GRANVILLE, Ohio (March 7, 2022) – Denison University's Varsity D Association has announced its 2021 Hall of Fame inductees. The class consists of Brock Babcock '03 (Cross Country/Track & Field), Christine Collins '07 (Cross Country/Track & Field), Meghan Damico '09 (Tennis), Craig Eckerle '05 (Golf), John Geissinger '09 (Swimming), Tammy Hoch '07 (Soccer/Basketball), Kristen Hohl '09 (Swimming), Donis Toler '88 (Football), and Henry Durand '70 (Football). All nine honorees will be recognized at an induction celebration and dinner on April 8, 2022, in Granville.

Brock Babcock '03 was a four-year letter winner and four-time first-team All-NCAC honoree (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) in cross country. He earned a spot on the Great Lakes All-Region team three times (1999, 2000, 2001), and as a rookie in 1999, he was named NCAC Newcomer of the Year after placing second individually at the NCAC Championships. He then placed eighth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, followed by a finish of 150th during his first trip to the NCAA National Championships. During his sophomore campaign in 2000, Babcock placed third at the NCAC Championships, followed by a finish of 110th in his second appearance at the NCAA National Championships. Then, during his senior season in 2002, Babcock earned his third top-three finish at the NCAC Championship with another third-place performance.

In track & field, Babcock was a six-time All-NCAC performer and the NCAC indoor track champion in both the 3,000- and 5,000-meter races as a freshman in 2000, earning him the Outstanding Middle Distance/Distance Runner of the Year honors for the conference. As a senior in 2003, he became Denison's indoor record holder in the 5,000-meter event, a record that stood until 2012 and now ranks second all-time at Denison.

Babcock was a music and cinema major at Denison who participated in the Denison Film society and music ensembles as a student.
 
Christine Collins '07 was a four-year letter winner in both cross country and track & field. As a sophomore in 2004, she was honored as the NCAC's Cross Country Runner of the Year after finishing first overall at the NCAC Championships. That year, she followed up with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. A three-time NCAC Runner of the Week, Collins was also a three-time first-team All-NCAC performer (2003, 2004, 2005) and was a two-time All-Great Lakes Region honoree (2004, 2005). Collins helped lead her team to NCAC Championships in 2003, 2004, and 2005, along with first-place finishes at Great Lakes Regionals in 2004 and 2005, and two appearances at the NCAA Division III Championship (2004, 2005). Collins was named to the NCAC's 30th Anniversary All-Decade Team in cross country.

In track & field, Collins was the 2005 NCAC Indoor Middle Distance/Distance Runner of the Year as a sophomore, was a five-time NCAC Champion, and was a 10-time All-NCAC performer. She took home individual conference championships in the 5,000-meter run (2005, 2007) and 3,000-meter run (2005) in indoor track, and in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (2004, 2005) for outdoor track. Collins was also a part of two NCAC Championship teams in 2004 (won both indoor and outdoor conference championships), and she remains the school record holder in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (set in 2005).

Collins earned her bachelor's degree in psychology at Denison.
 
Meghan Damico '09 was a four-year letter winner and a three-time ITA All-American in singles (2007, 2008, 2009) as a member of the Big Red tennis team. In 2007 and 2008, she won back-to-back NCAC Player of the Year honors after going 14-4 at No. 1 singles, and in 2009, she was the ITA National Senior Player of the Year. Damico was named first-team All-NCAC in singles all four years (2006, 2007, 2009, 2009) and in doubles three times (2007, 2008, 2009).

After graduating as Denison's career leader in singles wins, Damico now ranks second all-time at Denison in career singles wins (74) and is tied for fifth in career doubles wins (71). She played No. 1 singles at Denison for each of her final three seasons (2007, 2008, 2009) and went 20-1 in her rookie year playing at No. 2 singles. In addition to helping her team advance to the NCAA Championship Tournament in all four seasons, Damico led the program to its only NCAA Final Four appearance and third-place national finish in 2008. In addition, she was named to the NCAC's 30th Anniversary All-Decade Team in both singles and doubles.

Damico earned her bachelor of arts degree in communication at Denison.
 
Craig Eckerle '05 was a four-year letter winner and three-time All-NCAC performer in golf. He was named a PING second-team All-American as a sophomore in 2003, and was a third-team All-American as a senior in 2005. He was a first-team All-NCAC selection in 2003 and 2005, and he also earned second-team All-Conference honors in 2004.

Eckerle was a member of two NCAA Championships qualifying teams, placed 10th at the 2003 NCAA Championships, and then tied for 58th place at the 2004 NCAA Championships. He also qualified for nationals as an individual in 2005, tying for 71st overall. After graduating with Denison's second-lowest career scoring average, Eckerle now ranks fourth in all-time career scoring average (76.45) at Denison. He also earned a spot on the NCAC's 30th Anniversary All-Decade Team.

Eckerle graduated from Denison with a bachelor of science degree in geology.
 
John Geissinger '09 was a four-year letter winner, four-time national relay champion, 22-time All-American, and 12-time NCAC champion (second-most in school history) in swimming. Denison finished second in the team standings at the NCAA Championships in 2006 and 2007, and placed third in 2008 and 2009. Geissinger was a member of the national champion 800 freestyle relay team in 2007, 2008, and 2009, as well as the 400 freestyle relay in 2007. He was selected as the 2009 NCAC Swimmer of the Year as a senior when he won the 50, 100, and 200 freestyle, was part of three champion freestyle relays, and the 400 medley relay, leading his team to the NCAC team championship title. Geissinger finished his career with three individual and nine relay NCAC titles.

