and a 3.70 ERA in 367.1 innings.
Ladd graduated from Taylor in 1970, after helping the TU baseball team to its only NAIA World Series appearance in 1969. Ladd was the winning pitcher in Taylor’s first-ever win at the World Series and also hit a home run in the historic victory. Along with his impact on the diamond, Ladd also traveled on mission trips with the Taylor baseball and men’s basketball teams to Taiwan, Philippines, Korea and British Columbia. After concluding his time at Taylor, Ladd went on to serve as a pastor for nearly 40 years.
Shafer graduated from Taylor in 1975 and ended his career at quarterback with the TU football program as the school’s all-time leader with 2,326 passing yards. Shafer earned a pair of All-HBCC honors, before beginning an extended coaching career that spanned parts of five decades at the high school and college levels. During that time, Shafer piled up a host of accolades, including a trio of Florida High School Coach-of-the-Year nods and the 2014 Sun Conference Coach-of-the-Year honor for his work with Warner University. Shafer was selected to coach the Florida/Georgia All-Star Game in 1995 and the Florida North/South All-Star Game in 2012, before being inducted into the Wabash River Football Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Florida High School Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
Wit graduated from Taylor in 1997 after leading the men’s basketball team during the 1995-1996 and 1996-1997 seasons. Wit earned NAIA All-American honors in each of his two seasons in Upland, was a two-time First-Team All-MCC standout and was heralded as the 1996 MCC Player of the Year. Wit led the Trojans in scoring and rebounding in both seasons, enters the Hall of Fame ranked 30th in program history with 1,336 points and also piled up 625 rebounds. In his two seasons, Taylor posted a 45-26 overall record, qualified for the NAIA National Tournament twice and won the MCC Tournament Championship in 1997. Wit also set program records with 11 field goals without a miss in a single game and owns Taylor’s best career field-goal percentage at 64.9-percent.
Individuals wishing to attend the 2022 Hall of Fame brunch at 9:00 am on October 22 can purchase tickets by going to TaylorTrojans.com/tickets.