Willamette Chooses Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees for Class of 2022

Willamette University Athletic Hall of Fame Logo on top of a collage of small photos featuring many of the athletes, coaches, and supporters who have been inducted.
May 13, 2022

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2022 has been announced by Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Rob Passage. The Class of 2022 includes four former Bearcat student-athletes and one individual selected for meritorious service. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, June 11 at 2:30 p.m. (PDT) in Hudson Hall on Willamette's campus.

The 2022 Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony will take place during Willamette's Alumni Reunion Weekend so there will be other events to attend as part of the overall celebration.

* Main Alumni Reunion Weekend Page
* Schedule of Events
* Alumni Reunion Weekend Brochure
* Registration (including Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony)

Please register with your graduating class if you happen to be coming back for additional weekend events. If you are coming just for the Athletics Hall of Fame event, then select "General Registration" in the lower right corner. We encourage folks to sign up for any events they would like to attend that weekend, but please make sure to select "Athletics Hall of Fame" on Saturday, June 11th at 2:30 pm.

Willamette student-athletes chosen for induction in 2022 are Ryan Hepp '03 (men's basketball), Kimber Mattox '11 (women's cross country/women's track and field/women's soccer), Carrie Morales '96 MAT '97 (women's cross country/women's track and field), and Hisao "Junior" Sato '62 (men's basketball/baseball). Melvin Henderson-Rubio '74 will be inducted for meritorious service.

Hepp, a starter at point guard for the Bearcats in men's basketball from 1999-00 through 2002-03, helped Willamette win the Northwest Conference Tournament title in 1999-00 and contributed to a runner-up finish in 2002-03, and a trip to the semifinals in 2001-02. He was named First Team All-NWC in 2001-02 and 2002-03 and was selected Third Team All-West Region in 2002-03. For his career, Hepp scored 1,129 points and recorded 377 assists, currently placing him sixth all-time in assists per game at Willamette. Hepp earned a spot on the Verizon Academic All-District VIII Team in 2002-03 and was chosen as a finalist for the national Josten's Trophy, which honors the top basketball players in NCAA Division III for excellence in the classroom, on the playing court, and in the community.

Willamette's Jean Williams Award Winner in 2011, Mattox won seven NWC track and field titles and was honored as the NWC Women's Track Athlete of the Meet in 2009 and 2011. She was chosen as the West Region Women's Track Athlete of the Year in 2009 and 2011 and earned All-America honors in track and field with a second-place finish in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Championships in 2011 and a sixth-place finish in the steeplechase in 2009. Mattox was the NWC women's cross country champion in 2010 and an NCAA Division III All-America cross country runner in 2010 when she placed 35th at the NCAA Championships.

Morales, the Jean Williams Award winner in 1997, earned NAIA All-America honors after taking third place at the 1997 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the women's 1,500-meter run. Her time of 4:34.14 set a Willamette record at that time and is currently sixth on the all-time list. She placed eighth in the women's 3,000-meter run at the 1996 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In the Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges (NCIC), Morales placed second in the women's 1,500-meter run twice in track and field (1996, 1997) and was third in the NCIC in the women's 3,000-meter run in 1996. In cross country, Morales placed 34th at the NAIA National Championships in 1995 and was 53rd in 1996. In the conference championships, she finished in the top eight each of her final three years of competition, 8th in 1994, 5th in 1995, and 7th in 1996.

Sato was named First Team All-NWC three times in baseball after receiving Honorable Mention All-NWC recognition as a first-year player in 1959. He was an Honorable Mention All-District 2 selection as a sophomore. Sato also played basketball for the Bearcats, earning Second Team All-NWC honors once and Honorable Mention All-NWC status twice. He was a member of the 1959-60 Willamette men's basketball team that was inducted into the WU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009. Sato had an outstanding career as a high school baseball coach in Oregon, including coaching the North Marion High School team to a state championship in 1971.

Henderson-Rubio has been a major benefactor to the Bearcats and Willamette since graduating from Willamette in 1974. He received the Distinguished Alumni Citation from Willamette in 2019 and is a lifetime member of the Willamette University Board of Trustees. Henderson-Rubio has been particularly helpful when it comes to athletic teams traveling to the Los Angeles area, where he attended high school before coming to Willamette. In addition to supporting Willamette Athletics, Henderson-Rubio has been a generous donor to Willamette Integrated Technology Systems (WITS), Willamette academic scholarships, and the Hallie Ford Museum of Art.