Geissinger's All-American accolades include four in the 200 freestyle (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), three in the 100 freestyle (2007, 2008, 2009), two in the 50 freestyle (2008, 2009), four in the 200 freestyle relay (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), four in the 400 freestyle relay (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), two in the 400 medley relay (2007, 2008), and three in the 800 freestyle relay (2007, 2008, 2009). He currently holds school and conference records in the 100 freestyle (set in 2009), and was a part of the record-setting 400 freestyle relay performance that stood until 2020. He was named to the NCAC's 30th Anniversary All-Decade Team in both the 100 and 200 freestyle events.

Geissinger, who graduated from Denison with his B.A. in history, is still involved in the sport as the head men's and women's swimming coach at Hamilton College, a position he has held since 2017.
 
Tammy Hoch '07 was a four-year letter winner in both soccer and basketball. In soccer, she was a three-time All-NCAC performer. After leading Denison in scoring with 11 goals and one assist as a senior and team captain in 2006, Hoch was selected as an NCSCAA second-team All-American, first-team All-Region, first-team All-NCAC, and CoSIDA first-team Academic All-District. She was also a second-team All-Conference selection in both 2004 and 2005, and was named Academic All-Ohio three times (2004, 2005, 2006).

Hoch started 79 of 92 career matches, scored 27 career goals, and helped lead her team to two NCAC Championships (2003, 2005). The Big Red also made three NCAA Championship Tournament appearances (2003, 2005, 2006) and advanced to the 2005 NCAA Quarterfinals during Hoch's time in Granville. Her teams boasted a .721 winning percentage from 2003 to 2006.

In basketball, Hoch was a two-time All-NCAC selection (second-team in 2007; honorable mention in 2006) and a two-time NCAC All-Tournament Team honoree (2006, 2007). She appeared in 88 games, made 35 starts, and averaged 5.7 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per contest. Hoch helped the Big Red advance to the NCAA Championships three times (2006, 2007, 2008), including a second-round appearance in 2007.

Hoch holds her bachelor of arts from Denison in economics.
 
Kristen Hohl '09 was a four-year letter winner, four-time national champion (four relays), 22-time All-American, and 11-time NCAC champion in swimming. Denison finished third in the team standings at the NCAA Championships in 2008 and 2009, preceded by sixth- and fifth-place finishes in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Hohl was a member of three national champion relay teams (400 free, 400 medley, 200 medley) as a senior in 2009, as well as the 200 medley relay for her first national title in 2008. Denison won the 2009 NCAC team championship as Hohl won the 100 freestyle and was a member of four champion relay teams (200 free, 400 free, 200 medley, 400 medley). Hohl finished her career with three individual and eight relay NCAC titles.

Hohl's 22 All-American accolades include three such honors in the 50 freestyle (2006, 2008, 2009), four in the 100 freestyle (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), four in the 200 freestyle relay (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), four in the 400 freestyle relay (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), one in the 800 freestyle relay (2008), four in the 200 medley relay (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), and two in the 400 medley relay (2008, 2009). She held the school record in the 100 freestyle and the 400 medley relay until 2020, and was named to the NCAC's 30th Anniversary All-Decade Team in the 100 freestyle.

A three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American (first-team in 2008 and 2009; second-team in 2007), Hohl was the 2009 CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year. She also was a recipient of the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and the Denison Provost's Academic Excellence Award.

Graduating with a 3.97 grade-point-average in biology, Hohl was a member of Sigma XI (research honorary), Alpha Epsilon Delta (pre-med honorary), Mortar Board, and Phi Society. As a senior, she was awarded the President's Medal, Denison's highest student honor.
 
Donis Toler '88 was a four-year letter winner and three-time All-NCAC performer in football. After blocking as a fullback for Denison's All-American career rushing leader Chris Spriggs '87 for the first two years of his career, Toler then rushed for 1,010 yards and 11 touchdowns and was named first-team All-NCAC as a junior in 1987. He then rushed for another 932 yards and 10 more touchdowns and was named second-team All-Conference as a senior in 1988. Toler was a rookie member of Denison's undefeated championship team in 1985, and he earned his first All-Conference recognition (honorable mention) in 1986. He ranks seventh in career rushing yards (2,574), ninth in rushing attempts (563), and eighth in rushing touchdowns (30) among all Denison football players in the program's 132-year history. He also caught 47 passes for 421 yards and three touchdowns in his career.

Toler earned his bachelor of arts degree from Denison in speech communications.
 
Henry Durand '70 was a four-year letter winner and four-year starter at linebacker on defense and guard on offense for the Denison football team. He was honored as a first-team All-Ohio Athletic Conference linebacker as a junior in 1968. During his senior season in 1969, he was selected as the team's co-captain and was recognized as an honorable mention All-OAC guard.

When he joined the Big Red team as a rookie in 1966, Durand was the first African American football player at Denison since the early 1900s. He became co-founder and the first president of the university's Black Student Union, and he was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity. He helped establish the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Award at Denison and was instrumental in founding the Denison Black Alumni Association.

After graduating from Denison with a bachelor of arts degree in sociology, Durant earned a master's degree in education at Xavier University and a Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati. He devoted his career to teaching and research that focused on social issues and problems, applied social research, and evaluation of social programs. He eventually went on to teach on the faculty and work in the administration at the University of Buffalo for more than two decades, where he served as the senior associate vice provost.

Durand served in the leadership of the Denison Black Alumni Association and was awarded the Denison Alumni Citation in June of 1996. His Varsity D Association Hall of Fame induction is made posthumously, as he passed away in December of 2018.