BETHLEHEM, PA – The Hall of Fame Committee of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA), college wrestling's oldest conference, is proud to announce that five new individuals have been selected for membership.
The Class of 2026 inductees are Mark Fergeson of Cornell, Steve Fittery of American, Dave Lehman of Franklin & Marshall, Zach Rey of Lehigh, and Rich Santana of Syracuse. The induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at the Meltzer Sports Center on the grounds of American University in Washington, DC immediately prior to the finals of the 122nd EIWA Championships.
Committee Chair Natanya Levioff stated: "With this latest nomination cycle bringing in a significant number of new, highly qualified candidates, the Committee had quite the selection task this year. Our newest inductees span decades of EIWA wrestling history, representing eras from the 1960s, through the 1990s, and into the 2010s. As a group, they are united in their outstanding accomplishments and the significant impact they have had both within the wrestling community and beyond the mat. We are honored to introduce these gentlemen as our Class of 2026."
Mark Fergeson - Wrestler
Cornell University, Class of 1993
Mark Fergeson was already accomplished at the national and world level when he arrived as a freshman at Cornell. He competed for Union High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he was a 3x state champion, a 4x finalist, and held an overall record of 132-4-1. At age 16 he won the 1987 Cadet National Championship. That title qualified Fergeson for the U16 World Championships in Ontario, Canada where he also won the Gold Medal. He capped his high school career with a win for Team USA at the Pittsburgh Press/Dapper Dan Classic.
Fergeson found immediate success at Cornell, earning Ivy League Rookie of the year and qualifying for the NCAA tournament with a third-place finish at the EIWA tournament as a freshman.
He went on to become a 2x EIWA champion and 3x EIWA finalist. He helped Cornell win the team title for the first time in 34 years in 1992 and again in 1993. At the NCAA tournament he was a 4x qualifier and a 2x All-American for the Big Red, placing 5th in 1992 and 4th in 1993. As senior, he earned the #1 national ranking, competed in the NWCA All-Star Dual meet, and won the Fletcher Trophy for most career team points scored in the EIWA tournament. Fergeson was the all-time winningest wrestler in Cornell history at the time of his graduation, and he still holds the Cornell record for most major decisions and dual meet wins.
After graduating with a degree in Nutritional Science, he attended medical school at the University of Oklahoma, where he was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha, the highest academic honor in medical school. He is a nationally respected medical educator and currently holds the Harris D. Riley, Jr., Chair in Pediatric Education at the University of Oklahoma where he served as Dean of Students from 2015-2022.
Fergeson volunteers extensively from being a youth wrestling and soccer coach to helping resettle refugees to providing rides for the elderly. He was inducted into the Cornell University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003. Fergeson currently lives in Oklahoma City with his wife Gina and their two sons who both played college soccer.
Steve Fittery - Wrestler
American University, Class of 2011
Steve Fittery fell in love with wrestling in elementary school, leading to an illustrious 27-year career on the mats. The Denver, PA native was a 2x state place winner and 4-year wrestling varsity athlete while attending Cocalico High School and would make his mark at the collegiate level in both Division I and II. Prior to his career at American, Fittery spent two seasons at Shippensburg University. While competing for the Division II Red Raiders, he was a 2x National Finalist, a 2x East Regional Champion, and in 2007, broke a 38-year drought for them by winning the PSAC Championships. He was named the Shippensburg Male Student-Athlete of the Year in 2008.
Fittery would continue his winning ways at American, with some of his most impressive performances coming at the Midlands championships where he won two titles and earned the Midlands Outstanding Wrestler Award in 2009. He was crowned the EIWA Champion at 157 pounds in 2011 and would go on to become a 2x All-American by placing 3rd at NCAAs his senior year; moving up the podium from his 5th place finish in 2010. He played a key role in helping lead Mark Cody's Eagles to a 5th place team finish at Nationals, the highest in program history.
Fittery also excelled in the classroom, earning first team NWCA Academic All-American all four years and graduating from American with Cum Laude honors with degrees in Mathematics and Secondary Education. In 2011, he was recognized as American University's Male Student-Athlete of the Year. Fittery then turned his competitive spirit into an extremely successful coaching career, helping each of the American, Maryland, Lock Haven, and McDaniel programs produce NCAA All-Americans.
In 2016, he started FITS Wrestling Academy, helping hundreds of young wrestlers develop their skills and increase their passion for the sport. Fittery is a regular blood donor, has served as a tutor in inner-city schools, and has worked with Beat the Streets Baltimore. He currently lives in Lancaster County, PA and is pursuing a degree in nursing.
Dave Lehman – Special Achievement
Franklin & Marshall College, Class of 1968
Dave Lehman was one of four children in a Pennsylvania Dutch farm family in Southern Lancaster County, PA. He came to wrestling relatively late competing for Solanco High School, but Roy Phillips, notable wrestling coach at F&M, took a chance and recruited him. While there, Lehman competed in freshman and varsity wrestling and football for all four seasons. He was a stalwart on the undefeated freshman wrestling team and had a successful varsity wrestling career competing at the 1967 EIWA Championships. Lehman, a Geology major, was awarded F&M's Alumni Junior Medal, which is given to the outstanding scholar-athlete in the junior class.
