Rutgers Announces 2026 Athletics
Hall Of Fame Class
Register For The 2026 Rutgers Athletics Hall Of Fame Dinner
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced the members of the 2026 Hall of Fame class, including Kahleah Copper (women's basketball), Amy Lewis (field hockey), Gabrielle Farquharson (women's track & field) and Steve Rammel (men's soccer).
The 2026 Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame induction will take place on Friday, October 2 at Jersey Mike’s Arena, with the inductees recognized on Saturday, October 3, when Rutgers Football hosts Indiana at SHI Stadium.
KAHLEAH COPPER
Women's Basketball
- Five-time WNBA All-Star
- WNBA Finals MVP
- 2024 Olympic Gold Medalist
- First Round WNBA Draft Pick
- Led Rutgers in scoring for three seasons
- Ranks third in scoring at Rutgers behind HOFs Sue Wicks & Cappie Pondexter
- Second Team All-Big East
- 2014 WNIT Champion
Kahleah Copper, one of the most accomplished players in Rutgers women's basketball history, is a five-time WNBA All-Star, WNBA Finals MVP, Olympic gold medalist, and 2024 All-WNBA Second Team selection.
A two-time Second Team All-Big Ten selection, Copper led Rutgers in scoring for three consecutive seasons under Hall of Fame head coach C. Vivian Stringer. As a senior, she earned spots on the Ann Meyers Drysdale and Naismith Trophy preseason watch lists before being named to the Dawn Staley Award midseason watch list. She finished her collegiate career with 1,872 points, ranking third on Rutgers' all-time scoring list behind Sue Wicks and Cappie Pondexter. During her senior season, Copper scored in double figures in all but four games and recorded 11 double-doubles.
As a sophomore, Copper led the Scarlet Knights to the 2014 WNIT Championship and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. That same season, she earned American Athletic Conference First Team honors. She also helped guide Rutgers to the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
Selected seventh overall by the Washington Mystics in the 2016 WNBA Draft, Copper became Rutgers' eighth first-round draft pick and the program's highest selection since Epiphanny Prince was selected fourth overall in 2010. She was traded to the Chicago Sky in 2017, where she played a pivotal role in the franchise's rise, earning three WNBA All-Star selections and leading the Sky to its first WNBA Championship in 2021, capturing WNBA Finals MVP honors.
Copper later joined the Phoenix Mercury, where she has continued to establish herself as one of the WNBA's premier players. In her first season with the Mercury, she earned her first career All-WNBA honor, being named to the 2024 All-WNBA Second Team after averaging 21.1 points per game and ranking third in the league in scoring.
During the 2023–24 season, Copper returned to her alma mater as a member of the Rutgers coaching staff, serving as Director of Athletic Culture & Professional Development.
On the international stage, Copper helped Team USA capture gold at both the 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup and the 2024 Olympic Games. During the 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, she averaged 9.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game.
Copper graduated from Rutgers in 2016 with a degree in criminal justice.
AMY LEWIS
Field Hockey
- Rutgers all-time leader in goals & points
- 2008 Outstanding Senior Female Athlete (Headley-Singer) Award
- 2008 Second Team All-American
- 2008 Big East Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
- 2008 Big East Offensive Player of the Year
- 2007, 2008 Mid-Atlantic First Team
- 2006 Mid-Atlantic Second Team
- 2006, 2007, 2008 Big East First Team
- 2005 Big East Second Team
- 2007 - Led the nation in goals per game (1.05)
The 2008 BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, Amy Lewis graduated as Rutgers’ program leader in both goals and points, tallying 71 goals, 17 assists and 159 points over her career.
As a senior, Lewis was a second-team selection on the 2008 Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I All-American team. She paced the Scarlet Knights with 24 goals and eight assists and was tabbed to the Mid-Atlantic All-Region First Team, as Rutgers concluded the season with the most wins since 1997 and was just one win off the then-program best.
In her junior season, Lewis led the BIG EAST with 20 goals, 44 points and six game-winning goals. She finished the year ranked first in the country in goals per game (1.05) and second among the nation's best in points per game (2.32).
In the record book, Lewis’ name appears in six single-season top 10 lists, including graduating second in both points (56) and goals (26) her senior season.
During her career, she was a four-time All-Big East honoree, including first team honors in 2006, 2007 and 2008, and a five-time Big East Player of the Week.
Lewis graduated from Rutgers in 2009 with a degree in journalism and media studies.
