NEW WILMINGTON, Pa.--The Westminster College Department of Athletics and the Titan Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee inducted its seven-member 2026 class during the Titan Sports Hall of Fame Dinner and Celebratory Ceremony Friday night in the McKelvey Campus Center's Witherspoon Rooms. 

Members of the Class of 2026 include former Titan standouts: Dr. Patrick Shannon '90, Conor Simpson '09, Anthony Thomas '15, Cassidy (Shepherd) Patrick '17, CJ Armstrong '18, Alexa (Yoho) Bennett '18 and Kelsey (Phillips) Cavaliere '18.

The members of the Class of 2026 will be permanently recognized within the Titan Sports Hall of Fame installation in the Grover Washabaugh Lobby and Darwin Huey Heritage Center, located in Memorial Field House. This year's class will also be introduced at halftime of Saturday's football game against Franklin & Marshall. 

Dr. Patrick Shannon, Class of 1990
Shannon starred as a linebacker on a pair of National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division II national championship teams (1988, 1989). A unanimous First Team All-Region selection, he went on to earn Honorable Mention All-America recognition in 1989. The four-year letter winner finished his career with 276 tackles, seven interceptions, five fumble recoveries and 17 pass break-ups. 

As a junior Shannon totaled 90 tackles, registering 10 or more in five games. He posted a career-high 18 stops in the Titans' 23-17 victory over Findlay before finishing with 14 tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery in a 39-0 shutout win at Geneva. Despite having his 1988 campaign cut short by an ankle injury, Shannon responded with a superb senior year, finishing with 129 tackles, three interceptions and a fumble recovery. He recorded a pair of fourth quarter interceptions to help preserve a 21-10 semifinal victory at Central Washington before totaling 11 tackles in a 51-30 title game win over Wisconsin-La Crosse. 

Shannon, a New Wilmington, Pennsylvania native and graduate of Wilmington High School, earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete recognition after the 1988 and 1989 seasons. On campus, he served as vice president of the Student Government Association (SGA) and was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). 

Shannon graduated cum laude with bachelor's a biology degree in 1990. He resides in Canfield, Ohio with his wife, Jennifer (Carrier), a 1990 Westminster graduate. They have three children: daughters Kelly and Audrey and son Nathan. 

Conor Simpson, Class ofd 2009
Simpson, a five-time PAC individual champion and member of three PAC title-winning relays, was a key contributor on two conference championship teams (2006, 2007) and two runner-up teams (2008, 2009).

As a freshman, Simpson earned PAC Championships' victories in the 100 butterfly (51.93) and 200 butterfly (1:56.19), swam butterfly on the second-place 400 medley relay (3:29.81) and swam the third leg on the second-place 400 freestyle relay (3:11.69).

In 2007 Simpson registered his second-straight conference title in the 100 butterfly (51.64) and swam butterfly on the winning 400 medley relay (3:26.56). The Titans' 400 medley relay qualified for the Division III Championships and finished eighth (3:27.24). It was the College's first relay to qualify for the Division III Championships and secure All-America honors. Simpson was also a 2007 national qualifier as a member of the 200 medley relay, which posted an 11th-place finish (1:35.13) to earn Honorable Mention All-America honors and help Westminster register a 20th-place team finish at the national championships.

At the 2008 PAC Championships, Simpson scored runner-up finishes in the 100 butterfly (52.23), the 200 butterfly (1:57.31) and the 500 freestyle (4:47.95). He anchored the winning 800 freestyle relay (7:02.30) and swam butterfly on the second-place 200 medley relay (1:35.39). He logged wins in the 200 butterfly (1:53.63) and the 500 freestyle (4:39.37) and swam the second leg on the second-place 800 freestyle relay (67:59.10) at the 2009 PAC Championships.

Simpson, a four-time PAC Academic Honor Roll designee and two-time team captain, was named a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District selection and College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-American after his sophomore and senior seasons. He was one of four swimmers to receive the Gene Nicholson Swimmer and Diver Scholar Award in both 2008 and 2009.

A model of academic excellence and community leadership, Simpson served as president of both the College's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and PAC SAAC, finance chair with the Student Government Association (SGA) and was an NCAA representative with the U.S. National Olympic Committee.

A native of Monroeville, Pennsylvania and graduate of Gateway High School, he earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 2009. Simpson and his spouse, Carrie, reside in Pine Township, Pennsylvania with their children Kieran, Waverly and Laiken.

Anthony Thomas, Class of 2015
Thomas remains one of Westminster's most outstanding multi-sport athletes as a track and field and basketball standout. A New Castle, Pennsylvania native and graduate of Union High School, he was honored as the College's 2014 winner of the David B. Fawcett Award, which is given annually to honor and acknowledge a senior student-athlete who best exemplify the qualities of fairness, sportsmanship, leadership, determination and competitiveness.

