The Occidental Athletics Hall of Fame will welcome six new members on Sunday, October 4, during Homecoming & Family Weekend.
Established in 2012 in conjunction with the College’s 125th anniversary, the Hall of Fame honors outstanding achievement in competition, service, dedication, and commitment to Occidental athletics. This year’s inductees include a national champion runner turned lifelong coach and educator; a dominant distance runner and nine-time All-American; a two-time national champion breaststroker; a national championship-winning women’s tennis coach and transformational administrator; and a pair of prolific basketball scorers, one standing a full foot taller than the other.
Doug McAdam ’73 (men’s basketball)ranks among the top scorers in Occidental basketball history, finishing his varsity career with 1,049 points while earning First Team All-District honors twice, First Team All-SCIAC, and Honorable Mention Small College All-America recognition. A 6-foot-4 forward, McAdam also played a key role on Occidental’s historic 23-0 freshman team, leading the team with 464 points in 20 games. A sociology major at Occidental, McAdam is the Ray Lyman Wilbur Professor of Sociology at Stanford University and a leading scholar of social movements and political sociology.
Tom Colley ’78 (track and field/cross country) won the 1977 NCAA Division III national championship in the 1,500 meters and helped lead Occidental to SCIAC championships in both track and field and cross country. His 3:45.7 personal best remains one of the fastest 1,500-meter times in Occidental history, ranking second only to Olympic silver medalist Bob McMillen ’53 (3:45.2, set in 1952). For more than 40 years, Colley has taught mathematics and coached at Sherman Indian High School, leading its runners to CIF Southern Section and California state championships.
Michele Trimble de Boucaud ’89 (track and field/cross country) is one of the greatest distance runners in Occidental history. A four-time SCIAC cross country champion and nine-time All-American, she won the 1989 NCAA Division III national championship in the 3,000 meters and still holds the school record for the event, with a time of 9:45 set in 1987. A psychology major at Occidental, Trimble was named SCIAC Track Athlete of the Year three consecutive times and won 21 straight conference races, establishing herself as one of Division III’s most dominant competitors.
Anna Celaya ’99 (women’s basketball) was the conference’s leading scorer during her years as a Tiger, a four-time first-team All-SCIAC selection and two-time SCIAC Player of the Year. A 5-foot-4 point guard for the Tigers, Celaya (who majored in mathematics at Occidental) was the focal point of every opponent’s game plan. Her combination of scoring, playmaking, and leadership made her one of the most accomplished and recognizable players in program history.
Steven Van Deventer ’15 (men’s swimming and diving) is one of the most decorated swimmers in Occidental history, winning back-to-back NCAA Division III national championships in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2013 and 2014. A six-time All-American and six-time SCIAC champion, he was named SCIAC Most Valuable Swimmer. A physics major at Occidental, his conference-record 200-yard breaststroke time stood for nine years and ranked among the fastest performances in Division III history.
Lynn Mehl (women’s tennis) was a defining figure in Occidental athletics, with a distinguished career as a coach, administrator, faculty member, and advocate for student-athletes. She led the women’s tennis team to the 1982 NCAA Division III national championship and was named Division III Coach of the Year the following season. As athletics director, longtime NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative, and respected campus leader, Mehl helped shape the student-athlete experience locally and nationally, earning the SCIAC Distinguished Service Award in 2022.
On Saturday, October 3, a meet-and-greet with the inductees will take place at 6 p.m. at Cannon Plaza. Registration is required. Following that event, the group will be introduced during halftime (approximately 7:45 p.m.) of the men’s soccer match against Redlands in Jack Kemp Stadium.
On Sunday, October 4, at 9:30 a.m., the class will be formally inducted at an invitation-only ceremony and brunch at Cannon Plaza. Ticketing information will be announced shortly.
Clockwise from left: Michele Trimble de Boucaud ’89, Steven Van Deventer ’15, Tom Colley ’78, Doug McAdam ’73, Anna Celaya ’99, and Lynn Mehl (inset).
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