DAYTON -- The University of Dayton Athletic Hall of Fame will grow by four on Saturday, Feb. 18 when the 2017 class is introduced at halftime of the Dayton-St. Bonaventure men's basketball game. Saturday's ceremonies will bring the total membership in UD's Hall of Fame to 176.
The new members are Faye Barhorst Barlage (volleyball), Walt DeAnna (hockey), Erin Showalter Justice (soccer) and Brian Roberts (basketball).
FAYE BARHORST BARLAGE '07–Volleyball 2003-06
Faye Barhorst Barlage was a key cog when the University of Dayton volleyball team broke through and not only reached the NCAA tournament, but won a match in its very first NCAA tournament appearance. The Flyers knocked off Michigan State in the NCAA debut in 2003.
A three-time AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, the Fort Loramie, Ohio native holds the UD career records for career kills (1,796 -- more than 100 better than the next player), solo blocks (173, 56 better than next) and block assists (495). She is also second in career hitting percentage (384) and owns the single-season record for hitting percentage (.431).
Barhorst was a two-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, three-time First Team Atlantic 10 and four-time A-10 All-Tournament. She was also A-10 Rookie of the Year in 2003. She was a member of three A-10 regular season champion and two A-10 tournament championship teams. She played on the first three NCAA tournament teams in University of Dayton history. Barhorst was also selected to play USA Volleyball's A2 Team in 2006.
WALT DeANNA '62 – Hockey Coach 1966-88
The University of Dayton Hall of Fame, and in truth, any Hall of Fame, is the kind of fraternity that is made up of individuals who were the best in a certain sport, or individuals who led their teams to unprecedented accomplishments. And in some cases, members are the kinds of people who, when you think about their sport, you simply cannot do so without also thinking of them. That is most certainly the case of the University of Dayton hockey program, and its first varsity coach Walt DeAnna.
DeAnna was a team captain for the Flyer club hockey team, and after he graduated from UD in 1962, he began teaching and coaching. He was instrumental in elevating the hockey program to varsity status in 1966. In 22 years as the varsity coach, he compiled a record of 211-107-16. Under DeAnna, the Flyers won four league championships in the Ohio Collegiate Hockey Association and Midwest College Hockey Association.
Beyond the accomplishments on the ice, the Windsor, Ont. native managed every aspect of the UD hockey program, and even served as league commissioner of the MCHA for eight years. Thanks to his drive and dedication, the Flyer hockey program provided opportunities for hundreds of young men at the University of Dayton. DeAnna was not only their coach, but also a mentor and personal friend to them.
More than 100 of them will travel from all over the country to be in attendance on Saturday, an unprecedented number for one individual at UD's annual Hall of Fame game.
ERIN SHOWALTER JUSTICE '04 – Soccer 2000-03
Erin Showalter Justice was a defensive star on University of Dayton teams that put the Flyers on the map in women's soccer from 2001 to 2003.
The 2001 and 2003 Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year, Showalter played on three NCAA tournament teams, including UD's 2001 Sweet Sixteen team that defeated Maryland and Miami before losing at UCLA. She also played on six A-10 championship teams (four regular season, two A-10 tournament). Showalter was on teams that went a combined 38-4-1 in conference play.
The Brunswick, Ohio native was a three-time First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection. She was First Team NSCAA/Adidas All-Region as a senior, and three-time First Team All-Ohio. She was the first two-time A-10 Defensive Player of the Year, and is the only sophomore ever chosen for the award.
BRIAN ROBERTS '08 – Basketball 2004-08
A sharpshooting guard who developed during his career to be a top-flight point guard and eventually an NBA player, Brian Roberts was a three-time White-Allen Most Valuable Player for the University of Dayton Flyers.
Roberts, who is from Toledo, Ohio, is Dayton's fourth-leading career scorer with 1,962 points. He averaged 9.2, 16.0, 18.5 and 18.4 points per game in his four seasons, with his 18.5 average as a junior being the highest single-season scoring mark at UD in the last 25 years.
He is the Dayton career record holder in three-pointers made (291) and 3-pt. FG% (.441, 293-665), and fourth in career FT% (.848, 365-430). Roberts is the only UD player to lead the Flyers in 3-pt. FG% all four seasons. He also led the team in scoring three seasons, and assists in two.
Roberts played in 125 straight games, and his 3,902 minutes are sixth in school history. He was a three-time All-Atlantic 10 performer (2nd team as a sophomore and junior, 1st team as a senior). He played on teams that were 74-51. As a senior, Roberts was twice named ESPN National Player of the week when he scored 28 points at No. 11 Louisville and 31 vs. No. 6 Pitt.
Roberts currently plays for the Charlotte Hornets.