GABRIELLE FARQUHARSON
Women's Track & Field
- Seven-Time All-American
- First Team
- 2016 – Long Jump (Outdoor)
- Second Team
- 2016 - 200m (Outdoor)
- 2016 - 100m (Outdoor)
- 2016 - 200m (Indoor)
- 2015 – Long Jump (Indoor)
- 2013 – 4x100m Relay (Outdoor)
- Honorable Mention
- 2013 – 4x400m Relay (Outdoor)
- First Team
- Rutgers First-Ever Big Ten Champion
- Four-time Conference Champion
- Big Ten
- 2016 - Big Ten - 100m (Outdoor)
- 2016 - Big Ten - 200m (Indoor)
- 2015 - Big Ten - 200m (Indoor)
- American Athletic Conference
- 2014 – American Athletic Conference - Long Jump (Outdoor)
- Big Ten
- Ten Conference Medals
- Gold:
- 2016 - Big Ten - 100m (Outdoor)
- 2016 - Big Ten - 200m (Indoor)
- 2015 - Big Ten - 200m (Indoor)
- 2014 – American Athletic Conference - Long Jump (Outdoor)
- Silver
- 2016 - Big Ten - Long Jump (Outdoor)
- 2015 – Big Ten - Long Jump (Indoor)
- Bronze
- 2016 - Big Ten - 200m (Outdoor)
- 2016 – Big Ten - Long Jump (Indoor)
- 2016 - Big Ten - 60m (Indoor)
- 2015 – Big Ten - 60m (Indoor)
- Gold:
- Nine Rutgers school records
- Indoor: 60m, 200m and 4x400m relay
- Outdoor: 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay, 4x200m relay, 4x400m relay and sprint relay
- 2016 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Track Athlete of the Year
- 2016 USATF Rio Olympic Trials - 100m, 200m and Long Jump
- 2016 NJAIAW Woman of the Year
During her career "On The Banks", Gabrielle Farquharson earned seven all-america honors, concluding her time at Rutgers with nine Big Ten medals and nine school indoor and outdoor records. She was also named the 2016 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Track Athlete of the Year. Farquharson also holds the distinction of being Rutgers' first-ever Big Ten Champion when she captured gold in the indoor 200m in 2015.
In the long jump, Farquharson was a two-time all-american, as well as the 2014 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Champion, 2016 Big Ten outdoor runner-up and 2015 Big Ten indoor runner-up.
Farquharson was a second team all-american in the 4x100m and honorable mention all-american in the 4x400m during her sophomore outdoor season in 2013, a second team all-american honoree in the long jump in the 2015 indoor season, second team all-american in the 200m during the 2016 indoor season and first team all-american in the long jump and second team all-american in the 100m and 200m in the 2016 outdoor season.
Rutgers' first Big Ten champion in school history, Farquharson was a two-time 200m indoor champion to go along with her 100m outdoor title as a senior in 2016. Her other Big Ten medals include long jump (silver: 2015 indoor, 2016 outdoor; bronze - 2016 indoor), 60m (bronze - 2015 & 2016 indoor) and 200m (bronze - 2016 outdoor).
Among the places in the Rutgers record book Farquharson's name were found were for school records in the indoor 60m, 200m and 4x400m relay, as well as the outdoor 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay, 4x200m relay, 4x400m relay and sprint relay.
After earning both an undergraduate and master's degree from Rutgers in social work, Farquharson was an Olympic Trials qualifier for the 2016 Rio games in the 100m, 200m and long jump.
STEVE RAMMEL
Men's Soccer
- Back-to-back College Cup Final Fours in 1989 & 1990
- 1990 Runner-up for Hermann Trophy
- 1990 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year
- Ninth in scoring (84 points)
- 1996 MLS All-Star
- 1996 MLS Cup & US Open Cup Champion
- Scored First-Ever MLS hat-trick
Steve Rammel led the Rutgers men’s soccer team to back-to-back Final Fours in 1989 and 1990 as the Scarlet Knights accumulated a 40-7-2 record with him in the lineup.
As a senior, Rammel earned All-America honors as he led the Scarlet Knights to the championship game in a contest that came down to penalty kicks. A runner-up for the Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top college soccer player in America, and the 1990 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, he recorded 17 goals in each of his two years at Rutgers after transferring from Connecticut.
In the record book, Rammel is currently the Scarlet Knights’ ninth-ranked all-time scorer with 84 career points.
Following his Scarlet Knight career, Rammel was invited to the U.S national team camp and played with the B-team in the 1991 World University Games in Sheffield, England. The same year, he became a member of the US National Team and played seven games with Penn-Jersey Spirit of the American Professional Soccer League.
From 1991-1993, Rammel played for German lower-division clubs SC Norderstedt and Tus Celle before returning stateside to earn a master’s degree in finance while serving as an assistant coach with UMass.
In 1996, Rammel joined the Washington Mustangs of the USISL and was acquired on loan to D.C. United of the MLS. With the United, he became a 1996 All-Star, scoring 17 goals, including the first MLS hat trick in a May 15, 1996, victory over the Columbus Crew. In addition, he helped the team win the 1996 MLS Cup and US Open Cup Championships. Rammel also spent time on the rosters of the Colorado Rapids and NJ/NY MetroStars before retiring in 1999.
Rammel continued his coaching career following his professional career, including serving as the top assistant at UCLA and helping the Bruins to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a College Cup appearance in 1999. He also spent five seasons as the head coach at Saint Mary’s, coaching 20 players to All-West Coast Conference Honors and was an assistant coach in the MLS with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Rammel stayed involved behind the scenes, as he served as the Executive Director of Orlando City Youth (2012-15), Executive Director of the West Florida Flames Futbol Club (2015-16) and Santa Rose United (2007-08).
A native of West Deptford, New Jersey, where he was a Parade Magazine High School Player of the Year and Philly Inquirer South Jersey Athlete of the Year with an 81-10-5 record and two state championships behind 90 goals, Rammel graduated from Rutgers in 1991 with a degree in economics.
Registration for the 2026 Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame dinner at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Friday, October 2 is now open. Click here to register.
Questions on the dinner be directed to Brett Miller at b.miller@scarletknights.com or Sue Beurskens at sbeurskens@scarletknights.com.
