Muhlenberg Announces Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026

Six individuals and one team have been elected to the Muhlenberg College Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

Chosen to take their place among the College’s greats are (clockwise from bottom left above) Bobby Torphy ’11, John Scially ’73, Chris Peischl ’86, Mike Nolan ’09, Heather Dreby Dunlap ’00, Linda Andrews, and the 2001 women’s soccer team.

They are scheduled to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of Red Door Weekend festivities on Sunday, October 18.

Torphy excelled on the track, on the cross country course, and in the classroom during his time as a Mule. He was a four-time NCAA Championships qualifier (indoor track and field in 2009 and 2010 and cross country in 2009 and 2010), earning All-America honors as part of the 2009 distance medley relay team. A two-time all-region honoree in cross country, Torphy held school records in the indoor 800, mile, and 4×800 at the time of his graduation.

Torphy also was a three-time Academic American and a two-time winner of the NCAA Elite 88 Award, presented to the athlete with the highest GPA at the NCAA Championships. He was awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in 2011, when he was named Academic All-America of the Year.

Scially was a four-year starter on some of the most successful Muhlenberg men’s soccer teams. The Mules went 35-12-6 from 1969 to 1972, and with Scially as co-captain, captured their first Middle Atlantic Conference championship ever and won an NCAA Tournament game in 1972. He was named to the All-MAC first team as a fullback in both his sophomore and senior years.

Known as a fierce defender with outstanding composure and anticipation, Scially helped the Mules allow one goal or fewer in almost 65 percent of their games during his career. His tough defense in shutting down an All-American left wing was a big factor in Muhlenberg’s defeat of a highly ranked Philadelphia Textile team in the 1972 NCAA Tournament.

Peischl was a two-sport standout despite being slowed by a major injury. He was a three-year starter at catcher for the Muhlenberg baseball team and still holds the school records for batting average (.385) and on-base percentage (.476) in a career. Peischl was named to the All-MAC South first team in both 1985 and 1986 and recorded a 17-game hitting streak as a junior.

On the gridiron, Peischl was a three-year letterwinner and led the 1984 team in rushing, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. He was slated to be the Mules’ top running back as a senior but was limited to one game by injury. Following his graduation, Peischl was an assistant football and baseball coach at his alma mater before serving as head baseball coach in 1993 and 1994. 

Nolan was a big part — both literally and figuratively — of the success of the Mule football teams from 2005 to 2008. Standing 6-foot-4, weighing over 300 pounds and wittily nicknamed “Tiny,” Nolan was a three-year starter at center, earning first-team All-Centennial Conference honors in each of the three seasons. He was named a 2008 preseason All-American by both Sporting News and D3football.com.

Nolan served as a co-captain of the 2008 team that won the CC championship and was ranked as high as No. 2 in Division III. He also started on the 2007 squad that won 11 games (then a school record) and won an NCAA Tournament game. In each of Nolan’s three years as a starter, he helped the Mules improve their scoring average from the previous season.

Dreby was a three-time All-Centennial Conference pitcher in softball, earning first-team honors as a senior, when she also was named CC pitcher of the year. She compiled a 1.65 ERA and was 7-1 in CC games that season, helping the Mules to a 14-2 record and their first-ever CC championship. A four-year starter, Dreby led or tied for the team lead in wins in each of her four seasons in the circle.

Dreby set school records (since broken) for career appearances (89) and complete games (65) and still holds the record for career innings pitched (508.1). On the program’s all-time list, she ranks third in wins (42) and fourth in ERA (2.42).

Andrews served Muhlenberg for 35 years before retiring in 2017, including two stints as head women’s tennis coach in which she compiled a record of 223-207. The seventh all-time winningest coach in College athletic history, she coached the Mules to nine MAC Northeast division championships and two Centennial Conference titles. Andrews coached the program’s first All-American, led the Mules to their first NCAA Tournament berth in 2005, and was named CC coach of the year in 2011.

Andrews also served as head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country teams from 1990 to 2004 and was assistant volleyball coach for a short time. Additionally, she was coordinator of the physical education curriculum, director of the Wellness Institute, and College Marshal.

The 2001 women’s soccer team won the Centennial Conference championship, finishing with a 19-3 record and ranked 18th in Division III. After starting 2-2, Muhlenberg won 17 straight games, including all 10 in CC play. The 19 wins tie the most ever by a Mule soccer team and stood as a CC record for 10 years, while the 17-game winning streak is the second-longest in Muhlenberg athletic history.

After shutting out Franklin & Marshall and Johns Hopkins in the first-ever CC playoff tournament, the Mules hosted two NCAA Tournament games, winning the first to advance to the Round of 16. For the season, they outscored their opponents 50-19 and set a still-standing school record with 12 shutouts.