7 Members Added to Hall of Fame Class for 2026

Seven new members will be inducted into the Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame during a special ceremony in the fall.

The Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 includes representatives from the baseball, field hockey, football, men's golf, men's track & field and women's basketball.

The seven-member class, the 18^th to be inducted into the Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame, will be honored during special ceremonies surrounding Liberty's Hall of Fame and Homecoming Weekend football game on October 31 at Williams Stadium.

The seven-member class includes David Benham (baseball), Matt Bevins (football), Brandon Hoskins (men's track & field), Chase Marinell (men's golf), Agueda Moroni (field hockey), Donald Smith (football) and Avery Warley (women's basketball).

The Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held Friday, October 30 at a location to be announced in the future.

Additionally, the seven-member class will receive special recognition during the Homecoming football game the afternoon following the ceremony.

The Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame celebrates the best of the best, honoring those who helped shape the face of Liberty Athletics. The Hall of Fame's now 101 members have each played a key role in helping Liberty grow from an NCCAA program in 1972 to its current status as a thriving NCAA Division I program.

David Benham
Baseball: 1995-98

David Benham was a four-year standout for the Flames behind the plate, leading Liberty's baseball program during a dominant run for the team in the late 1990s.

Benham was a three-time Big South All-Conference honoree, earning first-team honors in 1996 and 1997 and second-team accolades in 1998. The Flames posted a pair of 30-win seasons during Benham's time as catcher and won 10 or more Big South games three times.

The native of Garland, Texas, along with this twin brother and Flames' third baseman Jason Benham, capped off his time on the Mountain by leading Liberty to the 1998 Big South Championship and a trip to the NCAA Tallahassee Regional.

Benham started 192 of 198 career games behind the plate, batting .328 with 46 doubles, 24 home runs and 141 career RBI. He was named the team's Most Valuable Player in 1997 after batting a career-best .384 with 35 runs scored, 12 doubles, seven home runs, 40 RBI and a .561 slugging percentage.

Benham was selected in the 1997 MLB Draft (41^st round), but he returned to Liberty for his final season where he was taken in the 12^th round by the Boston Red Sox. He played four seasons of minor league baseball in the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinal organization before starting a real estate career with his brother in the Charlotte, N.C. area.

Matt Bevins
Football: 2008-11

Matt Bevins kicked his way into the Liberty record books, while his four-year career helped the Flames become a force in the Big South Conference.

More than 15 years following his time on the gridiron, Bevins' numbers have held as the gold standard for Flames' kickers. At the time of his induction, Bevins still holds the school's career records for points scored (309), field goals (58) and field goal percentage (75.3 percent/58-of-77).

The native of Newport News, Va., was well honored during his storied career. He was a two-time All-America first team honoree in 2009 and 2010 by the CSN, the Sports Network and the Walter Camp Foundation. Following a banner season in 2009 where he set a school record with 107 points scored and 22 field goals, he was also named an Associated Press All-America first-team selection.

Bevins helped the Flames win Big South Conference titles in 2008, 2009 and 2010. He was part of Liberty's first-ever 10-win season in 2008 when the Flames posted a 10-2 overall record and a perfect 5-0 mark in Big South play. He was honored for his time in the conference when he was named to the Big South All-Decade team (2010-19).

Bevins continued to call Liberty Mountain home following his stellar playing career. He worked for five years in the Athletics Compliance office before joining the football coaching staff in 2017 where he was a part of Liberty's first four bowl game appearances.

Brandon Hoskins
Men's Track & Field: 2005-08

Brandon Hoskins wasted little time joining the other greats in the storied history of the Liberty track & field program. He quickly started a career that would see him become the most decorated multi-event student-athlete in Flames history.

As a freshman in 2005, Hoskins became Liberty's first NCAA Division I national qualifier in the heptathlon. He placed ninth in the event, becoming one of three athletes in program history to earn All-America honors as a freshman.

By the time his days on the track were finished, Hoskins would become a five-time NCAA qualifier, the most of any multi-event athlete in program history, including four-straight years in the decathlon (2005-08).

When he graduated in 2008, Hoskins owned the Liberty and Big South Conference all-time records in both the heptathlon (5,383) and the decathlon (7,800). He still holds the program record in the decathlon and his heptathlon record stood for a decade.

The native of Whitharral, Texas, was a three-time IC4A champion (decathlon and heptathlon) and a four-time Big South champion (400 hurdles, pole vault, decathlon and heptathlon). He was also named to the Big South All-Decade team (2000-09).

Hoskins was part of some of the most successful teams in Liberty track & field program history. He helped the Flames win back-to-back IC4A Outdoor Championships (2007-08), four Big South Indoor Championships (2005-08) and three Big South Outdoor Championships (2005, 2007-08).

Chase Marinell
Men's Golf: 2010-14

Chase Marinell book-ended a standout career for the Flames on the course with top honors from the Big South Conference, while pushing the program onto the national stage.

