The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has announced its inductees for the Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026. The induction ceremony will be on June 13th at the Weidner Center.
The announced 2026 class includes women's basketball player Mehryn Kraker, volleyball player Taylor Wolf, men's diver Danny Pogue, men's golfer Shaun Rezachek, women's swimmer Kaye-Lani Laughna, and faculty member Charles 'Chuck' Ihrke.
Charles 'Chuck' Ihrke first became an Assistant Professor at UW-Green Bay in 1969, until his promotion in 1975 to Associate Professor. Chuck received the Founders Award for Excellence in teaching in 1984, the university's highest honor for faculty, before his retirement in 1999 as associate professor emeritus of human biology. In his 30-year teaching career at UWGB, Ihrke served as chair of biology and human bio, a representative to the NCAA, and chair of the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee and Prior Learning Council.
Mehryn Kraker created one of the most impressive resumes in Green Bay women's basketball history. The forward graduated fourth in all-time scoring with 1,671 points. Kraker is the Phoenix's all-time leader in three-point field goals made with 234. In her senior season in 2016-17, Kraker set a new Phoenix record, sinking 75 three-point field goals in a single season. Kraker scored 35 points at Detroit Mercy on Feb. 4, 2017, the third-most points scored in a single game in school history. She received All-Freshman honors and was later named to the All-Tournament team three times, including a Tournament MVP in 2016. She earned Horizon League Player of the Year honors in 2017. Also during her senior year, she received the Division I-AAA Athletic Director's Association Scholar Athlete Player of the Year and was named espnW Mid-Major Player of the Year.
Kaye-Lani Laughna was on the Green Bay swimming & diving team from 1998 to 2002. She received the Swimmer of the Meet award in the 2000 MCC and 2002 Horizon League championships. She also won the 50 and 100 freestyle for three consecutive years from 2000 to 2002, and is one of three women's swimmers in conference history to win the 50 freestyle three times in the conference championships, and is one of three women's swimmers in conference history to win the 100 freestyle three times in the conference championships. She is also one of two women's swimmers in conference history to win two different events three times at conference championships (50 and 100 free).
Daniel Pogue also spent four seasons on the Green Bay Swimming & Diving Squad from 2008-2012 and made his mark as a program record-breaker. Pogue set the record for the highest score ever recorded in the men's 1-meter board with an incredible 379.15, 50.5 points over second place. Pogue additionally set a record for the 3-meter board, scoring 352.00 points, a record that stood for a decade. Pogue was named Horizon League Diver of the Meet twice, a five-time conference champion for the Phoenix, and earned his Green Bay program record 15th Diver of the Week award on Dec. 6, 2011. In his senior year, Pogue earned the Men's Horizon League Diver of the Meet Award after winning the individual title from his school record-breaking 1-meter dive, and his record-breaking 3-meter diving event performance that earned him the conference runner-up.
Shaun Rezachek played golf for four seasons at Green Bay, from 1997 to 2001. He received the honor of Horizon League Champion in 1998 and 2001, before the league's automatic NCAA bid. Rezachek was All-League all four years, while also winning Horizon League Player of the Year in 1998 and 2001. Rezachek is one of four men's golfers to win the Horizon League Player of the Year at least twice. In the spring of 1998, he achieved individual wins at Butler and Cleveland State. He had a Phoenix personal best 18-hole score of 65 at the Iron Horse/Eastern Illinois Invite. Rezachek coached the Phoenix from 2002 to 2005, which included guiding Jason Hill to a Horizon League Player of the Year award in 2005. Rezachek was also awarded the 2005 Horizon League Coach of the Year, guiding the team to multiple tournament wins during that season.
Taylor Wolf became one of Phoenix Volleyball's all-time greats. She graduated second all-time in kills (1,418) and third in total points (1,605) after just three seasons. In 2017, she became the first player in program history to earn both Horizon League Freshman of the Year honors and All-Freshman Team recognition. She was named to the All-Horizon League and All-Tournament Team three consecutive years (2017–2019), highlighted by an MVP of the Horizon League Championship Tournament in Green Bay's 2018 title run and NCAA tournament qualification. Wolf was a two-time Horizon League Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year (2018, 2019), a three-time AVCA All-American, and was named the university's Newcomer of the Year (2018) and Female Athlete of the Year across all sports (2019). Beyond athletics, Wolf emphasized academic excellence and community impact. She graduated early from UW–Green Bay, earning two degrees, including a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology and Psychology, while on the Dean's List. She also served as President of the Tri Beta Biological Honor Society.
