Moon Township, Pa. – The 30th class of inductees into the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame is comprised of six former student-athletes, each of whom left an indelible mark on their respective programs.
The six new members to join the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame as the Class of 2021 include Neco Brett (men's soccer; 2012-15), Lucky Jones (men's basketball; 2011-15), Nolan Nearhoof (football; 2009-12), Dante Payne (football; 1994-97), Rebecca Vint (women's hockey; 2011-15) and Cody Wydo (men's hockey; 2011-15).
Each of the former student-athletes will be inducted Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, at a dinner in the conference center of the UPMC Events Center. Public recognition will follow at halftime of the men's basketball game against Oakland that night, which is a 7:00 p.m. tip.
The RMU Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1991 to honor those who have made an outstanding contribution to RMU athletics. Nominations are solicited and individuals selected by the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame committee. Student-athletes, coaches and administrators are eligible five years after they have concluded their career at RMU.
The Class of 2021 brings membership in the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame to 143 individuals and three teams. A closer look at the new members:
Neco Brett
Soccer
2012-15
The first student-athlete in Northeast Conference (NEC) history to be named NEC Player of the Year three times, Brett, a native of Kingston, Jamaica, claimed the honor in a vote of league head coaches in 2013, 2014 and 2015. One of the most dominant offensive players in program history, Brett led the NEC in scoring in each of his final three seasons and owns the RMU career record for game-winning goals with 18. He also ranks second all-time in goals (42), third in points (100) and fourth in points per game (1.49). During his career, Brett registered three hat tricks, tying RMU Hall of Famer Jacek Przednowek (2005-07) for the school mark. In two of those games in which he recorded a hat trick, Brett scored four goals. In his final season with the Colonials in 2015, Brett became the first student-athlete to earn a spot on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) NCAA Division I All-America Team.
Lucky Jones
Men's Basketball
2011-15
One of the most successful student-athletes in program history, Jones, a native of Newark, N.J., helped lead the Colonials to a postseason tournament in each of his four years at RMU. He helped lead the Colonials to a pair of wins in the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), victories over Kentucky (2013) and St. John's (2014) in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and a triumph over North Florida in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Jones concluded his career as the program's all-time leading rebounder, having amassed 846 boards in 136 games, an average of 6.2 per contest. He became just the third student-athlete in Northeast Conference (NEC) history to eclipse career totals of 1,300 point, 700 rebounds, 150 assists and 150 steals, finishing with 1,642 points, 186 dimes and 171 thefts. He is one of two Colonials on that list, joining RMU Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2014 inductee Tony Lee (2004-08). During his four years in an RMU uniform, Jones was part of 92 victories, the most by a class in program history.
Nolan Nearhoof
Football
2009-12
A four-year letterwinner for the Colonials on the defensive line, Nearhoof concluded his career with 213 tackles, including 36 tackles for loss. Among his tackles for loss were 26.5 sacks, which stands as the program's career record in the category. A three-time All-Northeast Conference (NEC) selection (2010, 2011, 2012), in his final year at RMU Nearhoof was named the 2012 NEC Defensive Player of the Year. That season he recorded 76 tackles, including 10.5 sacks. In 2010, Nearhoof, a native of Gibsonia, Pa., helped lead the Colonials to their sixth NEC championship as well as the league's first bid to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs. Nearhoof was also one of 15 student-athletes across all divisions, including the only one from the NCAA FCS ranks, to be named a National Football Foundation (NFF) National Scholar-Athlete in 2012. Thanks to the honor, Nearhoof was awarded an $18,000 scholarship to assist in postgraduate studies. He maintained a 3.75 grade point average (GPA) while at RMU in earning a Bachelor of Science in biology and was a three-time NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2010, 2011, 2012) for football.
Dante Payne
Football
1994-97
The veteran's choice as part of the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2021, Payne was a four-year letterwinner for the Colonials at defensive back. He finished his career with 213 career tackles and was a two-time All-Northeast Conference (NEC) selection (1996, 1997) who recorded six career interceptions. Payne, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, helped RMU earn back-to-back victories in the ECAC Bowl with victories over Duquesne and Georgetown, respectively, in his final two seasons with the Colonials. He was also a member of the RMU track & field program while a student-athlete.
Rebecca Vint
Hockey
2011-15
At the conclusion of her career at RMU, Vint, a native of Caledon, Ontario, served as the program's all-time leader in goals (73), game-winning goals (18), short-handed goals (7), points (134) and plus/minus (+44). She currently ranks third in school history in both goals and points while still owning the RMU career standard for short-handed goals. Selected as the 2012 College Hockey America (CHA) Rookie of the Year, Vint was a four-time All-CHA honoree, earning first team accolades in each of her first three seasons (2012, 2013, 2014). In 2012 en route to winning CHA Rookie of the Year honors, Vint helped the Colonials claim their first CHA Tournament title with a 3-2 win over Mercyhurst at the RMU Island Sports Center.
Cody Wydo
Hockey
2011-15
In four seasons with the Colonials, Wydo appeared in 151 career games, accumulating 85 goals and 150 points and concluding his career as the program leader in both categories. The first student-athlete in program history to accumulate 100 career points prior to his senior year, Wydo turned the trick based on a junior season in 2013-14 in which he racked up 31 goals and 54 points. That season he ranked second in NCAA Division I in goals and fourth in points en route to being named to the 2014 All-Atlantic Hockey First Team as well as the 2014 All-USCHO Second Team. The first student-athlete in program history to garner All-USCHO accolades, Wydo also claimed MVP honors of the 2014 Atlantic Hockey Tournament after scoring 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in seven games. He helped RMU earn its first automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Also during the 2013-14 season, Wydo, a native of Southgate, Mich., was the only student-athlete in NCAA Division I to record three hat tricks, which included tying the RMU single-game record with four goals against Penn State.
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