IOWA CITY, Iowa — The Iowa Letterwinners Club and the University of Iowa Athletics Department announced its 2026 Hall of Fame Class on Wednesday.
The 37th Hall of Fame class includes Kim Baker-El Abiad (women’s gymnastics), Klas Bergstrom (men’s tennis), Diane DeMiro Simmons (field hockey), Amy Herrig Tanny (women’s basketball), Matt McDonough (men’s wrestling), Janet Moylan Ritter (volleyball) and Sedrick Shaw (football).
The seven-person class will be inducted into the Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 4 – the evening prior to the Iowa football team’s season opener against Northern Illinois.
The induction ceremony, which is open to the public, will be held in the Feller Club Room at Carver-Hawkeye Arena with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. (CT) and the ceremony will follow at 6:30 p.m. Cost for the evening is $25 and includes complimentary heavy hors d’oeuvres. Refreshments will be available for purchase throughout the event.
Reserve your spot TODAY.
All Iowa athletes who have earned at least one varsity letter at Iowa are eligible for the Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame. Athletes must have completed their eligibility 10 years and coaches/administrators five years prior to their induction.
2026 Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees
Kim Baker-El Abiad, Women’s Gymnastics (1993-96)
Three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection (1994, 1995, 1996)… Big Ten Freshman of the Year (1993)… Big Ten Medal of Honor (1996)… recipient of the Robert F. Ray Faculty Representative Award (1996)… WGCA Scholar All-American (1996)… three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection (1994-96)… named the Iowa Scholar Athlete of the Year (1996)… had two perfect 10’s during her Iowa career on vault… tied for the school record on vault… had a career-best 9.950 on floor and scored a 39.525 on all-around… NCAA Regional qualifier.
Klas Bergstrom, Men’s Tennis (1991-93)
Three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection (1991, 1992, 1993)… Big Ten Sportsman of the Year in 1993 for having a high level of competitive success, while showing exemplary sportsmanship… ITA singles runner-up (1992)… earned the team’s Tyler Cleveland Most Valuable Player Award (1993)… tied for the fourth-most singles wins in a single season, winning 15 matches in 1992… tied for the second-most doubles wins at the No. 1 line, posting a 14-4 record with Thomas Adler in 1991.
Diane DeMiro Simmons, Field Hockey (1993-96)
Two-time NFHCA first-team All-American (1995, 1996)… three-time NFHCA All-West Region selection (1994, 1995, 1996)… three-time All-Big Ten honoree, earning first-team honors in 1995 and 1996 and a second-team nod in 1994… Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (1995)… nominee for the Honda-Broderick Sports Award (1995-96)… team MVP (1995)… University of Iowa Female Athlete of the Year (1995-96)… led team to a Big Ten Tournament title (1994), two Big Ten regular season titles (1995, 1996), three NCAA Elite Eight appearances (1993, 1994, 1995) and two NCAA Final Fours (1993, 1994)… played at the United States Olympics/Sports Festival (1993, 1994, 1995)… scored 48 career goals, including a team-high 18 in 1995 and 19 in 1996… led the team in points in 1995 (46) and 1996 (45)… also tied for the team lead in assists (10) in 1995.
Amy Herrig Tanny, Women’s Basketball (1995-99)
Associated Press honorable mention All-American (1999)… first-team All-Big Ten selection (1999)… Big Ten Freshman of the Year (1995)… averaged 18.7 points and 11.3 rebounds per game as a senior, while shooting 50 percent (185-of-370) from the floor… scored 1,319 career points and had 789 career rebounds… ranked second in the Big Ten games in scoring as senior… started every game of her Hawkeye career… finished career as all-time leading single-game scorer at Carver-Hawkeye Arena with 42 points and 25 rebounds… led the team to three Big Ten regular season titles and two Big Ten Tournament championships… selected to the Big Ten All-Star Tour in Sicily (1996)… three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection (1997, 1998, 1999)… won a Gold Medal as a member of the U.S. Pan American team (1999) and United States World University Games team (1997)… member of the National Olympics Festival team (1995) and U.S. Select Team (1996)… selected in fourth round of the 1999 WNBA Draft by the Sacramento Monarchs (No. 38 overall)… continued her career in the WNBA playing an additional three seasons for the Utah Starzz (Las Vegas Aces franchise).
