Ball State Athletics Announces 2025 Hall of Fame Class
June 09, 2025 | Football, Men's Golf, Men's Tennis, Men's Volleyball, Women's Golf, Track & Field
Induction ceremony to take place Friday, Oct. 3 in the Alumni Center
MUNCIE, Ind. - Ball State Athletics is excited to announce the newest members to its Athletics Hall of Fame. The 2025 induction class includes a highly decorated men's volleyball team, a seven-time Mid-American Conference (MAC) champion in track & field, two standout golfers, a four-time first team All-MAC men's tennis player and a long-time National Football League (NFL) veteran.
The six-member class features the 1995 Ball State men's volleyball team, Tameka Borders (Track & Field), Jenna Hague (Women's Golf), Tyler Merkel (Men's Golf), Ray Leonard (Men's Tennis) and Willie Snead (Football). Each of the honorees will be inducted during an Oct. 3 induction ceremony at the Ball State Alumni Center.
1995 Ball State Men's Volleyball Team
The 1995 Ball State men's volleyball team remains one of the most successful in program history, finishing the season with a 25-9 overall record and ranked fifth in the final USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll. The Cardinals also claimed both the 1995 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) regular season and tournament titles, including a 10-2 record in MIVA play.
Over the course of the season, the Cardinals beat all four teams which finished the season ahead of them in the final national rankings: No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 Hawai'i, No. 3 Penn State and No. 4 UC Santa Barbara. One of only two teams in program history to own a win over UCLA, with the 2008 squad being the other, the Cardinals lost to the Bruins in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before topping Hawai'i in the third-place match.
Members of the squad earned multiple individual recognitions starting with Todd Reimer who was named the MIVA Player of the Year. Eduardo Ferraz was tabbed the MIVA Tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP), while three players earned All-MIVA first-team honors. Reimer and Ferraz were both named AVCA second team All-Americans, and then-head coach Don Shondell earned MIVA Coach of the Year accolades.
Tameka Borders, Track & Field
A seven-time Mid-American Conference champion, Borders earned the league's Most Valuable Player honor at the 1996 MAC Indoor Championships. Borders was part of Ball State's 1996 indoor and outdoor MAC championship teams.
In 1996, Borders was an NCAA participant in the 200m dash, placing 15th out of 22 competitors. That same year she competed in the NCAA provisional qualifier meet in the 55m dash, 200m dash, triple jump and long jump.
After almost 30 years, Borders remains ranked in the Ball State record books in five categories; third in the 60-meter dash (indoor), third in the 100-meter dash (outdoor), fourth in the 200-meter dash (outdoor) and fifth in the triple jump (indoor and outdoor).
Jenna Hague, Women's Golf
Hague becomes only the second women's golfer to be inducted into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame. Hague made an immediate impact on the team earning both Mid-American Conference Championship medalist honors and second-team All-MAC accolades as a true freshman.
Hague was a 10-time MAC Golfer of Week recipient who became only the second player in program history to be selected for an NCAA regional and the second to be named to the All-MAC first team twice, joining fellow Hall of Fame inductee Brittany Kelly (2007-11) in both categories.
Hague earned six career titles over her four-year tenure at Ball State. She set Ball State records for single-season scoring average (74.34), 18-hole score (66) and 54-hole score (214), all during her junior season. She graduated with the second-best career stroke average in school history (77.22).
Tyler Merkel, Men's Golf
Merkel graduated with the second-best career stroke average in Ball State history (73.99). He competed in the NCAA Championship twice, earning a regional invitation as an individual in 2012 and helping Ball State to the Nationals in 2013.
A two-time PING All-Midwest Region recipient, Merkel earned All-MAC first team honors twice, All-MAC second team and MAC Co-Freshman of the Year along with being voted to the All-MAC Tournament squad.
The seven-time MAC Golfer of the Week earned the MAC Medal of Excellence in 2014. He also garnered three tournament titles during his four-year career.
Not only was Merkel successful on the course, but off the course registering MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week and being tabbed a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar in both 2013 and 2014.
In 2014, Leonard helped Ball State earn its seventh MAC tourney title after posting a straight set victory on the top court against Buffalo's Damien David. Leonard's win helped the Cardinals claim the championship and its eighth birth to the NCAA Tournament.
Leonard, a four-time first team All-MAC selection, also won the prestigious Jack Vredevelt Sportsmanship Award from the league office. He was named MAC Tennis Player of the Week five times during his career.
Willie Snead Football
Snead, a talented wide receiver for the Cardinals, came to Ball State after graduating high school a semester early. He was a two-time All-MAC first team honoree for the Cardinals and a semifinalist for the 2013 Fred Biletnikoff Award.
Snead still ranks first all-time at Ball State in receiving yards in a season (1,516), receptions (106) and touchdowns (15). He also ranks first in career games of 100 or more yards receiving with 13 and is one of only two players in Ball State history to have two 1,000-yard receiving seasons in a career. Snead is also third in the program's record book for career receiving yards (2,991) and second in touchdowns (26). Snead was a member of back-to-back bowl teams when the Cardinals played at the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl (2012) and GoDaddy Bowl (2013).
After playing three years with the Cardinals, Snead would forgo his senior season to enter the NFL draft where he spent seven years playing for the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders, San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins. In 2024, Snead appeared on the Super Bowl roster for the San Francisco 49ers. He has recently retired from the NFL.
