Grand Rapids, Mich. The summer stories arrived on Coach Bo Court Friday night with people attached to them. Former teammates found one another. Coaches greeted athletes they had helped shape. Families, friends, current student-athletes, past Hall of Famers and many Dominican Sisters filled the Sturrus Sports & Fitness Center as Aquinas welcomed its 2026 class into the Coach Terry Bocian Aquinas Athletics Hall of Fame.
The Journey to Fall and the Hall told their stories throughout the summer. On Homecoming weekend, Katie Dahnke (Vander Meer), Linda Nash, Dave Wood, Sean Fischbach and the 1999 and 2000 men's soccer teams were together with the people who had been part of those stories.
Sister Maureen Geary, the 10th president of Aquinas College, opened the ceremony with a prayer and a reflection on the stories that connect generations of Saints. Aquinas historian Ryan Wendt, a former Saints baseball player who never left the college behind, then took the room through the history of AQ athletics.
Hall of Famer Mary Takas led the parade of past inductees before the Class of 2026 took the spotlight. Coach Terry Bocian was among those in attendance, watching the Hall that bears his name bring another generation of Saints together.
"An additional intent was to mix the past and the present for mutual appreciation," Bocian said of the Hall's beginnings.
That intent was visible across Coach Bo Court. Current Aquinas student-athletes sat alongside alumni who had once worn the Maroon and White. Introductions became conversations; conversations became reunions. The hugs and handshakes continued before, during and long after the ceremony.
Athletic Director Damon Bouwkamp guided the evening's fireside chats, giving each inductee room to tell the stories behind the accomplishments.
Katie Dahnke (Vander Meer): The Next Generation Was Listening
Katie Dahnke came to Aquinas looking for relationships she had been missing at Michigan State. She found them with the Saints, becoming a three-time All-American and the volleyball program's only first-team All-American along the way.
On Friday, she remembered the life around those matches: teammates, meals together, movie nights and friendships that followed them into adulthood. Then she looked out at current Aquinas volleyball players who were beginning to make memories of their own.
Captain Audrey Gil spoke with Dahnke throughout the night about her journey to Aquinas and her years on campus. They found plenty to laugh about. Gil said that although campus may have changed, "the relationships and community stay the same."
Dahnke also stopped at the volleyball championship banner. She saw 2018 and the Saints' back-to-back seasons in 2024 and 2025, a chance to connect her team's history with the players standing beside her.
Gil said alumni congratulated the current Saints while reminding them how quickly four years can pass. Dahnke encouraged them to hold on to the hard work, the lessons and the people who share those experiences. Gil said her team carries that thought into practices, matches and bus rides: "The team takes in those little moments that will last a lifetime."
Linda Nash: "It's About We"
Linda Nash's former players came back for their coach, and she made sure the room understood they had built her legacy with her.
Across 23 seasons and 386 victories leading Aquinas women's basketball, Nash helped shape a program whose reach extended well beyond the court. During her fireside chat, she recognized predecessor Patti Tibaldi and longtime assistant Ray Fron, then put her philosophy into words: "It's not about me. It's about we."
Her players had their own way of showing that bond. After the ceremony, some were still wearing shirts marked KSAAQSC, a throwback to one of Nash's sayings. They knew what it meant, and the conversations around those shirts made clear how much they still treasured being part of her team.
Dave Wood: The Coaches Who Shaped a Coach
Dave Wood used part of his induction to recognize several of his own coaches who were in the room. He asked them to stand, giving the audience a chance to see the people who had helped shape the coach Aquinas would come to know.
Wood led Saints cross country and track and field for 23 years. He remembered athletes and moments from those seasons, including a relay performance by Phil Wegert. He also recalled reporting a scoring error that cost Aquinas a WHAC title. It was a difficult choice that showed the standard he expected his athletes to follow.
His Aquinas story is still being written. Wood has remained close to the program and to coach Mike Wojciakowski, and now his grandson Carson is beginning his own journey as a Saint under Wojciakowski.
Sean Fischbach: Never Alone in Goal
Sean Fischbach returned to Coach Bo Court as one of the most accomplished goalkeepers in Aquinas men's soccer history. His career included 363 saves and 40 wins, but he was eager to talk about who had stood with him.
Former coach Pat Hoatlin was there to hear Fischbach recognize him for making a young player feel seen. Fischbach credited his teammates, too. "I didn't make all those saves alone," he said.
It was an especially fitting thought from a man being inducted twice in one night. Once his individual moment was complete, Fischbach stayed on stage to welcome his teammates from the 1999 and 2000 men's soccer teams into the Hall.
The 1999 and 2000 Men's Soccer Teams: Still Together
Jon Mies and Damian Nicey joined Fischbach for the final fireside chat. Across two seasons, the 1999 and 2000 teams won 36 matches and reached the NAIA national tournament in 2000. More than two decades later, the men were back together to share what those seasons had meant.
They also remembered teammate Charles "Chucky" Ovalle, who died in 2023. His performance against Bethel remains part of their story, and so does the teammate they knew beyond that match. Chucky was not there to stand with them, but he was very much there in the stories they told.
By the time the team members received their medals, the moment belonged to more than the men on stage. It belonged to teammates throughout the room and to those who could no longer be there.
The People Who Made the Night Possible
The Class of 2026 had the spotlight Friday night. Behind every introduction, award presentation and moment on Coach Bo Court was a crew of Saints making sure that spotlight landed where it belonged.
Ashley Kaman managed the event. Kennadie Minerich ran the audiovisual presentation and slides throughout the ceremony. Mary Takas and the athletic department's graduate assistants helped with the many details guests might never have noticed. Deputy Athletic Director Connor Leppink presented the inductees' medals, while Joey Sutherlin streamed the ceremony and is editing a post-production version for the AQSaints YouTube Network.
Another Hall of Famer wanted to share in the night. John Kurzynowski, a PGA golf pro and two-time Aquinas Hall of Fame inductee, had hoped to congratulate Fischbach and the entire Class of 2026 in person. Illness prevented him from attending. While the Wege Golf Outing was underway Friday morning, Kurzynowski called Sutherlin and asked him to pass along his congratulations, with a message specifically for Coach Bo. His warmth and humility were a reminder of what the honor means long after induction night.
What the Hall Holds
Homecoming gave the Aquinas community another reason to gather, but the people gave Friday night its meaning. Players returned to coaches. Teammates found one another again. Today's Saints met the people whose names they had heard for years. Many Dominican Sisters were there to see the community they helped build celebrate those who have carried it forward.
The Five Pillars and the ideals of the Dominican Sisters who founded Aquinas remain a foundation for the college. On Friday, they could be seen in the respect the inductees showed their mentors, the credit they gave their teammates and the welcome they offered the next generation. The best of Aquinas athletics was on display through accomplished athletes, coaches and teams, and through the good people they have been to one another.
Coach Bo had hoped the Hall would bring Aquinas's past and present together. Friday night, that happened in the conversations between inductees and current Saints, in the stories former teammates picked up where they had left off, and in the advice Gil and her teammates carried home.
The journey to Fall and the Hall was complete. The relationships among everyone gathered there will continue to grow. Friday reminded us why the AQ community says it every day.
It's a great day to be a Saint.
