Rockets Announce 2026 Varsity T Hall of Fame Class

TOLEDO, Ohio - The University of Toledo Varsity T Club announced its 2026 Hall of Fame inductees today.

Members of the Class of 2026 include six former student-athletes: Nathan Boothe, Men's Basketball (2012-16); Zac Kerin, Football (2009-13); Ali Leak, Women's Soccer (2006-09); Bob Preston, Wrestling (1980-83); Sathika Ruenreong, Women's Golf (2012-16), and Deion Tansel, Baseball (2013-16).

The 2026 Varsity T Hall of Fame induction banquet is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 25 in Savage Arena. The class will also be introduced at halftime of the Rockets' football game vs. San Diego State on Saturday, Sept. 26.

Receiving the Distinguished Service Award is Desiree Hillmon, a former athletic trainer who worked with Women's Basketball, Women's Volleyball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Softball, and the Men's and Women's Swimming and Track teams from 1983-2001.

Tickets for the Varsity T Hall of Fame induction dinner are $50, or $500 for a table of 10 and can be purchased by calling the Athletic Development Office at 419-530-5087 or visiting utrockets.com/hofbanquet.

The 2026 Varsity T Hall of Fame inductees are as follows:

Nathan Boothe, 2012-16
Nathan Boothe was a two-time All-MAC center and four-year starter for the Rockets from 2012-16. He earned First-Team All-MAC honors as a senior after registering career-high 19.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He led the MAC in scoring that season, and his 618 points were the third-most in Toledo history at the time. He also finished second in the MAC with an 82.4 free throw percentage and was third in rebounding. Boothe led or shared the team lead in points a team-high 18 games, rebounds a team-best 24 times, and assists on 11 occasions. He recorded the first triple-double in program history as a senior with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists against San Jose State in the 2016 Great Alaska Shootout. Boothe finished his career ranked 10th on Toledo's all-time scoring list with 1,494 points and is now tied for 13th place. He is tied for 11th in school history with 777 career rebounds. As a junior, he was named Honorable-Mention All-MAC after averaging 10.0 points and 5.7 rebounds. Boothe was a key player on the 2013-14 squad that set a school record with 27 victories and captured the MAC title. He set the school record with 155 career blocked shots and led the team in blocks all four years. He shot 35.8 percent (49-of-137) from 3-point range in his career, including a career-best 37.5 percent (33-of-88) as a senior. Boothe has played professionally in Italy, Turkey, Germany, and Japan, where he is still active.

Zac Kerin, 2009-13
Zac Kerin was a three-time All-MAC center for the Rockets who started 38 consecutive games from 2011-13. After playing as a reserve in his redshirt freshman season in 2010, Kerin earned Second-Team All-MAC honors as a sophomore. He was a key part of a Rocket offense that finished eighth in the nation in scoring (42.2 points) and 10th in total offense (481.3 yards). The two-time captain was First-Team All-MAC as a junior in 2012, making the Rimington Award Watch List as the nation's top center. He was Second-Team All-MAC as a senior, anchoring an offensive line that allowed just six sacks, the fewest in the country that season, and was named the team's offensive MVP. A civil engineering major, Kerin was a three-time Academic All-MAC selection, earning Academic All-District honors in 2012. He played in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, and Washington Commanders.

Ali Leak, 2006-09
Ali Leak was a four-year letterwinner from 2006-09, earning First-Team All-MAC honors as a senior in 2009. She helped the Rockets win MAC Tournament championships in 2006, 2007 and 2008, and made the MAC All-Tournament Team in 2006, 2008 and 2009. Leak earned a spot on the NSCA All-Region Team in 2009. She was also a First-Team Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association selection in 2009 and Second-Team OCSA in 2007. On UT's career leaders list, Leak ranks in the top 10 in goals (21), points (54) and assists (12). She led the team in goals (6) as a senior and was named the team's Offensive Player of the Year. She finished second behind Hall of Famer Molly Cornwell in goals and points in her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. Leak was an Academic All-MAC and Academic All-Ohio selection in 2007, 2008 and 2009, and an Academic All-District pick in 2007 and 2009. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree in marketing and professional sales. She spent 14 years in medical sales and currently works in interior design and content creation.

Bob Preston, 1980-83
Bob Preston was a two-time MAC Champion at 142 pounds, finishing his college career with 120 wins. As a senior co-captain in 1983, Preston went 30-1 and was named the MAC's Most Valuable Wrestler, leading the Rockets to their first MAC Championship title in 14 years. He also won the same title as a junior in 1982. A four-year letterwinner and three-time co-captain, Preston competed at 118 pounds as a freshman, placing third at the MAC Championships and earning team Freshman of the Year honors. Additionally, Preston earned two Ohio Collegiate titles and competed in freestyle wrestling, placing second in regional trials and qualifying for the Olympic Trials training camp in 1980. Following the completion of his wrestling career, Preston served as a graduate assistant while completing his degree in electrical engineering.

Sathika Ruenreong, 2012-16
Sathika Ruenreong earned First-Team All-MAC honors in all four seasons of her career and set school season records for stroke average (73.83), most rounds (36), most rounds under 80 (36), and tied the record for the most individual tourney titles in a season (2). She is the only Rocket to receive First-Team All-MAC honors on more than two occasions. In 2012-13, Ruenreong was named MAC Freshman of the Year. She ended her career ranked first in school history for lowest stroke average (74.94) and is currently the co-leader for most tournament crowns (4). Ruenreong is tied for second with the lowest 54-hole score ever (210) and tied for third for lowest round ever (67). She became the first-ever Rocket to appear in the NCAA Regionals, tying for 36th place out of 96 golfers at the Shoal Creek Regional in 2016. Ruenreong's top finish at the MAC Championships was a second-place showing as a freshman in 2013.

Deion Tansel, 2013-16
Deion Tansel was a two-time First-Team All-MAC selection in 2015 and 2016 and a two-time MAC Defensive Player of the Year, the first two-time winner in league history. He is one of 11 players in program history to earn at least two First-Team All-MAC honors. A four-year starter, Tansel was a two-time MAC All-Defensive Team selection and a career .314 hitter, hitting at least .300 in all four seasons with the Rockets. In 2015, Tansel hit a team-best .324 with 21 runs scored, nine doubles, 16 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases while leading the team in HBP (14) and on-base percentage (.413). He hit a career-best .327 as a senior in 2016 with two home runs, 12 doubles, and 29 RBIs. In his final season at Toledo, Tansel led the team in hitting (.327), slugging percentage (.415), runs scored (44), hits (73), doubles (13), and stolen bases (12). He finished his career with 246 hits, which was ranked fifth in school history, and he had 73 career multi-hit games. Tansel played in 208 career games, starting 204 at second base and shortstop. He was an Academic All-MAC honoree in 2015 and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2016 MLB Draft.

Distinguished Service Award Honoree

Desiree Hillmon, 1983-2001
Desiree Hillmon looked after all of the student-athletes, but primarily worked with the Women's Basketball team from the years 1983-2001, as well as Women's Volleyball, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Swimming and Men's and Women's Track. Not only did she hold the role of assistant athletic trainer, but was also responsible for the athletic insurance program within the department. The first minority and female athletic trainer at the University of Toledo, Hillmon obtained her M. Ed. in Kinesiotherapy from UT. In 1996, Hillmon was a trainer at the Atlanta Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. She later served as the Program Manager of injury prevention at GMPT Toledo along with an in-plant Wellness Center.

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