News

Four individuals and one team, representing five different sports will make up the 18th SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame class. They will be inducted Friday, Jan. 10 in a joint ceremony with the SIUE Alumni Hall of Fame honorees. More details about the event will be released in the coming weeks.

This year's honorees include Darin Hendrickson (baseball), Mia Smith (women's basketball and softball), Steve Stearns (wrestling), Andrea (Voss) Toennies (volleyball) and the 2001 men's soccer team.

"We're honored to be inducting this standout class into our SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame," SIUE Director of Athletics Andrew Gavin said. "It is an impressive group, that accomplished great things not only as student-athletes at SIUE but in their professional endeavors. We look forward to celebrating with them in January."

The SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame seeks to recognize the achievements of former student-athletes, coaches, administrators and teams that have impacted the intercollegiate athletics programs at SIUE as well as to celebrate the history of the institution.

The 2024-25 inductees are:

Darin Hendrickson, Baseball

Darin Hendrickson played two seasons of baseball for the Cougars 1990-1991. He amassed a career record of 18-5 and a 2.65 earned run average in 30 career appearances. His 18 career wins rank 11th all-time, while his career ERA is good for the 10th lowest mark of all time. His total of 10 wins in 1991 is tied for the third most in a single season at SIUE and helped lead the Cougars to a school-record 43 wins and a trip to the World Series.

Mia Smith, Women's Basketball and Softball

A two-sport standout in basketball and softball, Mia Smith played four seasons of basketball and softball at SIUE. She appeared in 94 basketball games and currently ranks 36th all-time in scoring at 880 points. Smith also is sixth on the career steals list with 221 and seventh in assists at 308. Smith made 190 appearances on the softball diamond for the Cougars and recorded 158 career hits, ranking 30th all-time. Her 55 stolen bases (without being caught) are tied for 11th most in program history and her 103 runs scored rank 19th all-time.

Steve Stearns, Wrestling

Steve Stearns wrestled for the Cougars from 1983-1986. Stearns was a three-time All-American, finishing as the Division II National Champion at 134 pounds in 1986, which followed third-place finishes in 1983 and 1985. He was seeded at the 1986 Division I National Championship, where he won two matches and advanced to the quarterfinal round. Stearns helped the Cougars to a pair of team National Championships in 1985 and 1986.

Andrea (Voss) Toennies, Volleyball

Andrea Voss played four seasons of volleyball at SIUE, ranking eighth on the career list with 125 matches played. She ranks fourth all-time with 1,349 kills, sixth at 3.11 kills per set, third in hitting percentage at .307. She is third in career block solos at 141, second in total blocks with 612 and is the all-time leader in block assists with 471. Voss holds the single-match record for hitting percentage at .917, when she recorded 11 kills on 12 attempts with no errors in a 2003 game against Belmont Abbey. She was an AVCA All-America Honorable mention in 2003 and a two-time All-Region performer. 

The 2001 men's soccer team finished with an overall record of 17-3-3, advancing to the national semifinals before losing to host and eventual national champion Tampa 2-1. Head Coach Ed Huneke was named the Regional Coach of the Year and four Cougars, Justin McMillian, David Mwendapole, Cress Maddox and Matt Evers earned All-Region honors. The team outscored its opponents 65-21 during the season.

PHOTOS: Hendrickson, Smith, Stearns, Voss (Toennies), Men's Soccer 2001