News Releases

Owens Adds National Championship Volleyball Team, 4 All-Americans, Soccer Coach to Express Hall of Fame

2018 Volleyball Team

Sean Bucknor

Brittany (Egbert) Fox

Harrison Long

Jeryn Reese

Art Johnson

The Owens Express Athletics Hall of Fame is back in 2025, recognizing the outstanding achievements of athletes and coaches from years past. In the Hall of Fame Class of 2025, Owens will add the 2018 NJCAA national championship volleyball team, four two-time All-Americans and Art Johnson, the coach who originated the men’s soccer program.

Ceremonies will be held during halftime of the men’s and women’s basketball games on Saturday, January 25 at the Student Health and Activities Center. The men’s game will begin at 11 a.m. A reception will follow the conclusion of the women’s game.

Men’s soccer attacking midfielder Sean Bucknor (Montego Bay, Jamaica) scored 28 goals in each of the 2006 and 2007 seasons for a total 56 goals, which remains the top goal mark in school history today. He was a second-team All-American in 2006 and first-team All-American in 2007.  The two-time Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) Player of the Year led the 2007 Express to a 15-5-2 record. Bucknor played one season in Major League Soccer with Dallas.

Volleyball middle blocker Brittany (Egbert) Fox (Hopewell-Loudon/Fostoria) was a second-team All-American in 2010 and 2011. She was twice selected OCCAC Player of the Year. She was one of the most decorated Express volleyball players in history and ranked second in school history in kills and hitting efficiency at the time she graduated.  The 2011 team achieved the highest winning percentage in school history (45-5, .900).

Harrison Long (Tamworth, United Kingdom) completed one of the best two-year careers in Express golf history from 2013-2015. He won nine times and averaged 73.9, including six sub-70 rounds. He was honored as a NJCAA second-team All-American and honorable mention All-American in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Men’s golf was a varsity sport at Owens from 2005-2016.

Forward Jeryn Reese (Mansfield) was the first two-time All-American for the women’s basketball team, earning second-team honors in 2015-16 and 2016-17. The 2017 OCCAC Player of the Year finished fifth on the program’s career scoring list and first in total rebounds. Her teams went undefeated in OCCAC play with a combined 30-0 record in two seasons. She led Owens to a 31-1 record in 2016-17 and helped the program achieve the first undefeated regular season in the college’s athletics history. Reese went on to play for NCAA Division I LaSalle University.

Johnson began the Owens men’s soccer program in 1998 after 12 seasons as Toledo St. John’s head coach. His Owens-led teams played entertaining soccer, compiling a 207-144-21 overall record in 18 seasons. Johnson coached three All-Americans and 13 Academic All-Americans. He sent more than 30 players to four-year schools, including seven players to the NCAA Division I level. Johnson’s 2012 team won the school’s first OCCAC championship, leading to Johnson receiving conference coach of the year honors. He won the OCCAC award five times.

Coach Sonny Lewis, assistant coach Denny Caldwell and the 2018 volleyball team won the NJCAA national championship a year after finishing as national tournament runner-up. The Express defeated Eastfield College 3-2 in the title match held in Rochester, Minnesota.  Ranked No. 1 to end the regular season, the Express compiled a 40-6 record and had a 15-match winning streak at one point. Michaela Eisenhauer (Margaretta) was named national tournament MVP. Summer Sweeting (North Fairfield) and Kennedy (Ames) Kromenacker (Milan Edison) also were named to the all-tournament team. Lewis received national coach of the year honors.

The team also included Mornay McBroom (Lima Central Catholic), Kayla Bekier (Northwood/Lake), Kiah (Wendel) Bruns (Fort Recovery), Kara (Schafer) Burns (Monroeville), Madison Allemeier (Lima/Edison), Kara (Evers) Dirksen (Marion Local), Ella Delamotte (Lima Central Catholic), Kinsey (Finnen) DeGier (Delta), Shyah Wheeler (Elida), Carlie (Bengela) Kenyon (Toledo/Whitmer). The coaching staff also included Kristen Gyori, Maddy Smyth and John Mower.

The Owens Express Hall of Fame originated in 2016 and continued inducting classes through 2018. Due to staffing changes within the athletics department and the COVID-19 pandemic, no class was inducted for the past six years. The first three classes featured four student-athletes, three teams, three coaches/athletic directors and one college administrator.  Visit www.owensexpress.com/HOF for more information about the Owens Express Hall of Fame.