As a freshman, Marinell was named Big South Freshman of the Year in 2011, helping the Flames win the program's first-ever Big South Men's Golf Championship. The conference crown helped Liberty make the first of four-straight NCAA Regional appearances during Marinell's time on the Mountain.

During his sophomore season, Liberty repeated as Big South champions and would go on to win the NCAA Greensboro Regional. The pair of victories propelled Liberty into its first-ever NCAA Men's Golf National Championship appearance where the Flames finished in 10th place, led by Marinell's 29th place individual showing.

Liberty won its third Big South championship during Marinell's senior year, which included the native of Fort Myers, Fla., earning Big South Men's Golfer of the Year accolades. He was a three-time Big South All-Conference honoree, a two-time GCAA All-Region selection and a two-time VaSID All-State award winner.

Marinell finished his career with a 73.04 stroke average, a mark that ranked second best in school history at the time of his graduation.

Following his collegiate career, Marinell played professionally on the PGA Canada Mackenzie Tour in 2015. He finished in the top 20 of the Order of Merit standings, which qualified him for the Web.com Tour in 2016.

Agueda Moroni
Field Hockey: 2016-18

Agueda Moroni helped usher in a new era for Liberty's field hockey program, while setting the standards for others to follow for years to come.

Moroni became the first player in program history to earn All-America first-team honors, when she was named to the 2018 NFHCA Division I All-America team. She earned All-America accolades twice during her three-year career, as she was also named to the NFHCA Division I All-America second team in 2017.

Outside of her individual awards, Moroni helped Liberty successfully transition to the BIG EAST Conference, giving the Lady Flames a home in one of the elite field hockey conferences in the country. The transition began in 2016, and the Lady Flames made three-straight BIG EAST Championship title game appearances during Moroni's time on the Mountain.

The native of Cordoba, Argentina, was a three-time BIG EAST All-Conference first-team honoree (2016-18) and was named to three-straight BIG EAST All-Tournament teams (2016-18). She capped off her career when she was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year in 2018 after setting a program single-season records with 26 goals and 66 points.

Moroni's stellar career with the Lady Flames helped push her onto a world-wide stage where she has played professionally all around the globe. She has won multiple Player of the Year honors in her professional career, while also playing on the Italian National Team.

Donald Smith
Football: 1986-89

Donald Smith was a dominant player in multiple ways on the gridiron for the Flames, earning him All-America honors and propelling him into a highly successful professional career.

During his four seasons on the Mountain, Smith racked up 231 career tackles, including 98 solo stops and 133 assisted tackles. The cornerback also was a menace in the defensive backfield, adding 26 pass breakups, eight interceptions, three fumble recoveries and a school record eight forced fumbles.

The highly versatile player was a standout on the Flames' special teams units. More than two decades following his playing career, Smith still holds the school career records for blocked field goals (4) and blocked kicks (7).

A native of Danville, Va., Smith's 94-yard kickoff return against Edinboro in 1989 ranks sixth best in program history at the time of his induction and he finished his career with a 21.7 yards per kickoff return average.

Smith's success on the field earned him 1989 Sports Network All-America second-team honors and a roster spot on the 1989 Martin Luther King All-American Classic game.

Smith became the second player in program history to be drafted when he was selected in the 10th round of the 1990 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He found success at the professional level in CFL where he had a nine-year career, was a four-time All-Star with three different teams and helped the Toronto Argonauts win back-to-back Grey Cup in 1996 and 1997.

Avery Warley
Women's Basketball: 2008-12

During her four-year career, Avery Warley set the standard of excellence for one of the pillars of success for Liberty's women's basketball program.

Warley finished her time on the Mountain as Liberty's all-time career leader in rebounding. The center holds the program record in total rebounds (1,282), offensive rebounds (524) and defensive rebounds (758) at the time of her induction.

Her career total of 1,282 records is nearly 250 rebounds more than fellow Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame member Katie (Feenstra) Mattera (1,033) for the top stop on the Lady Flames' list.

Warley's success crashing the boards helped Liberty win three Big South Women's Basketball Championship titles (2009, 2010 and 2012) and make three trips to the NCAA Tournament. Liberty also made its first-ever WNIT appearance in 2011 thanks to Warley's stellar play on the court.

The native of Washington, D.C. was a three-time Big South All-Conference first-team selection (2010-11-12) and was named the Big South Defensive Player of the Year in 2011. She was also named the Big South Tournament MVP in 2012 when she led Liberty to its third title during her time with the program. The Big South's all-time leading rebounder at the time of her induction, Warley was named to the Big South All-Decade team (2010-19).

Following her standout career, Warley signed as an undrafted free agent in the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury and played in the league for seven seasons (2012-16; 2019-20).

7 Members Added to Hall of Fame Class for 2026

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