Six individuals slated for induction into Olivet College Athletic Hall of Fame

OLIVET, Mich. – Six individuals have been chosen for induction into the Olivet College Athletic Hall of Fame, Class of 2021. The individuals are Kellen Beckwith, Megan (Rimmel) Hessbrook, Erica (Anderson) Knowlton, Kyle Lackscheide, Michael McClary and Chris Shelhart. All six will be formally inducted as part of the college's Alumni Awards ceremony October 8 and then honored in the festivities prior to the Homecoming football game the next day.

Beckwith, a 2011 Olivet graduate, was a four-time NCAA All-American and All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) selection in the swimming pool for the Comets. As a freshman in 2008, he was the MIAA champion and placed 11th at the NCAA Championships in the 100 backstroke. As a sophomore in 2009, Beckwith finished eighth in the 100 backstroke at the NCAA Championships. As a junior in 2010, he improved one spot to place seventh in the 100 backstroke at the NCAA Championships. As a senior in 2011, Beckwith won the 100 and 200 backstroke at the MIAA Championships and finished 16th in the 100 backstroke at the NCAA Championships. He still holds the Olivet record in the 100 and 200 backstroke at 50.16 and 1:51.20, respectively, and swam the backstroke leg on the school-record 400 medley relay.

Beckwith's success in the pool carried over into the class room. He graduated with a perfect 4.0 grade point average (GPA) in mathematics and received Olivet's Donald A. Morris Award for being one of the top five seniors. Beckwith was a two-time recipient of the Elite 88 award, presented annually to the student-athlete with the top GPA competing at the NCAA Championships. He was a four-time MIAA Academic Honor Roll recipient. In 2010 and 2011, Beckwith was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District IV Men's At-Large First Team, CoSIDA Academic All-America® Men's At-Large First Team. In 2011, he was voted the CoSIDA Academic All-America® of the Year for the College Division Men's At-Large program.

After leaving Olivet, Beckwith earned a master's degree in coaching education from Ohio University in 2015. He currently lives in Sunbury, Ohio, and is in 11th year as the associate men's and women's swimming coach at Denison University.

Hessbrook, a 2010 Olivet graduate, was a four-year letterwinner on the women's golf team. She was a three-time All-MIAA First Team selection and was a part of the 2006, 2007 and 2008 MIAA Championship teams. Hessbrook is a two-time honoree to the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) All-Great Lakes Region team, and in 2009-10, she earned NGCA All-American honors. Hessbrook competed at the NCAA Division III Championships each of her four seasons, helping the Comets finish as high as ninth-place in 2007. She finished her Olivet career with an 83.5 stroke average over 96 rounds, and her best 18-hole score was a 74.

Hessbrook excelled in the class room, posting a 3.84 GPA in sports and recreation management. She also received the Donald A. Morris Award. Hessbrook was named to the 2010 CoSIDA Academic All-District IV Women's At-Large team. She was a four-time MIAA Academic Honor Roll and NGCA Scholar-Athlete Award recipient.

Hessbrook resides in Ithaca and loan processor at GreenStone Farm Credit Services.

Knowlton, a 2006 Olivet graduate, earned four varsity letters on the softball field. She was a 2005 and 2006 All-MIAA First Team selection. Knowlton finished her career in the pitching circle as the Comets' all-time leader in wins (44), innings pitching (468) and appearances (83), and second in saves (three) and complete games (51). She struck out 278 batters and posted a 44-25 record and 2.18 earned run average.

Knowlton was a three-time MIAA Academic Honor Roll selection, and 2006 CoSIDA Academic All-District IV First Team honoree. After leaving Olivet, she graduated from the Michigan State University veterinary school in 2012. Knowlton lives in Casnovia and is a general practitioner at the Sparta Animal Clinic.

Lacksheide, a 2006 Olivet graduate, was a three-year letterwinner on the offensive line for the football team. He was a 2004 and 2005 All-MIAA First Team selection. Lacksheide helped block for the Comet Wing-T offense, which broke the NCAA Division III single-game rushing yards record with 670 against Ohio Wesleyan University. The offense also set single-game school records for points (78), total yards (695), rushing attempts (89), rushing touchdowns (10), total touchdowns (11) and first downs (33). With that offense, Olivet also set single-season records for rushing yards (4171), points (458), total yards (4931), rushing attempts (692) and rushing touchdowns (53).

Since his time at Olivet, Lackscheide earned a master's degree in engineering from University of Alabama in 2015. He lives in Ada, Michigan, and serves as a professor of residential construction at Grand Rapids Community College.

McClary, a 2011 Olivet graduate, earned four varsity letters and is one of the best men's basketball players in school history. As a junior (2009-10) and senior (2010-11), he earned National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-America First Team, NABC All-Great Lakes Region First Team, D3hoops.com All-American, D3hoops.com All-Great Lakes Region and MIAA Most Valuable Player honors. McClary was also the MIAA scoring champion each of those seasons. He was a four-time All-MIAA selection, first team as a junior and senior and second team as a freshman and sophomore. McClary finished his career as the career scoring leader with 1,834 points. He holds the all-time records for field goals attempted (1513), field goals made (768) and blocks (160), and second in rebounds (1036). At the time of his graduation, McClary was Olivet's single-game (43) and single-season (676) scoring leader.

McClary lives in Lowell. He has returned to Olivet College and serves as an assistant men's basketball coach.

Shelhart, a 2007 Olivet graduate, was a four-year starter on the baseball team for the Comets. He was a three-time All-MIAA First Team selection and 2005 American Baseball Coaches Association All-Mideast Region Second Team honoree. Shelhart is Olivet's career leader for nearly every offensive statistical category, including batting average (.385), slugging percentage (.613), on-base percentage (.459), runs scored (122), base hits (185), doubles (38), home runs (19), total bases (284) and RBI (109). He still tops the single-season ledger for slugging percentage (.855), home runs (14), total bases (112) and RBI (46).

Shelhart currently lives in Marshall and works as a Medicare insurance agent for Diversity Insurance.