EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The ESU Athletics Department is proud to announce its inductees for the upcoming Class of 2026 Hall of Fame ceremony, featuring 11 student-athletes and two teams.
 
The class of 2026 joins a select group that has already honored 317 individuals and 21 teams, dating back to the inaugural class of 1978.
 
"The eleven individual and two team inductees continue to represent the athletic excellence and tradition of East Stroudsburg University athletics", Dr. Allen G. Snook Jr., East Stroudsburg University Director of Athletics, said. "As the committee selected this group, we knew that they truly earned their place in our Hall of Fame through their outstanding athletic success and selfless service to their teammates, athletic department, and University.  I know we are all excited to officially induct this group into our Hall of Fame this November."
 
"This year's class of individual and team inductees into the ESU Athletics Hall of Fame are undoubtedly deserving of this honor, and we're thrilled to recognize them with their enshrinement," Kenneth Long, President of East Stroudsburg University, said. "Each member of this year's class has exemplified the standard of success East Stroudsburg University strives to uphold, even after their careers here concluded. November 13th will be a very special night not just for our community, but most importantly, our laudable honorees."
 
The ceremony will take place on the evening of Friday, Nov. 13, in the new University Center Ballroom. Registration will open at a later date, with tickets costing $125 per person. The program begins with cocktail hour from 5:30-6:00, with dinner beginning at 6:00 and the ceremony following shortly after. For those traveling from out of town, attendees are encouraged to book their stay through The Penn Stroud Stroudsburg. For any inquiries inductees have, the direct contact for the event is Dr. Snook. He can be contacted via email at asnook@esu.edu.
 
This year's individual inductees are listed below in alphabetical order.
 
Elaine Bedell '91, Softball
Elaine Bedell could do it all for ESU softball, dominating at the plate and in the circle. The three-time All-PSAC East selection made her mark as a utility player from 1989-1991, earning all-conference honors each year. Batting .332 and slugging .466, her best season as a batter came in 1989 when she posted a .405 batting average. As a pitcher, she finished with a 30-22 record, good for the fourth-best winning percentage in program history. Even better, her 1.97 career ERA is the second-best figure in ESU history across the last 30 years, bolstered by her 1.40 ERA as a freshman in 1988.
 
Martin Brans '91, Men's Track & Field/Cross Country
Martin Brans is one of the best men's distance runners in ESU history, accomplishing plenty of accolades across cross country and both indoor and outdoor track & field. In indoor track, Brans earned All-America honors twice in the 1,500-meter run, finishing in sixth place in 1990 and eighth place in 1991, securing ECAC championships in 1989 and 1990. His time of 3:54.49 still stands as the program record, as well as his marks of 4:09.30 in the one-mile run and 2:29.99 in the 1,000-meter run. Outdoors, he had a PSAC runner-up finish in the 1,500-meter run in 1990, and ran a 3:56.00 time in the same event, which was the fourth-best finish at the time in program history. As a member of the cross country team, Brans made All-PSAC and All-Region teams as a junior and senior in 1989 and 1990.
 
Lance Branyan '93, Men's Outdoor Track & Field
Lance Branyan was a pioneer of success for ESU in the javelin, consistently winning at the conference championships from 1988 to 1992. His best season came in 1992, when he earned All-America honors with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships with a distance of 222-11, which held as the program record until 2011. At the PSAC Championships, he finished as a four-time event winner, earning two conference crowns each in the decathlon in 1988 and 1991, and the javelin in 1991 and 1992. Additionally, he won the ECAC indoor pentathlon title in 1991. His decathlon total of 6,288 in 1991 was the second-best in ESU history at the time, and he was named the 1992 ESU Co-Senior Male Athlete of the Year.
 
Jenn Grube '02, Women's Track & Field
Jenn Grube finished her career as the best javelin thrower in ESU women's track and field history, and many of her marks still rank at or near the top of the record book today. Grube was a two-time All-American, finishing fifth at the NCAA Championships in 2000 and sixth in 2001, and was also a national qualifier in 1998. She still holds the school record in "new" javelin at 146-7, which she set in 2000, and has the second-best distance in "old" javelin at 148-1 from her throw in 1998. She started her career as the conference runner-up in 1998, doing so two more times in 1999 and 2001. She finished third at the conference meet in 2000.
 
Larry Helwig '66, Football
Larry Helwig, being inducted posthumously, was a leader of the Warriors defensive line in the 1960s, contributing to two PA Conference championships in 1964 and 1965. Going 8-1 and 10-0 those years, ESU defeated Indiana (Pa.) in each season and only allowed 118 points while shutting out opponents seven times. Helwig was honored as an NAIA All-America Second Team selection as a senior, capping off his four-year career before becoming a high school football, wrestling, and golf coach.
 
Natasha Jarrett '04, Women's Track & Field
Natasha Jarrett finished her career with two dominating seasons as a sprinter, capping off her time with four PSAC Indoor Championships and scoring in 15 events, tied for the third-most in school history. She won the 55-meter dash and 200-meter dash as a junior and senior, earning PSAC Indoor Athlete of the Meet in 2003. Jarrett graduated with the program record at the time in indoor shot put, 44-3, the second-best times in the 55-meter dash, 7.23, the 100-meter dash, 12.19, the 200-meter dash, 24.99, and the outdoor shot put, 41-5 1/2.
 
