ALLIANCE, Ohio - The University of Mount Union M Club Hall of Fame has announced its 2025 class and special award winners.
The eight-person hall of fame class includes Mike Barton '90 (Men's Wrestling), Drew McClain '10 (Football), Brian Mogus '10 (Men's Tennis), Melissa Mahnke-Morrison '10 (Women's Volleyball), Jaime Serrat '78 (Men's Soccer), Cecil Shorts III '21 (Football), Celena (Holmes '86) Smith (Women's Track & Field), and Jeremy Yoder '00 (Football).
In addition, the Duke Barret Award of Excellence will be given to Carrie Coon '03, Dara Ford '05, and Mike Pechac '98.
To be inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame, a student-athlete must have earned a degree from Mount Union and received two letters in one sport or one letter in two or more sports. Athletes are eligible for selection 15 years after graduation or 15 years after their last competition. Consideration will be based solely on Mount Union varsity participation preceding graduation. Coaches and administrators had to have served at least five years prior to consideration or have been gone at least five years since they left the institution.
Mike Barton '90 (Men's Wrestling) was a two-time Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Champion (1987, 1988) and three-time NCAA National qualifier (1987, 1988, 1990) at weight 177. Barton was an integral part of four straight OAC Team Championships, during one of the greatest runs in team history. Barton was a senior captain for the Purple Raiders. In two of his three Nationals trips, he lost to the eventual National runner-up. He won at least one match in each of his NCAA Championship appearances. Barton was a four-year starter and letterwinner. One of his many career highlights included beating John Carroll's Joe Schmidt, who was a two-time National runner-up and three-time All-American.
Drew McClain '10 (Football) was a key member of the 2008 and 2006 National Championship teams. He earned 2009 All-America Third Team honors from D3football.com and was named the OAC Lee J. Tressel Most Valuable Defensive Back award as a senior. A two-time OAC First Team selection (2009, 2010), he set the school record with a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in 2007 and a game-deciding 78-yard pick six in the 2008 National Championship. McClain is tied for third in his career interception return for a touchdown with three. In 2008, McClain tied the program record with two blocked kicks. In the classroom, McClain was a two-time All-OAC Academic recipient. Off the field, McClain was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and of the Raider Buddy program, where football players would volunteer time at Alliance elementary schools.
Brian Mogus '10 (Men's Tennis) was a key member of the most successful four-year period of the Mount Union men's tennis program, helping the Purple Raiders to two OAC Regular Season Championships (2007, 2009), an OAC Tournament Championship (2009), and an NCAA Division III Tournament appearance (2009). He's tied for fifth all-time in program history in career wins with 109. Mogus helped lead the men's tennis team to a school record 21 wins and a first-ever NCAA Tournament first-round win against Lebanon Valley College. Mogus played no. 2 singles during his four years as a tennis player and did not lose an Ohio Athletic Conference regular season match or tournament match during the 2009 and 10 seasons. At the end of the 2009 season, Mogus's overall singles season record was a perfect 18-0. His combined singles record for the 09 and 10 seasons was 34-2. Mogus was also a member of all three doubles teams throughout his career, playing on the no. 1 doubles team his senior year. Brian earned Second Team All-Conference honors in 2008 and consecutive First Team All-Conference honors in 2009 and 2010. Brian was also a dual-sport athlete, who played soccer as well.
Before leading the Purple Raiders to the NCAA Tournament as the head women's volleyball coach, Melissa Mahnke-Morrison '10 (Women's Volleyball) was a two-time All-American as a player for the Purple Raiders and is still the school's all-time leader in kills (1,604), kills/set (3.572), and kill attempts (4,418). Additionally, her career sets played (449) and matches played (130) rank eighth and ninth, respectively. In 2008, she was part of a team that won a then-school-record 30 victories and then followed up in 2009, leading the Purple Raiders to their first-ever NCAA Tournament bid. A three-year captain, she was a three-time All-OAC selection (including twice First Team), an Academic All-OAC honoree, a two-time All-Great Lakes Region selection (including First Team in 2009), and a two-time All-American pick (2008 and 2009).
Jaime Serrat '78 (Men's Soccer) was a four-time All-OAC honoree, including First Team in 1974 and 1977. Serrat was an integral part of Mount Union's first OAC Championship team in 1974, when the team went 12-1 overall and undefeated in the conference (8-0). He was awarded All-Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America as a senior. Additionally, he was All-OAC Second Team in 1976 and All-OAC Honorable Mention in 1975. He was voted Team MVP and was also a multi-year recipient on the All-Ohio team. Mount Union compiled a record of 37-6-1 during Serrat's career.
