Hall of Fame Class of 2024 Includes First Aquatics Athlete ‘I always knew I’d make waves’ quipped Julie Case ‘14 during the ceremony.

Chapman University’s 2024 Athletics Hall of Fame included the first inductee for an aquatic sport.

Water polo player and swimmer Julie Case ’14 was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 41st Night of Champions Oct. 18, along with track and field athlete Eric Van Skike ’83, baseball pitcher Devin Drag ’07, basketball player Kimi Takaoka-Martineau ’14 and volleyball player Val Geiger ’15.

“You guys are such an important part of our past but you’re also an integral part of our future, and it’s really important that you keep coming back to Chapman,” Director of Athletics Terry Boesel said at Night of Champions.

He added that the names of the 2024 inductees are “all over the Chapman career record books.”

The Chapman Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024:

Eric Van Skike ’83, Track and Field

Van Skike still holds the school record in the discus with a throw of 179 feet, 11 inches.

He had a record-setting career from 1979-81 that resulted in three All-American honors. He placed fifth in the discus at the 1980 NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships, third in 1981 and eighth in 1983.

At Night of Champions, Van Skike humorously compared Chapman 40 years ago to the present day.

On a serious note, “the experiences I had here at Chapman were incredible … looking back at my years at Chapman, I wouldn’t change a thing,” he said.

Devin Drag ’07, Baseball

Drag, with a 30-2 career record on the mound, helped lead the Panthers to postseason appearances in all four years, including three World Series appearances. He earned First Team All-American honors as a junior and senior and was 2007 D3baseball.com Pitcher of the Year.

He was the first Panther to earn 30 career victories on the mound and graduated with the Chapman record for career ERA while ranking second for strikeouts. He held a school record 16 wins with a 16-0 record in 2007.

“For many, playing professionally is the pinnacle of their career, and I’m grateful that I had that opportunity,” said Drag, who played a year in the big leagues. “But honestly the highlight of my baseball journey isn’t that one year, it’s the five years I got to spend at Chapman University making lifelong friends and learning lessons that I can take in my everyday life.”

Julie Case ’14, Water Polo and Swimming

Case holds Chapman records in the 500 freestyle, 1000 free and 1650 free. She started her career as the only Panther to be named Pacific Coast Swimming Conference Swimmer of the Meet and became Chapman’s first swimming SCIAC champion a year later, winning the 1650 free in Chapman’s first year in the conference. She was a three-time All-SCIAC finisher in swimming and recorded an NCAA “B” cut in each of her last three seasons. In water polo, Case earned an All-America Honorable Mention in 2012 after leading the team in assists.

“I always knew I’d make waves but this is a little more than I bargained for,” Case quipped.

“There aren’t many programs that encourage athletes to play two sports while also supporting academic excellence. Chapman helped me become not only a well-rounded athlete but a well-rounded person,” she said.

Kimi Takaoka-Martineau ’14, Basketball

Takaoka-Martineau was a 2014 finalist for the Josten’s Trophy, which is given to the top student-athletes in Division III. She was the only Panther to earn that distinction. She is second in Chapman history in points with 1,539 career points and ranks among the top 10 in several scoring categories. She was SCIAC Player of the Year in 2013-14, was a two-time Academic All-American and three-time Academic All-District selection, and received two All-SCIAC and All-Region awards.

“Those four years at Chapman were some of my favorites and I’m so glad we get to relive and remember some of them right now,” Takaoka-Martineau said.

Val Geiger ’15, Volleyball

Geiger had 489 kills in her junior season, still the most in Chapman history. She ranks second in career kills and third in career hitting percentage, was a two-time All-American and All-Region selection and a three-time All-SCIAC selection as a middle blocker. She helped the Panthers to two NCAA appearances and first-round wins in 2011 and 2012. She was named Chapman’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year in 2014-15 and received three SCIAC All-Academic awards.

“Chapman volleyball was such a magical part of my life—I felt truly alive on that court. It’s hard to look back on all those memories without getting a little misty,” Geiger said.

As with each Hall of Fame class, the inductees’ plaque was unveiled on Gray Victory Way at halftime of the weekend’s football game.

Steven Olveda contributed to this article.