ERIE, Pa. – Eight new inductees will join the Mercyhurst University Athletics Hall of Fame this January as the 2002 Men's Soccer Team, Brad Jacobson (athletic training), Luke Little, '01 (men's lacrosse), Jacob Griffin, '14 (men's cross country), Maurice "Moe" Profit, '98 (men's basketball), Cherie Jackson, '10 (women's cross country), Kelsey French, '06 (women's lacrosse), and Connie Ralston, '97 (women's basketball) have earned selection as the induction class of 2026.
 
This year's induction is set to take place Saturday, January 17. Inductees will be honored at halftime of the men's basketball game at 2 p.m. and officially inducted in a ceremony held in the Hammermill Library that evening.
 
The 2002 Men's Soccer Team made an historic run to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Playoff with a 17-2 overall record and a 5-1 record in GLIAC play. The Lakers swept the GLIAC postseason awards, with Keith Cammidge winning Coach of the Year, Mike Blythe earning Offensive Player of the Year, Shawn Burke was named Defensive Player of the Year, and Nick Jordan was selected as the Freshman of the Year. Under the direction of coach Cammidge, the Lakers scored an impressive 58 goals and posted 164 points on the season. In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Lakers posted a dominate 6-0 win over District of Columbia and then defeated Rockhurst 2-0 in the quarterfinals.
 
Jacobson served as the first Head Athletic Trainer for Mercyhurst, developing and opening the athletic training room facilities in 1983. He was also appointed to start and be the director of the athletic training undergraduate program at Mercyhurst. Jacobson maintained the Head AT position and AT Curriculum Director from 1983-97, caring for countless athletes and teaching countless students. Also, during this time, Jacobson spearheaded and oversaw the initial accreditation of the athletic training education program by the National Athletic Trainers Association in 1993 and the reaccreditation in 1997. In 2002, Jacobson moved on to direct the expanding sports medicine programs and maintained the sports medicine chair position for a full 20 years. Under his tenure as Sports Medicine department chairperson the student enrollment grew from 90 students to 200. In 2014, as the lead author he published in the Journal of Athletic Training "Cervical Spine Motion During American Football Equipment Removal Protocols: A Challenge to the All of Nothing Endeavor". This research project won the 2014 Outstanding Research Manuscript of the year for the Journal of Athletic Training and were presented and taught by Jacobson and a Sports Medicine department student to the New York Jets, Giants, and Indianapolis Colts athletic training and medical staff.
 
Little is one of the most accomplished men's lacrosse players in program history. Joining the Lakers in 1999 and redshirting in his first year, Little left a lasting impact from the time he took the field in 2000. He was the program's first All-American, earning Second Team honors in the '00 season. The following year, the defensive midfielder followed up an outstanding first season with an even better year in 2001, claiming First Team All-American honors. That season, he was also an Academic All-American. Little was named the Mercyhurst Outstanding Senior Athlete in 2001 and earned the Varsity Academic Award.
 
Griffin was a standout runner from the time he stepped foot on campus in 2010. The Danville, Iowa native set the school 8k record in his junior season, winning the Roberts Wesleyan Invitational with a time of 25:37. He earned an All-PSAC honor in his junior season as well, finishing 19^th at PSAC Championships. Griffin was also a standout in the classroom, earning four USTFCCCA All-Academic nods and two CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-American Teams. Griffin was also the recipient of the prestigious Mercyhurst Frank Berry Leadership Award.
 
Profit is among the best to ever play for the Mercyhurst men's basketball team. Profit appeared in 84 games, starting 55 of them while averaging 25 minutes a game. The forward averaged 12.3 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game, 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 57 percent from the floor in his career. In 1996-97, he was named First Team All-conference and First Team All-Defense in the GLIAC, with averages of 17 ppg, 7 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. He scored over 1000 points in his career and finished his time at Mercyhurst fourth on the program all-time blocks leaderboard with 116. He led the team in field goal percentage in 1995-96 and 1996-97, setting a program record of 62 percent in 95-96.  
 
Jackson was an accomplished runner on the women's cross country team from 2007-10. She was the individual champion at the Allegheny, Mercyhurst, Le Moyne Cross Country Invitational and the 2010 Roberts Wesleyan Invitational. Jackson was a three-time NCAA Academic All-Region Athlete and was honored as the GLIAC and PSAC Runner of the Week on multiple occasions.
 
French left her mark on the women's lacrosse program from 2003-06. French was an excellent attacker, scoring 102 goals and tallying 175 career points. She was a consistent presence on the field for the Lakers setting a program record in games started with 62. In her senior season, French recorded a career-high in goals (41) and points (67). Her 41 goals were 38^th in the nation and her 67 points were 23^rd. In her junior season, French was 13^th in the nation in assists per game (1.73). When she graduated, French was third in program history in career points, fourth in goals, and third in assists.
 
Ralston was one of the greatest Lakers to hit the hardwood. She played in 110 career games, making 186 3-pointers. Ralston set a record for 3-pointers in a game with nine at Bridgeport in 1994. Ralston scored 1,274 points in her career with 205 assists. She helped the team to the NCAA DII Tournament in 1994 and 1995, scoring 18 points in the national quarterfinal against Stonehill. She was a First Team All-GLIAC selection and was named the Mercyhurst Female Student-Athlete of the Year her senior year.