The Hillsdale College Athletic Department came together to celebrate both its past and its present with the 22^nd Annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony held in The Searle Center on Saturday, March 27.

It was an important evening for Hillsdale College, which finally got to induct three worthy new members of the Charger Athletics Hall of Fame that were meant to be inducted last year before the Covid-19 pandemic forced the ceremony to be postponed.

For Kayla (Caldwell) Holdsworth ('13), Tim Mustapha ('03) and the members of the 1992, 1993 and 1994 men's cross country teams, it was a moment that was worth the wait. All three inductees had already left a tremendous mark on Hillsdale College's legacy during their time here, and more than earned the opportunity to have that mark immortalized for generations of Charger athletes to come.

After an introduction by Mark Kalthoff ('84), a Professor of History at Hillsdale College and a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame himself with the 1980-81 men's basketball team, each of the three inductees got an opportunity to speak about the honor and to officially accept their induction into the Hall of Fame.

Kayla (Caldwell) Holdsworth ('13) – Induction Video | Speech

A seven-time All-American and two-time national runner-up in the pole vault at the Division II level, Holdsworth was one of the first break-through individual stars for the Hillsdale College women's track and field team in the NCAA era, and helped pave the way for a decade of success for Charger track and field athletes at the national level.

In her acceptance speech, Holdsworth emphasized how important Hillsdale has been in her life, in helping her to grow as a person and giving her the confidence in her own abilities to take on immense challenges, in sports, school and life, and achieve things she never thought possible.

Tim Mustapha ('03) – Induction Video | Speech

A stellar athlete who lettered in four sports and ranks as an all-time great at Hillsdale in both football and baseball, Mustapha set school and conference records in both sports that still stand two decades after they were first set.

In his acceptance speech, Mustapha talked about how Hillsdale College strengthened his Christian faith and helped him to see the "beautiful design" God had for his life, one that culminated in marriage to his wife, a fellow Hillsdale alum, and a family of six children.

The 1992, 1993 and 1994 men's cross country teams -- Induction Video | Speech by Bill Lundberg

A rag-tag group of under-recruited runners, mostly from Michigan and across the Midwest, the members of the 1992, 1993 and 1994 men's cross country teams developed into one of the best programs in the country under the watch of legendary coach "Wild" Bill Lundberg.

Over a three-year span, Hillsdale finished runner-up at the NAIA national meet twice, finishing with 11 of a possible 21 All-American runners in three national meets, and won three straight GLIAC titles, producing the GLIAC Runner of the Year in all three seasons. If not for Lubbock Christian, a team made up of Kenyan runners that regularly beat the best teams in the top division of the NCAA during that span, residing in the same division of the NAIA during those years, the Chargers quite possibly could have won multiple national titles.

In speeches given by team members Ben Adler ('93) and Jamie Dudash ('95), as well as by Coach Lundberg, all three highlighted the importance of the team's culture – centered around their Christian faith, hard work in the classroom and in training, and a love for each other – to the program's success, and how the culture built during that era has led to more success for the Charger cross country and track and field programs for decades since.

Also as a part of the ceremony, the Hillsdale College Athletic Department got the chance to recognize a large group of current Charger athletes who earned the President's Scholar-Athlete Award for the 2020-21 school year.

The President's Scholar-Athlete award is given out yearly to all Charger athletes who are juniors or seniors academically and who have maintained a grade point average of 3.8 or higher during their time at Hillsdale. This year, 20 athletes from 11 of the 14 sports Hillsdale offers met the criteria for the award.

The honorees and their majors are listed below:

The Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2022 will be selected this fall, and inducted into the Hall of Fame in a ceremony on March 26, 2022. To nominate a former Charger for consideration, please fill out this form and return it by September 1.

You can find a full list of members of the Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Fame here.

Photos by Anthony Lupi