Winthrop University has announced its Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026, honoring five former student-athletes and a longtime coach whose contributions shaped the Eagles’ competitive legacy across multiple Big South Conference sports, the university announced in November 2025.
The inductees are Gary Baker, men’s soccer; Kandrick Cooper, men’s track and field; Emily Heckl, volleyball; Jeremy Keller, baseball; and Kim Segars, women’s basketball. Former Winthrop head men’s and women’s cross country and track and field coach Ben Paxton also headlines the induction class, according to the Winthrop University news announcement.
Winthrop University, located on the eastern edge of Rock Hill’s campus district, competes as a member of the Big South Conference at the NCAA Division I level. The university’s athletic programs compete across 17 varsity sports, with the men’s basketball program having earned multiple NCAA tournament appearances over the years as one of the Big South’s prominent programs.
The 2026 Hall of Fame class reflects the breadth of Winthrop’s athletic programming. Cooper’s track and field selection recognizes the program’s long history of producing competitive runners at the collegiate level. Segars’ basketball selection honors what has been one of Winthrop’s traditionally strong women’s sports programs.
Coach Paxton’s inclusion recognizes his sustained success in both men’s and women’s cross country and track and field over a career that produced multiple conference titles and individual champions. Cross country is one of the more demanding coaching assignments in collegiate athletics, requiring year-round training management and strong recruiting pipelines from high school programs.
Winthrop’s campus in Rock Hill covers approximately 418 acres of the city’s east side and employs a significant number of faculty, staff, and administrators who contribute to Rock Hill’s professional workforce. The university enrolls roughly 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students from South Carolina and neighboring states, making it an important economic and cultural anchor for the community.
The Hall of Fame induction ceremony is a signature annual event for Winthrop Athletics, bringing alumni, donors, and community members together on campus. The 2026 class was announced in November 2025, giving the inductees and their families time to plan for the ceremony, the timing of which was not disclosed in the university’s announcement.
The Eagles’ 2026 baseball team, which is currently in the final stretch of its regular season at Founders Field in Rock Hill, carries on the tradition of competitive Winthrop athletics that Hall of Fame inductee Jeremy Keller helped build during his playing days. The current squad has shown strong early-season form, opening the year with a 13-2 win over Georgetown before facing Power Four opponents including NC State and Auburn.
