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Hall of Fame

2026 BVU Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

6/12/2026 1:00:00 PM

STORM LAKE, Iowa (June 12,  2026) -  The Buena Vista University Athletics Hall of Fame Committee is pleased to announce its Class of 2026 which will be enshrined during a banquet in Siebens Forum on campus on Friday, Oct. 2.

Members of the 2026 Hall of Fame class include: Bill Naughton ’86 (Men’s Golf), Dail Fellin ’88 (Men’s Wrestling), Michael Irvin ’05 (Football & Men’s Wrestling), Head Coach Janet Berry (Women’s Basketball and Golf) and both the 1979 and 1980 Men’s Golf Teams.

Bill Naughton
Bill Naughton
Dail Fellin
Dail Fellin
Michael Irvin
Michael Irvin
Janet Berry
Janet Berry

Bill Naughton, a three-time letterwinner for the Beavers, earned All-American laurels when he placed 17th at the 1986 NCAA Championships. In 1985, the Storm Lake native and St. Mary’s High School graduate, earned IIAC Co-Most Valuable Player honors after winning the IIAC Championships with a 153. The following year, he shot 151 and tied for individual medalist honors while again winning MVP honors. A two-time national qualifier at BVU, Bill is the son of the late John ’50 and Lee Naughton.

Dail Fellin, a three-time National qualifier, is among the elite wrestlers in men’s wrestling at Buena Vista University. The Mason City native capped his career tied for sixth all-time with 114 victories while his 34 career pins tied for fifth. A three-time Iowa Conference Champion (1986-88), Fellin earned All-American honors by finishing seventh at 134 pounds in the 1986 NCAA Tournament, helping the Beavers to a program-best third-place finish, nationally. Fellin also helped lead “Baxter’s Beavers” to three of the program’s eight league titles.

Michael Irvin was a standout linebacker for BVU’s longtime Defensive Coordinator Larry Anderson. The Bedford, Iowa, native was a three-year starter for the Beavers and recorded 384 tackles, the most for any student-athlete in the program dating back to the year 2000. Irvin was a First Team All-American (AFCA) in 2004 while also earning First Team All-IIAC accolades, his second of two all-league honors. Additionally, Irvin was also a four-year wrestler for Hall of Fame Men’s Wrestling Coach Al Baxter and chalked up nearly 40 wins over his first three seasons. He was a three-time Academic All-Conference selection in both sports, earned First Team CoSIDA Academic All-American honors in football (2004) and was a two-time Scholar All-American in wrestling.

Coach Janet Berry led the women’s basketball program at BVU from 1992-2018. During her 26 seasons, Berry’s teams won 393 games, captured five Iowa Conference regular-season championships and one Iowa Conference Tournament crown. Berry’s Beavers also made five NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of Sweet 16s. The 2003-04 BVU team went a perfect 16-0 in conference play and won a school-record 23 consecutive games. Berry, the program’s all-time winningest coach, was named Iowa Conference Coach of the Year on five occasions. Following her long career coaching in directing Beaver women’s basketball, Berry stepped in and served three seasons as BVU Head Women’s Golf Coach and later served as Assistant Volleyball Coach for three seasons. Berry served as head volleyball coach for three years early in her BVU tenure (1993-95).

1979 1980 Men's Golf

The 1979 and 1980 men’s golf teams were comprised of the same five starting golfers. The group went on to become the first in program history to make it into the NCAA Championships and did so in both years. The Beavers of Coach John Naughton went 5-0 in duals and 2-0 in tournaments before winning the 1979 Iowa Conference Tournament by 13 strokes, the first conference title in men’s golf in 21 seasons. After placing 18th at the NCAA National Meet in 1979, the Beavers again went undefeated in 1980 and repeated as the Iowa Conference Championship team, again winning by 13 strokes. The 1980 quintet posted the program’s best-ever NCAA team finish by earning eighth place in the national meet. Members of the two varsity lineups included: Tom Geelan ’81, Jeff Opheim ’80, Steve Ewalt ’80, Jeff Sawyer ’80 and Jim Mostek ’82.

In addition to the formal induction ceremony on Oct. 2, BVU’s Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will be recognized at halftime of the BVU Homecoming football game on Saturday, Oct. 3 versus Simpson College. Kickoff on Peterson Field within J. Leslie Rollins Stadium is set for 1 p.m.