RENO, Nev. – Nevada announced its six-member Class of 2026 which will be inducted into the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame this October.
The Class of 2026 features one team and five student athletes. The 2008 Softball Team, recognized as one of the best Wolf Pack teams of all-time, regardless of sport, will be joined by current Wolf Pack diving coach and 2020 Olympic Bronze Medalist Krysta Palmer (Swimming & Diving, 2012-16), 2004 Doc Martie Award winner and 1,000-Point scorer Garry Hill-Thomas (Men's Basketball, 2000-04), one of the Wolf Pack's all-time leading rushers and All-WAC selection Luke Lippincott (Football, 2004-09), two-time selection to the All-Big West First Team and Big West champion Mike Rockwood (Football, 1994-95), and 2002 Giant Slalom NCAA Champion and two-time All-American Tommi Viirret (Skiing, 2001-04).
The class will be inducted during Homecoming Weekend (Oct. 23-25) and honored at Nevada's Homecoming football game Saturday, Oct. 24, against San José State. Single-game tickets for Nevada's six 2026 home contests go on sale August 10.
More information on the 2026 Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame induction event will come at a later date.
Since its inception in 1973, the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame has inducted 246 individuals and six teams.
2026 Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame Class
2008 Nevada Softball Team
Went 44-18 overall and 16-2 in WAC play … The 44 wins remains the program record … Captured the WAC regular season title … Earned bid to the UCLA Regional, going 2-2 and reaching the regional title game, with both losses coming to No. 3 UCLA … Head coach Michelle Gardner was named NFCA West Region Coach of the Year and WAC Coach of the Year … Picked up eight wins over Top-25 teams including a historic 1-0 victory over No. 1 Arizona on February 17 … Twice played the No. 1 team in the country, going 1-1 (beating Arizona, losing to Alabama March 1) … Boasted the WAC Player of the Year in Vanessa Briones … Claimed six of the 13 spots on the All-WAC First Team … Noelle Micka was named to the NFCA All-America Second Team … Had three players named to NFCA All-Region Teams (Micka to the First Team, Briones and Katie Holverson to the Second Team) … At the time, the team finished the regular season with program records in batting average (.3115), runs (310), hits (529), doubles (101), home runs (43), RBIs (290), total bases (779), walks (182), slugging (.459), on-base percentage (.388), stolen bases (56).
Garry Hill-Thomas - Men's Basketball (2000-04)
Played 124 games (105 starts) over four seasons for the Wolf Pack … Nevada's 2003-04 Doc Martie Award winner, given annually to the top male senior student-athlete … Scored 1,340 career points, averaging 10.8 points over 27.3 minutes per game … Part of 2003-04 team which went 25-9 overall, defeated Michigan State then Gonzaga to reach the Sweet 16 and captured the program's first WAC regular season and tournament titles … Named to 2004 All-WAC Defensive Team … Played four NBA D-League seasons for the Roanoke Dazzle (2004-05), Fort Worth Flyers (2005-06), Utah Flash (2007-08) and Reno Bighorns (2008-09) … Also played professionally in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, New Zealand and Australia in 2006-07 … Part of the Wolf Pack Men's Basketball coaching staff from 2013-15 … Served as head boys basketball coach at North Valleys High School in 2009-10, leading the Panthers to second playoff appearance in school history.
Luke Lippincott – Football (2004-09)
Nevada's 2009-10 Doc Martie Award recipient as the top male senior student-athlete … Earned first-team All-WAC honors and won the Golden Helmet Award as the team's Most Valuable Player in 2008 … Finished his career ranked fifth at Nevada with 3,014 rushing yards and sixth with 34 rushing touchdowns … Entering the 2026 season he remains in Nevada's career top 10 in rushing yards (10th), rushing touchdowns (eighth), touchdowns scored (39, seventh), and still holds the eighth-best single-season rushing total (1,420 yards in 2007) … Led the WAC in rushing with 109.2 yards per game in 2008 … Made NCAA history when he reached 1,000 rushing yards in 2009, making Nevada the only school in the history of college football to have three 1,000-yard rushers in the same season … He joined fellow Nevada Athletics Hall of Famers Colin Kaepernick and Vai Taua in that trio … Tallied 1,034 rushing yards in 2009, his second career 1,000-yard season … Was the recipient of the Humanitarian Award at the 2008 Roady's Humanitarian Bowl for his community service efforts … Part of Nevada's 2005 WAC champion team … Two-time winner of Nevada's Striker Award for consistent and dominant play over a period of time … Graduated with his degree in psychology and a minor in health ecology in May of 2009 and started graduate work while finishing his playing career in 2010.
Krysta Palmer – Women's Swimming & Diving (2012-16)
Nevada's 2015-16 Ruth Russell Award recipient as the top female senior student-athlete … 2020 Olympic Bronze Medalist (3-Meter Springboard) … Three-time All-America Honorable Mention (3-Meter Springboard in 2015; 1-Meter Springboard and Platform in 2016) … Three top-10 finishes at NCAA Championships: Ninth on 1-Meter (2016), 10th on 3-Meter (2015) and 10th on Platform (2016) … Two-time Mountain West Diver of the Year (2015-16) … Four-time Mountain West champion, sweeping all three events in 2015 and winning on Platform in 2016 … Nine-time All-Mountain West … Still holds the Mountain West all-time records in 1-Meter Springboard six-dive score (364.12) and platform five-dive score (368.10) while ranking second in 3-Meter Springboard six-dive score (415.58) … Helped lead Nevada Swimming & Diving to its only Mountain West team title in 2016.
Michael Rockwood – Football (1994-95)
Named to All-Big West First Team each of his two seasons with the Wolf Pack (1994-95) … Part of two Nevada Big West champion teams (1994-95) … Starting offensive tackle for Nevada's top-ranked offense … Won the team's Basalite Big Blocker Award three times in 1994 and four times in 1995 … Claimed to have never given up a sack in his two years at Nevada … Served as team captain in 1995 … Helped lead Nevada to Las Vegas Bowl appearance in 1995… Called "one of the best, if not the best to ever play at Nevada" by head coach Chris Ault … Came to Nevada after two seasons at Riverside Community College … After his time at Nevada, signed with the Buffalo Bills practice squad in 1996 and 1997 … Was on the active roster in 1997 and 1998 before suffering a career-ending neck injury … Also played in NFL Europe, earning All-World League honors in 1998 … Served on the coaching staff of the Las Vegas Outlaws in the XFL in 2001.
Tommi Viirret – Skiing (2001-04)
2002 NCAA Giant Slalom champion … Two-time All-American (2002, 2004) in Giant Slalom … Nevada Skiing finished in the top 10 nationally in each of his seasons at Nevada, with a sixth-place finish in 2002 … Between his college, national and international career, Viirret had 41 podium finishes, including 15 gold medals.
