BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Wesleyan Department of Athletics has announced the addition of five individuals and one team into the 2023 West Virginia Wesleyan Athletics Hall of Fame Class. Tyler Blatchley, Dewayne Johns, Sarah St. Clair Mills, Dennis Drenning, David “Bear” Watson and the 2002 Football team will be the newest inductees.
Tyler Blatchley ’08 (Track & Field)
Blatchley competed on the WVWC Track & Field team from 2004-2008, where he became the program’s only athlete to be a First-Team All-American four times. He was an All-American twice in the shot put outdoor, once in the shot put indoor, and once in the discus outdoor. Blatchley was named WVIAC Field Athlete of the Year and went on to finish seventh in the US Championships after WVWC.
DeWayne Johns ’85 (Basketball)
Johns was a three-year starter on the WVWC basketball team. He was a key piece on the Wesleyan teams that won two WVIAC regular season championships and two WVIAC Tournament championships. He was named to the 1983 NAIA All-Tournament team as a freshman and was the 1985 WVIAC All-Tournament MVP. Johns averaged 13.9 points per game and 4.2 assists per game and held All-Conference honors in his time at WVWC. He went on to play professionally in the Netherlands after his time at WVWC.
Sarah St. Clair Mills ’05 (Soccer)
St. Clair Mills was an All-WVIAC Second-Team selection in 2001, 2002 and 2003, as well as All-WVIAC First Team in 2004 as a member of the Women’s Soccer team. She was Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2002 and 2003, WVIAC BB&T Senior Scholar-Athlete in 2004, and a Sam Ross Scholar-Athlete Award winner in 2005. Sarah was on the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American First Team in 2004.
Dennis Drenning ’66 (Football and Basketball)
Drenning played four years on both the football and basketball team, where he was a co-captain on both squads. He was on the All-WVIAC First Team in 1964 and 1965 as a defensive end. Drenning was on the 1966 basketball team that won the WVIAC.
David “Bear” Watson ’68 (Football and Track)
Watson competed on the football and track team at WVWC. He was a four-year letterman and named All-Conference his senior year in football. He threw shotput and discus on the track team and placed fourth in the shot put at the WVIAC meet in 1968. Watson started the track & field program at Grafton High School.
2002 Football Team
The 2002 football team, under head coach Bill Struble, started the season out 0-3 but finished the season 7-4 with a 6-1 record in the WVIAC. They were WVIAC champions and averaged 28.6 points per game. Six players were named to the All-WVIAC First Team.
The Ceremony
The 2023 Hall of Fame Class will be inducted on April 15 in the French See Dining Hall. A meet and greet will start at 4:30 p.m. and dinner will start at 5 p.m., followed by the induction ceremony. Tickets are $35 each and can be purchased by calling the Alumni Affairs office at 304-473-8489.
