A five-member class will be inducted into the New York University Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 2, at the Kimmel Center in Manhattan.

Long-time Director of Athletics Chris Bledsoe, as well as former student-athletes Don Blaha (baseball), Meg Barber (basketball), Jason Boone (basketball), and Honore Collins (swimming) will all be joining the Hall of Fame, the first class to be inducted since 2021.     

"We are tremendously excited to induct a new class to the NYU Athletics Hall of Fame," said NYU Director of Athletics Jake Olkkola. "We have experienced unprecedented accomplishments over the last couple of years. This is the right moment to honor and celebrate those Violets who have set the bar for today's championship success." 

Bledsoe served as NYU's Director of Athletics from 1996-2020, when the Violets produced NCAA Division III National Champion teams in women's basketball (1997), men's cross country (2007) and women's golf (2019). He oversaw a department which added the varsity sports of baseball and softball during the 2014-15 academic year, as well as the construction of both the Palladium Athletic Facility and the John A. Paulson Center, which opened in 2002 and 2023, respectively.  

Bledsoe was elevated to NYU's Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs in 2011 and served in many other capacities during his tenure. He was Chairman of the NCAA Division III Membership Committee and the Vice-Chairman of their Infractions Committee, Director and then President of the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Basketball Association - the founding body of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) -  and Secretary-Treasurer of the University Athletic Association (UAA).  

In 2006 under Bledsoe's leadership, NYU Athletics received the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Jostens Institute of the Year Award.  

Blaha, NYU Class of 1963, was a standout pitcher on the Violets' NCAA Division I baseball team. In 1961, he compiled a perfect 7-0 record and was named the Metropolitan Collegiate Baseball Conference's (MCBC) Most Valuable Pitcher. 

A two-time MCBC All-Star, Blaha was selected as the Violets' Most Valuable Player in 1962. Following graduation, he pitched three no-hitters, including a perfect game, in the New York State Semi-Pro Baseball Tournament in 1963, also earning MVP and All-State honors.

Blaha was also a three-year member of NYU's Division I men's basketball team, which twice advanced to the NCAA Tournament.       

Barber, NYU Class of 2002, was a four-year member and senior captain of the women's basketball team. She scored 1,228 career points, the seventh-highest total in program history when she graduated and currently #12 on the all-time list.

The Violets were enormously successful during her four years, posting an overall 93-18 record (.837 winning percentage), making two NCAA Tournament Elite 8 appearances and capturing the ECAC Metro Championships in both 2000 and 2002.

Individually, Barber, now in her eighth season as head coach of the two-time defending National Champion NYU women's basketball team, was a two-time UAA First Team honoree, as well as a First Team All-ECAC Metro and Second Team D3hoops.com Regional All-American in 2002.
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Boone, NYU Class of 2007, was a four-year member and senior captain of the men's basketball team. He scored 1,319 career points, currently #9 on the all-time list and #6 upon graduation.

Boone is featured prominently throughout the Violets' record book. He is the program's all-time career leader in field goal percentage (.636) and blocked shots (206), while ranking fifth in both rebounds (841) and free throws made (326). His one-season field goal percentage of .688 (128-186) in 2005-06, is also a team record.

His individual UAA accolades include Rookie of the Year (2004), Co-Player of the Year (2006), and two-time First Team selection (2006, 2007). Boone was chosen D3hoops.com Third Team All-American and East Region Player of the Year in 2007. Following graduation, he went on to play for the NIT All-Star Team as well as professionally in Europe.      

Collins, NYU Class of 2020, was a four-year member and senior captain of the women's swimming & diving team. She was the program's first-ever National Champion, capturing the 200-yard individual medley at the 2017 NCAA Division III Championships.

Collins went on to win three more National Championships in 2019 (200- and 400-yard individual medley and 200-yard butterfly). In total, she earned 19 All-America honors, six UAA individual titles, and still owns NYU records in both the 200- and 400-yard individual medley.

Honore's honors were off the charts. She was the National Swimmer of the Year in 2019, as well as the NYU Junior Female Scholar Athlete of the Year. Collins was the UAA Swimmer of the Year twice (2019 and 2020) and a four-time Scholar All-American.     

More details about the inductees and the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on May 2 will be released in the coming weeks.