A key contributor to three consecutive PAC outdoor team championships (2011-13), Thomas was a two-time PAC outdoor triple jump champion (2013, 2014) and a two-time runner-up (2011, 2012) in the event. He also posted a runner-up finish in the long jump in 2013 after third place finishes in the event in 2011 and 2012. Thomas earned PAC Co-Most Outstanding Performer in the Field honors following the 2013 outdoor championships. He also anchored the Titans' winning 4x100-meter relay (42.45) at the 2013 PAC Outdoor Championships.

Thomas holds school records in the indoor long jump and indoor and outdoor triple jump. He set the indoor long jump record with a leap of 7.01 meters (23-03.50) at the Youngstown State Invitational on Jan. 23, 2015, before posting an indoor triple jump mark of 14.01 meters (45-11.75) at the 2015 PAC Championships. Thomas established the outdoor triple jump record with a mark of 14.13 meters (46-04.25) at the 2014 PAC Championships.

A three-time Honorable Mention All-PAC men's basketball selection who started 97 of 99 career games, Thomas ranks third in program history with 374 assists and is 16th on the all-time scoring list with 1,326 points. A consistent offensive threat, he scored 20 or more points 22 times during his career.

Thomas and his wife, Elizabeth, reside in Pittsburgh. They are expecting their first child in December.

Cassidy (Shepherd) Patrick, Class of 2017
Patrick ranks among the most versatile and decorated student-athletes in Westminster track and field history. The College's 2017 recipient of the Marjorie A. Walker Award, which is given annually to honor and acknowledge a senior student-athlete who best exemplify the qualities of fairness, sportsmanship, leadership, determination and competitiveness, she was a national qualifier in the pole vault in every season she competed, concluding her career with eight NCAA Division III Championships appearances and four All-America honors.

As a senior, Patrick won PAC indoor and outdoor pole vault titles and earned a pair of All-America finishes at the Division III Championships, placing eighth indoors and seventh outdoors.

During her junior year, Patrick placed seventh in the pole vault, earning All-America honors, at the Division III Indoor Championships after finishing third at the PAC Championships. She went on to place 11th at the Division III Outdoor Championships following another third-place finish at the PAC Championships.

As a sophomore, Patrick was named the PAC's Most Outstanding Performer in the Field at the indoor championships after winning the long jump and finishing as the runner-up in the pole vault. She later earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III Mideast Region Field Athlete of the Year honors for the 2015 indoor season and placed 12th in the pole vault at the Division III Indoor Championships. Outdoors, she finished as the runner-up in the pole vault at the PAC Championships before placing 16th at the Division III Outdoor Championships.

As a freshman, Patrick placed fifth in the pole vault, earning the first All-America recognition of her career, at the Division III Indoor Championships after recording third-place finishes in both the pole vault and long jump at the PAC Indoor Championships. At the PAC Outdoor Championships, she won the long jump and finished as the runner-up in the pole vault before placing 10th in the pole vault at the Division III Outdoor Championships.

A three-time PAC Academic Honor Roll selection and six-time Dean's List honoree, Patrick was also named a USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree in 2015 and 2016. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in early childhood and special education in 2017, Patrick competed in a pair of city qualifiers for NBC's American Ninja Warrior: Season 10 in Miami (2018) and Season 11 in Atlanta (2019).

On campus, Patrick was a member of the Kappa Delta Pi International Education Honor Society, Pi Sigma Pi Scholastic Honor Fraternity and Mortar Board National College Honor Society. She also volunteered with Wilmington Elementary School's math club and assisted the football program with gameday campus tours for prospective student-athletes.

Patrick, a native of Greensburg, Pennsylvania and a graduate of Greensburg-Salem High School, resides in Latrobe with her spouse, Josh, and daughter, Maya.

CJ Armstrong, Class of 2018
Armstrong excelled as a linebacker, starting all 42 games during his four-year career in New Wilmington while putting together one of the most accomplished defensive careers in recent program history. He starred for the Titans from 2014-17, earning First Team All-PAC honors in each of his final two seasons.

Armstrong was named Honorable Mention All-PAC after productive freshman and sophomore seasons. He totaled 44 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks and an interception in 2014 before posting 54 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks in 2015.

As a junior, Armstrong burst onto the scene as one of the most dominant linebackers in the league, finishing the 2016 season with 60 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, an interception returned for a touchdown, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. He registered nine tackles (8 solo), 3.0 tackles for loss and a sack in the Titans' 33-6 victory over Utica in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) James Lynah Bowl, which was played at historic Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. He went on to earn First Team ECAC Division III South honors.

Armstrong capped his career with a record-setting senior season, leading the PAC with 19.5 tackles for loss while adding 55 tackles, 8.5 sacks and a forced fumble. His tackles for loss total remains No. 1 on Westminster's single-season list, while his sack total ranked second in the league. He delivered one of his biggest performances in a 24-21 overtime victory at Thomas More, recording nine tackles (six solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble in the Titans' first win over the Saints since 2004. Armstrong earned Second Team D3football.com All-South Region and Second Team ECAC Division III South honors.

