SEGUIN, Texas -- Texas Lutheran announced Monday four new members to the Athletics Hall of Fame that will be inducted this fall during the weekend of Homecoming festivities surrounding the Lyon College football game on Oct. 3.
 

2026 Texas Lutheran Hall of Fame Class:

The TLU Athletics Hall of Fame is an elite group of alumni and coaches who demonstrated outstanding performance and achievement in athletic competition while representing Texas Lutheran University.

The 2026 class is composed of four Bulldog greats and two members of the Wall of Honor.

Name	Sport	TLU Career
Taylor Grissom	Softball	2014-16
Adam Peterson	Men's Golf	2011-15
Sofia Vega	Women's Tennis	2012-16
Taylor Yancey	Softball	2013-16

The Bulldog greats were part of three SCAC championship teams and made eight NCAA Tournament appearances. Peterson won an individual SCAC Championship in 2015.

This year's class includes two new inductees who will be enshrined in the TLU Athletics Leadership Wall of Honor.

Steve Koehler	The Koehler Company
Barbara Koehler	The Koehler Company

2026 TLU Athletic Hall of Fame Numbers:
3 Conference team titles
1 SCAC individual title
8 with Athlete of the Year conference honors for their sport
3 Members of SCAC 30th Anniversary Teams
4 Academic All-America honors
5 earning All-America honors
 

More About the 2026 TLU Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees

Taylor Grissom | Softball, 2014-16

Taylor Grissom is a legend in the circle for the softball program as she was the first multi-time CoSIDA Academic All-American in program history as she helped established the foundation for TLU's dominant 2010s run that carries on through the 2020s. Grissom is one of four pitchers in SCAC history to earn SCAC Pitcher of the Year honors three straight years (2014-16) as she led TLU to three consecutive SCAC regular season and tournament championships (2014-16) along with three consecutive NCAA Regional appearances, making the regional final in each appearance. Grissom ended her career never losing a SCAC Tournament game (6-0). Grissom's accolades also include CoSIDA Academic All-American (2015, 2016), two-time All-SCAC Tournament team honoree, All-SCAC First Team (2014, 2015, 2016) and NFCA All-Region Second Team (2015, 2016). Grissom tossed two no-hitters in the circle for the Bulldogs, including a perfect game against Austin College on March 10, 2014.

Fans can find her named across the record book as well. Grissom finished in the NCAA's Top 30 for D3 pitchers for career winning percentage (.870, 47-7 overall, 45-6 at TLU). She was the first pitcher in program history to win 20 games in a single-season in 2015, a feat that's only been accomplished five times since. She set the single-season record for ERA (0.77) that was matched by Ashlyn Strother in 2022. Grissom still ranks in the top ten in four categories. In the career categories, she ranks in the top five in wins (45 - 5^th), win percentage (.882 - 5^th), and ERA (1.09 - 2^nd). In SCAC history, she ranks second in single-season ERA (0.77, 2015) and fourth in career ERA and win percentage.

Adam Peterson | Men's Golf, 2011-15

Adam Peterson was a top golfer for TLU in each of his four playing seasons for the Bulldogs. He was named a First Team All-American following a dominant 2015 spring season that saw him finish eighth at the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships. Peterson won four straight tournaments leading up to the 2015 NCAA Championships. He won the 2015 SCAC Men's Golf Championship with a one-shot victory, shooting a final round 69 and going 3-under in his final four holes. In 2015, Peterson was named the SCAC Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference, and the TLU Male Student-Athlete of the Year. His senior year streak of four consecutive tournament wins started with a victory at the Schreiner Spring Shootout, which he won by three strokes. He then won the UT-Dallas Invitational by six strokes. Peterson's third win came at the NCAA West Region Invitational when he came from five strokes back in the final round. He entered the 2015 NCAA Championships third in the country with a scoring average of 72.27, and he was NCAA DIII leader in birdies, with 94, entering the national tournament. He was a three-time winner of the SCAC Men's Golfer of the Week during the 2015 season. Peterson's winning score of 214 over three rounds in 2015 is the seventh-lowest score in conference championship history.

Sofia Vega | Women's Tennis, 2012-16

The most accomplished athlete in the history of the Texas Lutheran's women's tennis program, Sofia Vega competed for the Bulldogs from 2012-2016.

