Ottumwa, IA – Indian Hills Community College has announced the Class of 2026 inductees into the Indian Hills Athletics Hall of Fame. This year's class features four individuals along with an individual that will receive the prestigious Lifetime Contribution Award.
The 2026 class is highlighted by former Indian Hills Women's Soccer standout Emily Murphy (2018-2), women's cross country star Lauren (Jones) Klosterboer (2006-08), and two former members of the Indian Hills Football squad – Ron Baker (1973-75) and Tommy Mitchell (1970-72). Kevin Pink, the longtime Information Director and Voice of the Warriors, has been selected to receive the Lifetime Contribution Award for his dedication to Indian Hills Athletics.
The 2026 Hall of Fame ceremony will be held on the weekend of Friday and Saturday, January 30-31 with the official induction at the Hellyer Center on the Indian Hills Ottumwa campus at halftime of the Indian Hills Men's Basketball game against Sauk Valley Community College (IL) at 7:00 PM on January 31. In addition to Saturday's ceremony, a special reception will be held Friday night at 6:00 PM at the Irma W. Winslow Education Center on the Indian Hills Centerville campus.
Emily Murphy – Women's Soccer, 2018-20
One of the most decorated individuals in Indian Hills Athletics history, Emily Murphy left her impact on the program for years to come. A two-time NJCAA All-American for the Warriors, Murphy continues to hold eight school records following her tenure at Indian Hills.
A native of Burlington, IA, Murphy earned NJCAA All-American honors as a freshman before capping her two-year career with the Warriors as a second-team All-American as a sophomore in 2019. For her efforts, Murphy was tapped as the 2019 ICCAC Player of the Year and the 2019-20 Indian Hills Student-Athlete of the Year. Murphy was twice named to the NJCAA All-Region 11 First-Team and was a two-time member of the NJCAA Region 11 All-Tournament Team. A force on the pitch, Murphy was named the ICCAC Athlete of the Week six times throughout her career at Indian Hills.
The standout forward sits atop the Indian Hills record books in career goals (71), single season goals (1st - 37, 2nd, 34), single game goals (5 - 2x), career points (165), single season points (1st - 89, 2nd - 76), single game points (1st - 13, 2nd - 12), career game-winning goals (16), and single-season game-winning goals (8 - 2x).
Academically, Murphy was twice named to the NJCAA All-Academic Team and was named to the ICCAC Academic All-Region squad each season at Indian Hills.
Following her time at Indian Hills, Murphy moved on to the University of Wisconsin Green Bay where she started 37 of 39 career matches, totaling 23 career points for the Phoenix while earning Horizon League Academic Honor Roll honors.
Murphy becomes the first member of the Indian Hills Women's Soccer program inducted into the Indian Hills Hall of Fame.
Murphy was recently hired as the head coach of the Southeastern Community College Women's Soccer program.
Lauren (Jones) Klosterboer – Women's Cross Country, 2006-08
Nearly two decades following her time at Indian Hills, Lauren (Jones) Klosterboer continues to stand as one of the most accomplished runners in school history. The 2007 season saw Klosterboer's sophomore campaign result in USTFCCCA All-American honors at the NJCAA National Championship in Rend Lake, IL. To this day, Klosterboer remains the lone All-American in program history for the Warriors.
Leading the program in its first year of competition in 2007, Klosterboer placed fourth overall at the NJCAA Region 11 Championship in Fort Dodge, IA to earn NJCAA All-Region 11 First-Team honors with a then-school record time of 19:24.5. Klosterboer followed up two weeks later with a remarkable performance at the 2007 NJCAA DI Women's Cross Country National Championship, shattering her own school record with a time of 18:13.2 to finish 19th overall out of 235 runners overall at the meet.
Following her time at Indian Hills, Klosterboer continued her academic and athletic career at NCAA DI Nicholls State University where she was a member of the Colonels' cross country and track & field programs. Klosterboer still owns the the women's cross country 5k school record mark with a time of 17:57.10.
Klosterboer becomes the first Indian Hills Women's Cross Country student-athlete inducted into the Indian Hills Hall of Fame.
Ron Baker – Football, 1973-75
Ron Baker left a lasting impact on the Centerville community as part of the most dominant football squad in program history. As an overpowering offensive guard, Baker helped lead the Golden Falcons to a 7-2 record as a freshman in 1973 before guiding the program to a 10-1 overall record in 1974, the final season of competition for the program.
Baker, who was previously inducted into the Indian Hills Hall of Fame as part of the 1974 team in 2024, carved out a remarkable collegiate and professional career following his tenure in Centerville. Following his time with the Golden Falcons, Baker attended Oklahoma State University before being selected in the 1977 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts in the 10th round. Baker spent 10 seasons in the professional ranks between the Colts and Philadelphia Eagles, appearing in 155 career games, including 109 starts while recovering four fumbles along the way.
Baker's presence on the offensive line in 1974 proved as a key element to the program's unprecedented run. The Golden Falcons won 10 consecutive contests, and 14 overall dating back to the 1973 season, to earn a spot in the 9th annual Wool Bowl in Roswell, NM, the nation's lone bowl game that season. The Golden Falcons fell short in the postseason contest, but proved its standing as one of the most dominant junior college football programs of all time.
Baker becomes the seventh individual football player to be inducted into the Indian Hills Athletics Hall of Fame.
Thomas Mitchell – Football, 1970-72
Thomas Mitchell proved to be a key member of the 1971 Iowa Junior College Conference Championship squad, guiding the Golden Falcons' defensive as a formidable defensive back.
During his two seasons with the Golden Falcons, Mitchell helped guide the program to 11 victories on the gridiron, including an impressive 1971 campaign that saw the squad post a 6-2-1 overall record, securing the conference title. Mitchell, who was also inducted into the Indian Hills Hall of Fame as part of the 1971 team in 2025, anchored the defense to three shutouts, capped by a dominant 35-0 blanking of Ellsworth Community College in the regular season finale.
Under head coach Al Daniels, Mitchell's presence in the secondary powered the Golden Falcons to allow just 12.7 points per game and just 8.5 points per contest over the final six matchups of the year.
Mitchell becomes the eighth individual football player to be inducted into the Indian Hills Athletics Hall of Fame.
Kevin Pink – Lifetime Contribution Award
For 20 seasons, Kevin Pink served as the Voice of the Warrior men's basketball program along with countless other efforts serving student-athletes across Indian Hills Community College. Hired as the school's Information Director in 2000, Pink called 667 career men's basketball games, including 389 games at the historic Hellyer Center. Pink joined the Warriors on 202 road trips, including 10 trips to the NJCAA DI Men's Basketball National Tournament in Hutchinson, KS.
Pink also served as the voice of the Indian Hills Softball program, calling four trips to the national tournament during an unprecedented run for the Warriors.
Pink served as the resident historian of Warrior athletics, archiving years of tradition and success while providing Warrior Nation with consistent updates of all Indian Hills Athletic programs. During his tenure, Pink helped promote six national championships, more than 50 NJCAA Region and District Championships, and countless academic and athletic All-Americans.
Pink becomes the ninth individual in Indian Hills Athletics Hall of Fame history to receive the Lifetime Contribution Award.
Stay tuned for individual profiles of each inductee in the coming weeks leading into the Hall of Fame ceremony.
Fans can purchase tickets to the men's basketball game on January 31 for the official Hall of Fame induction here: INDIAN HILLS ATHLETICS TICKETS
To view past Hall of Fame inductees, visit: Indian Hills Athletics Hall of Fame
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