SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Drury University has finalized its 31st Athletics Hall of Fame induction class, which will include six legendary fixtures on the DU Athletics landscape who will be enshrined as members of the class of 2026-27 on Saturday, Dec. 5 at Findlay Student Center Ballroom.

This year's induction class will include Magen (Brunson) Blades (women's basketball, 2000-04), Steven Gum (men's basketball, 2004-08), Steve Hesser (men's basketball, 2004-21 ), Jared Rennick (wrestling, 2017-21), Katya Rudenko (women's swimming, 2013-18) and the Fanthers student spirit group.

Tickets for the event are available through Drury.edu for $35 per person. Fans purchasing tickets for the induction will also receive admission to Drury's basketball games against Illinois Springfield following the ceremony. The DU women will tip off at 1 p.m., followed by the men's game at 3 p.m. inside O'Reilly Family Event Center.
 
One of the original Lady Panthers, Blades starred for head coach Nyla Milleson's 2000-04 squads that racked up a 101-22 four-year record while advancing to Drury's first two NCAA Tournaments. The Republic, Mo., product helped lead DU to a 36-2 season that culminated in a national runner-up finish in 2003-04, following an NCAA Regional Final appearance the previous year. One of the Lady Panthers' first-ever first-team all-conference honorees in 2002, she led the club in scoring, steals and three-point percentage as a sophomore en route to earning the first of her two All-Heartland Conference nods. She capped her career with 1,184 points, which ranks 15^th in program history, while her 254 career assists rank 13^th on DU's all-time list.
 
Gum was a four-year letterwinner in men's basketball (2004-08) who ranks fourth on DU's 3-point field goals made list (277) and 28th on Panthers' all-time scoring list (1,205). A third-team All-GLVC honoree as a senior, he set a then-Drury record for three-pointers in a season with 87 in 2007-08. The Willow Springs, Mo., native helped DU to GLVC West Division titles in 2005-06 and 2007-08, as well as its first GLVC Tournament crown in 2008. He was a part of three consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament-qualifying teams, helping DU log four straight 20-win seasons and a total of 88 victories over the same stretch. Gum also served on the Panthers' coaching staff from 2012-14, helping DU to its second national championship in 2013, an Elite Eight berth in 2014 and a 59-8 overall mark during his tenure.

Hesser left an indelible imprint on the men's basketball program, compiling a 354-145 career record in his 17 seasons at the helm that included Drury's first NCAA Division II national championship in 2013. He was the NABC Division II National Coach of the Year that season as the Panthers finished the year 31-4 with a 74-73 victory over Metro State in the title game. During his tenure at DU, the Panthers amassed a 213-91 record in conference play and captured nine regular-season conference titles, three league tournament championships, 10 NCAA-II Tournament appearances and two NCAA Elite Eight appearances. The program's second-longest serving head coach, his .709 winning percentage remains the best mark in program history for any coach with more than one season in the role. In 2019, the Stillwater, Okla., product surpassed the legendary A.L. Weiser (316 wins) as the all-time leader in career wins at DU.
 
Drury's first wrestling All-American, Rennick was a two-time national qualifier and first-team All-GLVC selection during his standout career (2017-21) for the Panthers. As a senior in 2021, the Washington, Mo., product carried an unblemished record into the postseason, where he won the NCAA-II Super Regional IV heavyweight title, before claiming an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. His 73 career wins rank third all-time at DU, while his total of 40 career decisions are second on the Panthers' leaderboard. Rennick garnered attention for his work in the classroom as well, earning three Scholar All-America accolades, as well as Drury's 2020-21 Dr. Edsel Matthews Award as the University's top male student-athlete.

A three-time Olympian from Astana, Kazakhstan, Rudenko captured 11 NCAA Division II national championships in women's swimming during her Drury career (2013-18). In all, she garnered 25 All-America honors and was a part of Drury relay squads that broke national records in the 200 Medley and 400 Medley. She was a key performer for the Panthers' most recent national title-winning team in 2014. She also turned in a dominant effort at the 2015 NCAA national meet, nabbing three individual national championships (100 Back, 200 Back and 50 Free), as well as a gold as part of the Panthers title-winning 200 Medley Relay team. In total, she captured four individual NCAA titles and played pivotal roles on seven DU relay teams that won national championships during her career.
 
Formally formed in 2011, the Fanthers have helped establish Drury's standard for student support at home athletic events and made waves across the Great Lakes Valley Conference and the nation. The Fanthers and their group within the group, the "Front Row Refs," were awarded the NCAA Division II Excellence for Game Environment Award in 2012 in recognition of the group's contributions toward enhancing the game day environment at Drury home sporting events, particularly inside O'Reilly Family Event Center for men's and women's basketball and volleyball. Never has the group's presence been greater than in April 2013, when more than 300 Fanthers made the trip by bus to Atlanta to support Drury in its march to the NCAA-II men's basketball national championship.

For additional information, please contact Ed Beach with Drury Athletics by phone at (417) 873-4097, or by email at ebeach@drury.edu.