During her time with the Bulldogs, Vega left her mark all over the history books, owning an .846 singles winning percentage, the highest in TLU history. Between singles and doubles, Vega collected 169 wins, the most in program history. Her 105 singles wins (105-19) and 64 doubles wins are both program records. Vega owns the top four single-season win totals in school history, setting the single-season record twice with 27-4 seasons in 2013-14 and 2014-15. Vega finished her career undefeated in the SCAC Championship Tournament, going a perfect 6-0, as a three-time All-Tournament honoree. For her dominant three-year stretch in the SCAC, Vega was one of 15 players named to the SCAC 30th Anniversary Team.

Vega garnered three ITA All-American honors and was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American. Vega was a three-time SCAC Player of the Year and three-time First Team All-SCAC selection in addition to being the 2013 American Southwest Conference (ASC) West Division Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, while garnering All-ASC First Team honors. On the national stage, Vega played in the NCAA Division-III Women's Tennis Championships four times and played in two ITA Small College National Championships. She is a two-time ITA West Region singles champion (2013-14) and earned ITA West Region Rookie of the Year in 2013. In 2016, Vega was named the ITA West Region winner of the Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. Throughout her playing career, she was ranked in the Top 10 for women's singles nationally and was consistently ranked in the Top 25.

Taylor Yancey | Softball, 2013-16

Taylor Yancey, a four-year starter at first base, was a key member of the core that started TLU Softball's dominance within the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. A two-time All-Region honoree (2014, 2016) and four-time all-conference player, Yancey's offensive production led to her becoming one of the most productive Bulldogs to ever wear the Black and Gold, capping her career with First Team All-West Region and NFCA Third Team All-American honors in 2016. Over the course of her career, the Bulldogs were a combined 146-30 overall and 89-4 in conference play, with her playing a central role in leading Texas Lutheran to three consecutive SCAC regular season and tournament championships (2014-16) along with three consecutive NCAA Regional appearances, making the regional final in each appearance. Yancey was an immediate impact player for head coach Wade Wilson, earning All-American Southwest Conference First Team honors as a freshman before three-more all-conference accolades following the Bulldogs transition to the SCAC, finishing with three First Team honors in her career. In 2016, she became the third different Bulldog in three seasons in the SCAC to earn the SCAC Player of the Year honor, collecting NFCA All-America recognition that same season. Yancey was named a member of the SCAC's 30th Anniversary team in 2021.

Yancey rewrote the TLU record book during her career, finishing as the program's all-time leader in doubles (66) and RBI (141), with the RBI record holding until 2026. Her career marks also rank highly within SCAC and NCAA history, ranking 18th all-time in NCAA Division III Softball history in putouts (1,246) and 15th all-time in NCAA history for career doubles in addition to her SCAC record for career doubles (53). Among the program's career leaders, Yancey ranks in the top 10 in home runs (14), RBI (141), hits (186), and slugging percentage (.589). She also owns the Texas Lutheran single-season record for doubles (25, 2016), which ranks 9th in Division-III history and is a SCAC record. She previously owned the TLU single-season batting average record (.476, 2016) before the record fell in 2021.
 

TEXAS LUTHERAN ATHLETICS LEADERSHIP WALL OF HONOR CLASS OF 2026

Steve Koehler and Barbara Koehler '72

Steve and Barbara Koehler are both TLU alumni, having attended what was at the time Texas Lutheran College. Steve was part of the Bulldog football team in 1969, and Barbara (Freudenberg) Koehler attended from 1969 and graduated in 1972. Although Steve did not finish his academic career at TLC, upon finishing his degree at Texas A&M University, he moved home to grow his father Charles Koehler's construction company. Over his 45-year career running the construction division, Steve had a major impact on the development of TLU.

Led by Steve, The Koehler Company dedicated countless hours and financial contributions over the years to support the Bulldogs — whether completing most of the campus's large projects, cheering on the softball team or setting up tailgates at football games, Steve and Barbara have poured back into TLU. Notable projects completed by TKC during Steve's tenure include Jackson Auditorium, Hein Dining Hall, Seguin Hall, Grossman Fitness Center, Marvin Rinn Field House, TLU AT&T Science Center, TLU Athletics Complex, TLU Weston Center for Performing Arts, and, most recently, The Verne Lundquist Student Athletic Center.

It would be hard to summarize the contributions of Steve and Barbara Koehler to TLU in just a few words. Both attended Texas Lutheran, and have since dedicated countless hours and unfathomable resources—on a personal level and through The Koehler Company. Their incredible impact and generosity have changed TLU for the better for generations to come.