J.D. Stern '00, Baseball/Football
A dual-sport athlete during his time at East Stroudsburg, J.D. Stern finished his career as a record-breaking baseball player while also being the starting kicker for the football team for three seasons. Stern has the best batting average by a four-year player in program history, batting .381. He graduated with records in hits (204), RBI (108), runs (131), doubles (42), extra-base hits (56), total bases (283), and times reached base (284). He completed his slash line with a .457 on-base percentage and .528 slugging percentage, going down as one of the most complete hitters to take the diamond for ESU. He was recognized with three All-PSAC East selections as an outfielder, including two First Team selections in 1998 and 1999, while earning All-Region honors for his 1998 season when he batted .442. On the gridiron, he kicked for the football team from 1997 to 1999, making 28 field goals and finishing with 156 points.


Tim Strenfel '05, Football
Tim Strenfel was a record-setting wide receiver and a member of the most prolific offense in program history in 2005, when the Warriors won the NCAA Division II Northeast Region championship to advance to the national semifinals. He was All-PSAC East First Team and All-Region First Team in 2004, compiling 69 receptions for 1,388 yards – then a school record – with 11 touchdowns. He followed up with 61 catches, 1,189 yards, and 14 TDs and earned Second Team all-conference honors, helping quarterback Jimmy Terwilliger win the Harlon Hill Award as the DII Player of the Year. In ESU's career record books, he set marks with 193 receptions, 3,696 receiving yards, 82.1 yards per game, 34 TDs, and 15 100-yard receiving games. Each still ranks in the top three in program history.


Ken Wilson '89, Men's Soccer
Ken Wilson established himself as an elite men's soccer player in the PSAC right from the jump, finishing his career with multiple All-PSAC and All-Region honors, a PSAC Athlete of the Year award, and a handful of program records. Earning conference MVP honors in 1986, he was a two-time All-PSAC First Team member in that year and 1987, earning an honorable mention in 1985. Also in 1986, he added All-Region First Team to his resume and made the Second Team the following season. He led ESU back to the NCAA Division II Tournament from 1985 to 1987 for its first postseason appearances since 1974, and also helped the Warriors win their sixth PSAC Championship at the time in 1985 with 15 goals.
 
Franklin Winstead '83, Gymnastics
A four-year All-American for the ESU men's gymnastics team, Franklin Winstead was a national contender in multiple events during his career. Winstead won the Division II championship in floor exercise in 1981 and 1982 while also earning All-America finishes in the vault and all-around. Coming off his second national championship, he was named the 1982 ESU Senior Male Athlete of the Year.
 
Jackie Yandrisevits '09, Women's Basketball
The program's all-time leading scorer with 1,784 points, Jackie Yandrisevits is among the top players to wear the Warriors' jersey in ESU women's basketball program history. Yandrisevits was not just a four-time All-PSAC East selection during her career, but was one of two ESU players to earn three All-PSAC East First Team honors, and earned All-Region Second Team in 2009. In addition to holding the career scoring record, she also ranks first in three-point percentage, fifth in steals, sixth in blocks (as a guard), and seventh in rebounds. Yandrisevits led the Warriors to consecutive PSAC East regular-season titles in her first two seasons, setting the freshman scoring record in her first year. She averaged no fewer than 13.5 PPG a season, topping out at 20.1 PPG as a senior.
 
 
This year's team inductees, the 1979 men's volleyball team and the 2015 field hockey team, are listed in chronological order.
 
1979 Women's Volleyball
The Warriors' women's volleyball team won the first PSAC championship contested in the sport in 1979, which was the program's sixth season after starting in 1974. Led by head coach Bob Sweeney '62 and All-PSAC honorees Kathy Hall and Terry Wansart, the Warriors went 39-18-1 (.681), which still stands as the program record for most wins in a season. They finished as the top team in the region and advanced to the round of 16 in the AIAW Division III Tournament. The Warriors defeated Clarion, 2-1, for the conference title, winning 15-straight matches along the way, tied for the third-longest overall and single-season winning streak. After winning the PSAC title, the team went on to defeat Clarion, Binghamton, Franklin & Marshall, Fredonia State, Juniata, and Brockport for the EAIAW Division III Regional title.
 
2015 Field Hockey
ESU's 2015 field hockey team won the first NCAA Division II championship and PSAC championship in program history, and put down a marker for the Warriors as a perennial national contender, which continues to this day. Going 19-3 overall and 9-1 in conference, head coach Sandy Miller led a team headlined by First Team All-Americans Ally Roth, Desiraye Mack, and Emily Howell to wins in 16 of its last 17 games. ESU defeated Millersville for the PSAC Championship and Merrimack for the Division II title, shutting out both opponents in 1-0 victories. Miller was named the NFHCA DII Coach of the Year, while Roth earned Atlantic Region Player of the Year from the same organization. Howell was tabbed as the PSAC Tournament MVP and later was named to the PSAC Fall Top 10 list as well. The 2015 team ranked third in program history at the time with 67 goals scored and allowed just 17 across 22 games. Since then, the Warriors have made 10 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, added their second national championship in 2022, and three more PSAC titles in 2019, 2022, and 2023.