After graduating, Lehman served as a U.S. Army Artillery Officer in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Upon completing his military service, he attended The University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences. After a successful career as an executive at ExxonMobil, he started up and subsequently sold three independent oil companies.
Lehman never forgot the role of wrestling in his education and in finding his chosen profession. His charitable contributions, especially to wrestling, are legendary. Among Lehman's most significant gifts is the $5 million endowment to Franklin & Marshall College's Division I wrestling program, for which the F&M Lehman Open—an annual tournament that draws more than 30 Division I teams from across the country—bears his name. Lehman extended his philanthropy to USA Women's Wrestling, becoming its largest financial supporter through a $1.5 million donation to advance the development of young American women wrestlers, helping propel the United States to the forefront of one of the fastest-growing sports worldwide. He is also the founder and major benefactor of Beat the Streets Lancaster, a wrestling and life skills program for underserved youth which reaches over 350 boys and girls in the Lancaster, PA area each year.
Lehman was inducted into the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018, and the Franklin & Marshall Hall of Fame in 2023. He currently lives in Denver, CO and has one daughter, two stepsons, and three grandchildren.
Zach Rey - Wrestler
Lehigh University, Class of 2012
A native of Hopatcong, NJ, Zach Rey did not start wrestling until 9th grade, but became a 2x state champion, a 3x place winner, and went undefeated in his senior year. He was also a first team All-State lineman on the football field, all for Hopatcong HS.
Rey would go on to become one of the most accomplished heavyweights in Lehigh wrestling history. He was a four-year starter and a 3x NCAA All-American for the Mountain Hawks. He finished 3rd as a sophomore in 2010 and capped his career with a runner-up finish in 2012. As a junior in 2011, Rey was at the top of the podium, becoming Lehigh's 27th individual national champion in wrestling in an all-EIWA final against Ryan Flores of American. Rey posted a 116-14 record for Lehigh and currently ranks fourth on the school's career wins list. He was a 4x EIWA finalist, winning the title in 2010, and winning the prestigious Midlands Championships that same year.
Following his graduation in 2012 with a degree in Earth and Environmental Science, and having been named Lehigh's Outstanding Graduating Male Athlete, Rey trained with and competed for the Lehigh Valley Wrestling Club (now LVW RTC).
A three-time Pan American champion (2013, 2014, 2015) and two-time Cerro Pelado International champion, Rey is a 2x U.S. World Team Trials runner-up and finished 2nd at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials. In 2015, Rey represented the U.S. at the World Championships in Las Vegas, NV.
With his competitive days behind him, Rey has dedicated his considerable work ethic and technical expertise to coaching. Now entering his 8th season as an assistant for the Mountain Hawks, he has become an integral part of the team's ongoing success, evident in the eight Lehigh EIWA champions crowned in the last two years. Rey currently lives in Bethlehem, PA with his wife, Diane, and their three daughters.
Rich Santana - Wrestler
Syracuse University, Class of 1992
While also playing football and baseball as a 3-sport athlete, Rich Santana established himself as a dominant force in New York State wrestling during his time at Long Beach High School. Compiling an impressive career record of 152 wins and only 7 losses, Santana was a 4x Division Champion, also earning the titles of 2-time Sectional Champion, Nassau County Champion, State Finalist, and Empire Games Freestyle State Champion. In addition, he claimed a New York State High School Championship and was honored as an Asics Tiger High School All-American.
Santana continued to find success on the mats at Syracuse University, where he became the second winningest wrestler in the school's history with an overall record of 124-14-2. Competing primarily at 134 pounds, he won the EIWA title twice, in 1990 and 1991. He also secured 3rd place in 1989 and finished 2nd at 142 pounds in 1992. As a 4x NCAA qualifier, Santana earned All-American honors twice, placing 8th in 1990 and 5th in 1991. His achievements were further recognized when he was named Syracuse University College Athlete of The Year in 1990.
Upon graduating with a degree in Psychology, Santana founded the Rich Santana Wrestling Academy. His goal was to introduce wrestling to children of all ages in a fun and engaging way. Santana also coached at the high school level, helping to develop 4 High School All-Americans, 7 State Champions, and 15 State Place Winners. Since 2016, he has been active in supporting at-risk youth through his volunteer work at the Martin Luther King Center.
Santana currently works for RR Donnelly as a Global Account Manager and resides in Sacramento, CA with his wife Suzanne and their teenaged son.
About the EIWA Hall of Fame
The EIWA Hall of Fame is the only NCAA Division I Wrestling Hall of Fame in the country. As part of the oldest collegiate wrestling division in the nation, the Committee works tirelessly to induct into its Hall of Fame individuals who have excelled as competitors or coaches, have contributed to the sport in unparalleled ways, have had impactful lives beyond the mat, and most importantly, embody the traits of character, resilience, and determination. The nomination cycle runs from November 1 through September 15 each year.