Matt McDonough – Men’s Wrestling (2010-13)
Two-time National Champion, winning at 125 pounds in 2010 and 2012… three-time All-American (2010, 2011, 2012), finishing as the NCAA runner-up in 2011… two-time Big Ten Champion (2011, 2012) and two-time Big Ten runner-up (2010, 2013)… Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2010… was fifth Hawkeye to earn freshman honor… led Iowa to the 2010 NCAA and Big Ten team titles… four-time Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honoree… posted a 122-9 career record, including a 29-2 mark in Big Ten action… his .931 career winning percentage ranked 11th in program history… had 40 career falls, eight technical falls and 35 major decisions… went 37-1 as a freshman, 27-2 as a sophomore, 36-1 as a junior and 22-5 as a senior… 100th career win came in 2012 NCAA finals… three-time Mike Howard Most Valuable Wrestler recipient… won two titles and notched a runner-up finish at the Midlands Championships… posted a 36-1 record inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena… two-time John & Dorothy Sill Award honoree, which is presented to the most dedicated wrestler, on and off the mat… two-time Dan Gable Most Pins Award recipient… two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection (2012, 2013)… NWCA Division I Scholar All-American in 2012… Iowa’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award receipient in 2012… member of the 2010 Junior World team at 60kg and the 2014 Senior Freestyle National Team at 57kg… Bronze Medalist at the 2014 University World Championships at 57 kg.
Janet Moylan Ritter, Volleyball (1987-90)
AVCA second-team All-Mideast Region honoree (1990)… Big Ten Medal of Honor (1991)… three-time All-Big Ten selection, earning second-team honors in 1988 and honorable mention honors in 1989 and 1990… two-time Iowa MVP Award recipient (1989, 1990)… three-time Academic All-Big Ten (1988, 1989, 1990)… Volleyball Monthly Tournament Sportsmanship Award (1998)… named a University of Iowa College of Pharmacy Collegiate Scholar (1992)… finished career ranked first in program history in assists (5,471) – a record that still stands in 2026… finished career ranked first in the Iowa record books in digs (1,931), a record that stood for 23 years in the pre-Libero era… holds a top 15 ranking in attack percentage and service aces… 10th setter in NCAA history to break 5,000 career assist threshold… holds school single-match record in assists (82) and has four of the top six totals in the record books… also holds three-set assists record (60).
Sedrick Shaw, Football (1993-96)
First-team All-Big Ten selection (1996)… two-time team Most Valuable Player (1995, 1996)… team captain as a senior (1996)… played in the Senior Bowl as a senior (1996)… only Hawkeye to rush for 1,000+ yards in three consecutive seasons (1994-96)… one of four Iowa players to have multiple 1,000-yard seasons… holds Iowa career school records in rushing yards (4,156), rushing touchdowns (t1st, 33), rushing attempts (837) and career 100-yard games (19)… finished career ranked in top-10 in program history with 214 career points… has the second-most all-purpose yards (4,974) in program history… had two 200-yard games in his career – 42-250 yards at Michigan State in 1995, 41-214 at Wisconsin in 1995… has the fourth (1,477 in 1995), 13th (1,116 in 1996) and 22nd-best (1,002 in 1994) single-season rushing totals in school history… had 15 rushing touchdowns in 1995… had an 80-yard touchdown run vs. Central Michigan in 1994… led Iowa to three bowl games – 1993 Alamo, 1995 Sun and 1996 Alamo – and two bowl victories… team won 28 games in four seasons… drafted by New England Patriots in 1997 NFL Draft… played in the NFL from 1997-99 for the Patriots and Cleveland Browns.
