It was a morning of celebration and gratitude, with a few tears of joy shed as Robert Morris inducted four new members into its 2022 Hall of Fame class.

Ken Mease, Karvel Anderson, Nicole Sleith and Anna Niki Stamolamprou are now engraved into RMU Athletics history as a part of the 31st class of inductees as they were honored at a brunch held at the UPMC Events Center on Saturday.

“Anytime you can honor your former great athletes and, in this situation, athletics administrator, I think it’s a special time,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Chris King said. “I think with this class in particular, they are some of the best athletes in the history of Robert Morris.

One of the most significant individuals to ever work within the athletics program at Robert Morris was the late Ken Mease. As the athletic director from 1975-78, he oversaw the program’s jump from the junior college ranks to NCAA Division I.

As the current athletic director, King spoke on how instrumental Mease was to the athletics program and where it stands today.

“Taking [Robert Morris] from a junior college to Division I, there’s a lot of steps that go into that. To do that as fast as he did is pretty tremendous. Where we are at today is because of him and we are very appreciative of what he did back in the day.”

Mease passed away in August of 2022 and was represented by his family at the induction ceremony. His son Kert, who is also in the RMU Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the 1993 men’s soccer team, spoke on his father’s behalf.

“It means everything,” Kert said. “My dad’s my hero. Robert Morris has been a part of our family for 50 years. For myself and my two brothers to come here and play sports in a program that he helped create and make the unprecedented move from junior college straight to Divison I means everything. I know that he’s really proud of this today.”

The foundation laid by Mease paved the way for the other three athletes who were inducted into the 2022 Hall of Fame class.

Former men’s basketball player Karvel Anderson spent two seasons with the program from 2012-2014. Anderson was an essential figure in the team’s back-to-back Northeast Conference (NEC) regular season championships in 2013 and 2014.

In 2014, Anderson was named the NEC player of the year. That year, he put up arguably the best season in men’s basketball program history, setting single-season records in points (710), field goals (248), three-point field goals (119), double-figure scoring games (33), 20-point performances (19) and 30-point games (4).

During both his seasons at RMU, Anderson led the Colonials to consecutive NIT appearances and first-round wins, including the well-documented win over Kentucky in front of a packed crowd at the Charles L. Sewall Center.

Anderson could not attend the ceremony as he is currently playing overseas in Italy for Scaligera Verona of the Lega Basket Serie A. Anderson’s childhood friend, Jeremy Miller, accepted his Hall of Fame plaque on his behalf.

Staying on the court, the next person to be honored at the induction ceremony was women’s basketball great Anna Niki Stamolamprou. The Greece native spent four seasons (2013-17) with the program in which she helped the Colonials win three NEC Tournament championships and subsequent NCAA Tournament appearances.

Stamolamprou is one of two players in program history to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists, and 100 steals. She was named NEC Tournament Most Valuable Player twice and was a four-time All-NEC selection.

An emotional Stamolamprou was grateful to be a Colonial as she reflected on her time at Robert Morris during her speech.

“When I committed to RMU, it was a totally unknown place,” she said. “All the hard work I put in, it paid off so it’s a great honor. I’m truly blessed to be inducted among the best at RMU.”

The induction ceremony was the first time back at Robert Morris since Stamolamprou was a student-athlete.

“It’s amazing because it’s been like six years now,” she said. “I was flying about 20 hours, so I was a little bit tired, but as soon as we landed I was so excited I totally forgot about how fatigued I was. I got tears in my eyes because I went back and remembered all the great memories and experiences I lived here.”

To round out the 2022 Hall of Fame class was decorated softball star Nicole Sleith (2012-15). Tabbed as the NEC pitcher of the year three times in 2012, 2013, and 2015, Sleith is arguably one of the best pitchers in Colonials’ history.

She also holds numerous single-season records, including appearances (48), innings pitched (247), strikeouts (296), saves (5) and wins (25). She also owns several program records, including appearances (147), starts (114), strikeouts (932), wins (78) and saves (13).

On top of all those career marks, Sleith will also go down with one of the best performances in all of RMU Athletics history as she tossed a perfect game in the 2015 NEC Tournament against Fairleigh Dickinson. It was the first perfect game in Colonial history.

Sleith was thankful for her time at Robert Morris and for being inducted into the hall of fame.

“It’s an amazing honor,” she said. “There’s not too many who get this opportunity so it’s really special and RMU will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Not only was it a significant day for the individuals who were inducted, but it was also fulfilling to those who have been around the athletics department for many years.

“It’s always gratifying,” Senior Associate Athletic Director Marty Galosi said. “You realize how emotional it is for them. We do have a tradition here and people feel a sense of pride.”

With the four new members enshrined in the Hall of Fame class, they will always be a part of history at Robert Morris.