RMU Athletics announces 2021 HOF Class

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RMU Athletics announced their 2021 Hall of Fame Class. Neco Brett (top left), Cody Wydo (top center), Rebecca Vint (top right), Nolan Nearhoof (bottom left), Lucky Jones (bottom center) and Dante Payne (bottom right). Photo credit: Colonial Sports Network/RMU Athletics

Alexis Davis

RMU Athletics announced their 30th class of inductees into the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame on Thursday afternoon. The 30th class of inductees includes six former student-athletes.

The six members of the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame 2021 class are Neco Brett, Cody Wydo, Rebecca Vint, Nolan Nearhoof, Lucky Jones and Dante Payne.

Here’s a closer look at the new members:

Neco Brett (men’s soccer; 2012-15)

The Kingston, Jamaica native was the first student-athlete in the Northeast Conference (NEC) history to be named NEC Player of the Year three times. He received the honor which was voted on by league coaches in 2013, 2014, and 2015.

Brett led the NEC in scoring for three seasons with 18. He also holds the RMU career record for game-winning goals with 18. As one of the most dominant offensive players in program history, he also is ranked second in goals (42) and third in points (100).

In his final year at RMU in 2015, he became the first student-athlete to be named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) NCAA Division I All-American Team.

Cody Wydo (men’s hockey; 2011-15)

Wydo appeared in 151 career games in his four seasons at RMU. He is the program leader in goals (85) and points (150). The forward from Southgate, Michigan was the first student-athlete in program history to record 100 career points before his senior year.

Photo by Kyle Gorcey

In his junior season at RMU, he ranked second in NCAA Division I in goals (31) and fourth in points (54). In the same season, he was named to the 2014 All-Atlantic Hockey First Team and the 2014 All-USCHO Second Team.

He was the 2014 MVP of the Atlantic Hockey Tournament after earning 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in only seven games.

His efforts helped the Colonials earn their first automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Also in the 2014 season, he was the only student in NCAA Division I to record three hat tricks.

Rebecca Vint (women’s hockey; 2011-15)

Vint was named the College Hockey America (CHA) Rookie of the Year in 2012. She was also a four-time-All-CHA honoree, earning first-time honors in her first three seasons. In 2012, the Caledon, Ontario native helped the Colonials get their first CHA Tournament title with a 3-2 win over Mercyhurst.

After her time at RMU, the offensive powerhouse served as the program’s all-time leader in goals (73), game-winning goals (18), points (134), short-handed goals (7) and plus-minus (+44).

She is currently ranked third in school history in goals and points. Vint still owns the RMU all-time program record for short-handed goals.

Nolan Nearhoof (football; 2009-12)

Nearhoof concluded his four-year career at RMU with 213 tackles, which included 36 tackles for loss. He owns the program record for sacks with 26.5. The Gibsonia, PA native was a three-time All-Northeast Conference (NEC) selection.

In his senior year, he was named the 2012 NEC Defensive Player of the Year. He was also one of only 15 student-athletes across all divisions, and the only one from the NCAA FCS, to be named a National Football Foundation (NFF) National Scholar-Athlete in 2012.

Nearhoof had a 3.75 GPA while at RMU where he earned a Bachelor of Science in biology. He was a three-time NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2010, 2011, and 2012 for football.

In 2010, Nearhoof helped lead the Colonials to their sixth NEC championship. He also helped RMU earn the league’s first bid to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs.

Lucky Jones (men’s basketball; 2011-15)

Jones concluded his career at Robert Morris as the program’s all-time leader rebounder, with an average of 6.2 per contest. He helped lead RMU to a postseason tournament in all four years on the team.

He helped lead the Colonials to a pair of wins in the CollegeInsider.com 2012 Postseason Tournament (CIT). Jones also helped the Colonials earn victories over Kentucky (2013) and St. John’s (2014) in the National Invitation Tournament as well as a win over North Florida in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

The Newark, New Jersey native finished his time at RMU with 1,642 points, 186 assists and 171 rebounds.

He was just the third student-athlete in NEC history to notch over 1,300 points, 150 assists and 150 rebounds. He is the only Colonial other than RMU Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2014 Inductee Tony Lee to accomplish this.

Dante Payne (football; 1994-97)

Payne finished his career at RMU with 213 career tackles and six interceptions. The four-year letterwinner for the Colonials was a two-time All-Northeast Conference (NEC) selection in both 1996 and 1997. The defensive back from Cincinnati, Ohio helped RMU earn victories in the ECAC Bowl with wins over Duquesne and Georgetown. Payne was also a member of the RMU track & field program.

The former student-athletes will be inducted on Friday, February 11th, 2022 at a dinner at the UPMC Events Center. There will be a public recognition ceremony that night at halftime of the men’s basketball game against Oakland. The game is set to begin at 7:00 p.m.

The RMU Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1991 to honor the student-athletes who have made outstanding contributions to the University’s athletic programs.

New members are selected by the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame Committee. Coaches, student-athletes, and administrators are eligible to be nominated five years after their career at RMU has ended.

With the addition of the Class of 2021, the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame now has 143 individuals and three teams.