Seven distinguished Huskers will be enshrined in the University of Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame this fall, the university announced Wednesday. The group will be the second class inducted into the hall.
The seven members of the 2016 class are Heather Brink, Phil Cahoy, Janet (Kruse) Sellon, Nicola Martial, Nancy (Meendering) Metcalf, Johnny Rodgers and Will Shields.
The decorated group combined for nine individual national titles, seven NCAA team championships and 33 All-America accolades. The 2016 class features three Olympians (Cahoy, Martial and Metcalf), two members of the College Football Hall of Fame (Rodgers and Shields), one Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee (Shields) and one member of the U.S. Gymnastics Hall of Fame (Cahoy).
The class is scheduled to be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame the weekend of Sept. 17, when the Husker football team hosts Oregon at Memorial Stadium. In conjunction with an enshrinement ceremony, a plaque with the names of the seven members of the 2016 Hall of Fame class will be added to the University of Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame Plaza, which was completed last fall at on a walkway stretching from the columns above the Ed Weir Outdoor Track and Field Stadium and continuing to NU Coliseum.
The Hall of Fame was created last spring with the induction of a 22-person inaugural class.
More on each member of the 2016 class:
>> Heather Brink, women's gymnastics (1997-2000): Brink helped the Huskers to three Big 12 Conference titles and three NCAA Super Six appearances from 1997 to 2000. She played the lead role in Nebraska's team success, as she was a two-time individual national champion, an 11-time All-American and an eight-time Big 12 champion. As a senior, Brink won the Honda Award as the nation's top women's gymnast, and she was also named the Big 12 Gymnast of the Year, becoming the first Husker to be honored as the conference gymnast of the year. At the 2000 NCAA Championships, Brink won the all-around and vault national titles to lead Nebraska to a fourth-place finish, tying for the best finish in program history. The first Husker to win an all-around national title, Brink earned All-America honors on all five events as a senior. At the completion of her career, Brink owned eight of the top 10 all-around scores in school history. She also became the first Husker gymnast to score a perfect 10.00 on any event, recording three perfect scores on vault. She currently serves as associate head coach for the Huskers.
>> Phil Cahoy, men's gymnastics (1980-83): Cahoy helped Nebraska winning four consecutive NCAA team titles during his illustrious career from 1980 to 1983. Cahoy was a four-time individual national champion and a 10-time All-American. He finished in the top five in the all-around in each of his four NCAA Championships, earning the distinction as a four-time All-American in the all-around. In 1980, Cahoy won the horizontal and parallel bar titles, and he repeated as a champion on both events the next season. At the 1980 NCAA Championships, Cahoy joined Jim Hartung - a fellow member of the Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame - as one of the first two Huskers to win an individual national title. Cahoy also represented the United States at the 1980 Olympics, and he was inducted into the UAS Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2001.
>> Janet (Kruse) Sellon, volleyball (1988-91): Kruse was a three-time All-American, earning first-team accolades in 1989 and 1990 and second-team honors in 1991. The first three-time All-American in program history, Kruse ended her career with the third-most kills in school history, and she currently ranks 10th in program history with 1,269 kills. Kruse's played helped the Huskers to four Big Eight titles and a pair of national semifinals appearances, including a runner-up finish in 1989. Kruse was also the recipient of a prestigious NCAA Top 10 Award following her playing career.
>> Nicola Martial, women's track and field (1993-96): Martial was the first Nebraska student-athlete to be an individual national champion, an All-American and an academic All-American. Martial won three national championships in the triple jump event. She captured back-to-back titles at the 1994 and 1995 NCAA Outdoor Championships, while winning her lone NCAA indoor title in 1996. A six-time All-American, Martial swept the indoor and outdoor conference triple jump titles all four seasons of her career. She represented her home country of Guyana that summer at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga.
>> Nancy (Meendering) Metcalf, volleyball (1997-99; 2001): Metcalf earned multiple first-team All-America honors on the court while starring for the Nebraska volleyball team from 1997 to 2001. A three-time first-team All-American, Metcalf was also a two-time Big 12 Player of the Year and a two-time NCAA Regional MVP. She capped her career with one of the greatest seasons in program history as a senior in 2001, when she was a finalist for the Honda Award - presented to the nation's most outstanding player - and was also named the CoSIDA Volleyball Academic All-American of the Year. Metcalf helped lead Nebraska to a trio of Big 12 titles and two NCAA semifinal appearances during her four seasons on the court, and she also played a role in the Huskers' national championship in 2000, when Metcalf redshirted following time spent training with the U.S. National Team. Metcalf ended her career with 13 school records, and she still holds Nebraska match records for kills (39) and aces (7). She represented the United States at the 2004 Olympics.
>> Johnny Rodgers, football (1970-72): Nebraska's first Heisman Trophy Winner, Rodgers took home the prestigious award in 1972, when he was also named the Walter Camp Player of the Year. A two-time first-team All-American, Rodgers ended his career with NCAA career records for all-purpose yards (5,487), punt return touchdowns (7), kick return touchdowns (9) and yards per touch (13.8). He set more than 40 school records at Nebraska, including ending his career as Nebraska's all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards. Rodgers helped Nebraska to a 32-2-2 record in his three seasons, including back-to-back national championships in 1970 and 1971. Following his career, Rodgers became the second Husker to have his number retired (20). He went on to be selected in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft, spending two seasons in the NFL. In 2000, Rodgers was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
>> Will Shields, football (1989-92): A member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, Shields is one of the greatest offensive linemen to ever put on a jersey. Nebraska's first scholarship football player from the state of Oklahoma, Shields helped the Huskers win 37 games, two Big Eight championships and three NCAA rushing titles in his four seasons. He was named a first-team All-American in 1992, when he won the Outland Trophy as the nation's top interior lineman. A third-round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft, Shields enjoyed a 14-year hall-of-fame NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs, never missing a game during his career - playing in 224 games with 223 starts. A seven-time All-Pro, Shields was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his final 12 seasons. Shields was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015. He is one of three Huskers who are enshrined in both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. Shields had his No. 75 retired in 1994.