Armstrong wrapped up his career with a program-record 58.5 tackles for loss, which rank seventh among the PAC's all-time defenders, and 28.5 sacks, the third-most in program history and 10th-most in league history.
A trailblazer with the College's E-Sports Club and competitive gaming community, Armstrong played a key role in creating structured gaming and esports competitions across local colleges and high schools. He was also involved with the Westminster Entrepreneurship Lab (WEL) as a business administration strategist.

Armstrong, a native of Lake Worth, Florida and graduate of Park Vista High School, earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2018. He joined the U.S. Air Force after graduation and worked on the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker and Boeing KC-46 Pegasus operating communication and navigation special missions systems. 

Armstrong resides in Chippewa, Pennsylvania with his spouse, Ciara, daughter, Gia, and sons, Lucian and Zander.

Lexie (Yoho) Bennett, Class of 2018
Yoho, a dynamic and decorated middle hitter, stands among an elite group of six Westminster women's volleyball players to earn PAC Player of the Year honors. She ranks No. 1 in program history in points with 1,775.50, No. 2 in career kills with 1,407 and No. 4 in blocks with 457. Her career blocks total ranks ninth in PAC history while her career kills total is 10th in conference history.

A four-time All-PAC honoree, including three-straight First Team All-PAC selections, Yoho sparked one of the best seasons in Westminster women's volleyball history as a senior. She was voted the 2017 PAC Player of the Year after leading the league with a .375 hitting percentage and 105 total blocks while finishing third among conference counterparts with 407 kills.

After suffering a 3-1 loss to top-seeded Thomas More in the title match of the PAC Championship Tournament in 2017, Westminster responded with a straight-set victory over Fairleigh Dickson-Florham in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Championship title match. Yoho, named the Most Valuable Player of the ECAC Championship, finished with a match-high 18 kills against the Devils after totaling a career-high 23 kills in the Titans' five-set semifinal win over Marymount.

Westminster finished the 2017 season with a 30-6 overall record, becoming just the third team in program history to win at least 30 matches in a season.

A leader both in the classroom and throughout the community, Yoho served as president of the College's Green Party student political organization and Sierra Student Coalition, the national student chapter of the Sierra Club. She worked closely with the Campus Sustainability Committee and was a member of the Tiny House Project, which allows Westminster to develop a unique living-learning educational experience integrating concepts of sustainability, simple living, environmental science and studies into students' coursework and lifestyles.

Yoho, a Pittsburgh native and graduate of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School, also worked with the College's Pre-Veterinary Society and Tri-Beta Honor Society while serving as an academic tutor for Titan student-athletes. She completed an internship with the Lawrence County Conservation District and was a member of the 2017 Experience Alaska team that traveled to "The Last Frontier" to learn about environmental impacts and complete mission work.  

Yoho graduated with a bachelor's degree in environmental science in 2018. A four-time member of the College's Dean's List, she was a PAC Academic Honor Roll designee in 2014 and 2017. As part of 2017 Homecoming and Reunion Weekend, she was recognized with the Rising Titan Award, which honors an outstanding junior or senior who demonstrates the potential to become a leading alumnus.
Yoho and her spouse, Justin, reside in Slippery Rock.

Kelsey (Phillips) Cavaliere, Class of 2018
A two-time PAC Player of the Year whose consistent excellence spanned her entire career, Cavaliere is just the second women's golfer to earn a spot in the Titan Sports Hall of Fame. She was honored as the College's 2018 winner of the Marjorie A. Walker Award, which is given annually to honor and acknowledge a senior student-athlete who best exemplify the qualities of fairness, sportsmanship, leadership, determination and competitiveness.

Following a fourth-place finish in 2015 and a seventh-place finish in 2016, Cavaliere used terrific spring rounds in 2017 and 2018 to secure back-to-back individual PAC titles. She was tied for second place after the two fall championship rounds in 2016 before posting consecutive rounds of 81 in the spring to record a seven-stroke victory. Cavaliere's individual championship in 2017 was the first in program history. She overcame a six-stroke deficit following the two fall championship rounds in 2017 to score a six-stroke win in 2018.

Originally from Pittsburgh and a graduate of North Allegheny High School, Cavaliere finished her Westminster career with an 88.02 scoring average.

A standout in the classroom and in the community, Cavaliere was named to the PAC's Spring Academic Honor Roll four times. She was active with the College's Disability Awareness Club, Habitat for Humanity chapter, Omicron Kappa Sigma (OKS) All-College Honors Program and Kappa Delta Pi international honor society in education. She also served as president of the Student Alumni Association (SAA), helping organize the College's first Titan Tie Dye Run, a one-mile campus run with proceeds donated to the Student Emergency Fund.

Cavaliere graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in early childhood and special education in 2018. She resides in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania with her husband, Jason, daughter, Savannah, and son, William.