Cecil Shorts III '21 (Football) was a three-time All-American, including First Team twice (2009, 2010), and the 2009 D3football.com National Offensive Player of the Year when he had one of the best performances of all time with 100 catches for 1,736 yards and 19 touchdown receptions. Shorts, a three-time OAC First Team selection, won the OAC Most Valuable Player Ed Sherman (Most Valuable Receiver) award twice. Shorts was a member of the 2006 and 2008 National Championship teams. He's ranked near the top in numerous school records, including second in career yards (4,705) and career touchdown receptions (63) and third in career receptions (259). He added 492 career rushing yards to go along with 12 touchdowns and scored on two punt returns and one kickoff return, accumulating nearly 6,000 all-purpose yards (5,989 yards—fifth all-time) at an average of 108.9 yards per game. Mount Union won the OAC in each of Shorts' seasons. Cecil was also a dynamic athlete for the Mount Union track as an All-American and OAC champion sprinter and hurdler. Drafted in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Shorts went on to play in 70 NFL games, recording 229 receptions, 2,979 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 2 passing touchdowns.
Celena (Holmes '86) Smith (Women's Outdoor Track and Field) was Mount Union's first female track All-American in program history. Smith earned All-American at the 1984 NCAA Outdoor Championships as she placed sixth in the 100-meter hurdles. Smith was an integral member of the 1986 OAC Indoor Championship Team and the 1986 OAC Outdoor Runner-Up Team, in addition to a third-place finish in the 1985 OAC Outdoor Championships.
Jeremy Yoder '00 (Football) was key member of three National Championships (1996, 1997, and 1998). Yoder was a 1998 All-American on the Champion USA Division III All-America Second Team. Yoder was named the Paul Hoernemann OAC Award winner for the Most Outstanding Defensive Lineman in 1998 and was named All-OAC First Team in 1998. An All-OAC Academic honoree (1999), he ranks seventh in program history for career sacks (25.0), tied for seventh in program history with fumbles forces (6), and tenth in school history in career tackles for a loss (43.0).
The Duke Barret Award of Excellence is named for the 1951 graduate who was a long-time supporter of Purple Raider athletics. He was an avid M Club member, former chair of the Hall of Fame committee, and Mount Union football coach from 1956 to 1961. The award honors a member of M Club for career experiences or activities that have brought honor and recognition to the individual and, in turn, Mount Union.
Carrie Coon '03 is one of Hollywood's most sought-after talents with a wide variety of roles across film, television, and theatre. Coon received a bachelor's in English and Spanish from Mount Union, while playing soccer and competing on the track and field team. She was also actively involved with Mount Union's Department of Theatre and a member of Alpha Delta Pi. She earned a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Coon has been nominated for Tony and Emmy Awards throughout her career. She has appeared in Gone Girl, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, and His Three Daughters. Recently, Coon has received accolades for her role in the HBO series, The Gilded Age and The White Lotus.
Dara Ford '05 was a five-time national qualifier in cross country and the 3,000-meter steeplechase, claiming Mount Union records in the indoor 3K, steeplechase, and outdoor 5K. Ford, who earned a degree in biology at Mount Union, currently is Otterbein's Director of Cross Country and Track and Field for all programs. She has helped the Cardinals win eight OAC titles overall: six in cross country and two for indoor track and field. She guided women's cross country to four straight OAC championships from 2015 to 2018, earning a pair of trips (2017 and 2018) to the NCAA Championships.
Mike Pechac '98 enters his 11th season as director of player development and player academic enhancement for the IU football program in 2024, and he is in his seventh year as the program's NFL liaison. In his role, he acts as a liaison between the players and coaching staff while developing complete student-athletes academically and socially. Pechac serves as the primary contact between the players and the student welfare and development office and academic services. Pechac also coordinates community service projects such as Read Across America, Special Olympics, Hoosiers Outrun Cancer, Boys & Girls Club, and Camp Riley. A part of seven bowl teams in his career, which includes five at Indiana. A three-year letterwinner and All-Ohio Athletic Conference selection as a senior at Mount Union College, Pechac helped the Purple Raiders to the first two national championships in program history in 1993 and 1996. Pechac earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Mount Union (1998).
The 2025 Mount Union M Club Hall of Fame Class and the Duke Barret Award of Excellence winners will be recognized on Saturday, November 1, at halftime of the football game against Capital at Kehres Stadium. The ceremony will take place that evening, November 1 at 7 p.m. at the Giese Center for Performing Arts.
