2023 Hall of Fame Inductees
On Saturday, November 5, Huntington University inducted Mark Canada (in absentia), Vlad Khudziy (in absentia), Shane Merryman and Miranda Palmer into the Forester Athletic Hall of Fame.
Mark Canada (1980) was honored for his significant contributions to the Huntington University wrestling program during the years of 1976-1980.
Wrestling was first introduced as a Huntington sport in 1970 with Mark one of the most celebrated wrestlers in the program’s 13-year existence. He wrestled under Coach Ray Seilhamer who described Mark as a gritty and determined athlete who was strong with good balance. The campus newspaper described him as a perennial favorite of HC fans and friends for his smooth and calculated grappling know-how and skill.
Mark spent his four years wrestling at the 126-pound weight class. While there was no conference to compete in, Huntington participated in mainly tournaments with Mark winning his fair share. His documented success includes winning the Franklin Tournament, finishing second at the Christian College Classic and claiming fourth at Indiana Little State in his early days at Huntington. In 1979 he turned in a runner-up finish at the NAIA District 21 Tournament.
As a senior, Mark compiled a 20-2 record and won the NCCAA Midwest Regional meet and for his efforts was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the tourney. In his final season of competition, he also placed first at the Christian College Classic, fourth at NCCAA Nationals and was voted his team’s Most Valuable Player.
Vladislav Khudziy (2014) was honored for his significant contributions to the Huntington University men’s tennis program during the years of 2010-2014.
Vlad is one of Huntington’s most prolific tennis players in program history. He is one of just five Foresters to claim four All-Conference honors and the only Forester who was a two-time NAIA All-American. His first was an Honorable Mention shoutout in 2011 while his second came in 2012 by way of a Second Team badge.
Having spent the majority of his Huntington career at #1 singles and that same spot in doubles action, he posted an overall singles record of 72-15 and doubles record of 73-19. As an underclassman, he was the 2010 and 2011 ITA Regionals Singles Champion. He also teamed up with Augusto Velez to win the ITA Regional Doubles Championship in 2011.
During his Forester tenure, Vlad guided the team to an average of ten wins per season, an NAIA National Tourney appearance, two regular season conference championships and a conference tournament championship.
In addition to his stellar tennis career, Vlad was also a standout student having been named a two-time NAIA Scholar Athlete. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2014 with a pair of degrees in economics and finance and business management.
Shane Merryman (2014) was honored for his significant contributions to the Huntington University men’s basketball program during the years of 2010-2014.
Hailing from Carroll High School, Shane followed the footsteps of his grandfather by bringing his talent to Huntington where he spent four years sporting Forester green.
Often outsized in the post, Shane was a crafty big man who always found a way to put the ball in the hole. He wrapped up his career with 2,025 points to claim the seventh spot on HU’s all-time scoring list, two spots ahead of his Grandpa Dean who posted 1,855 points.
Over the course of his Huntington tenure, Shane averaged 16.2 points to go along with 6.5 rebounds per night. His resume includes a long list of accolades starting his rookie season where he was named to the MCC All-Newcomer Team. As a sophomore he was named Third Team and after that, he earned back-to-back First Team shoutouts having averaged over 20 points in each of his final two seasons.
Shane also earned NAIA All-American praises as an upperclassman having been named Third team as a junior and Second Team as a senior. He and the Foresters made a trip to Branson for the NAIA National Tournament in his last season.
Probably his biggest claim to fame was his 3/4-court buzzer-beater against Marian on November 26, 2013, that was tabbed the #1 play on ESPN’s Sports Center Top Ten that night. His game-winning heave ignited a whirlwind of national attention and was also featured on Yahoo Sports, Good Morning America, the Today Show and numerous other TV stations across the country.
Shane, a two-time NAIA Scholar Athlete, graduated from Huntington in May of 2014 with a degree in physical education.
Miranda Palmer (2017) was honored for her significant contributions to the Huntington University women’s basketball program during the years of 2013-2017.
Miranda splashed onto the scene as a freshman and garnered plenty of attention throughout her Forester career. It became very clear that she wasn’t just a great shooter, she was a scorer who could put the ball in the hole at all three levels. She was often described as unguardable much to the chagrin of opposing teams and coaches.
A four-year starter for HU, Miranda piled up numerous honors and awards during her time in green and white. As a freshman she was named to the Crossroads League All-Freshmen Team. After that, she earned three straight First Team accolades which included being voted the league’s Player of the Year as a senior.
Miranda’s success was also recognized by the NAIA as an All-American starting her sophomore year where she was tabbed an Honorable Mention pick. As a junior she earned a spot on the Second Team and in her final campaign, she was one of ten athletes around the country to receive a First Team All-American designation.
Miranda averaged double figures each season with her senior year, the most notable where she led the team in points (21.3), assists (3.7) and steals (1.9) to go along with pulling down 2.9 rebounds per night.
During her four-year stint as a Forester, she made two trips to the NAIA National Tournament which included a Sweet Sixteen finish her rookie season.
Miranda is the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,173 points for a career average of 17.1 ppg. She is just the second Forester to surpass the 2,000-point plateau. In addition to being the program’s all-time leader scorer, she also holds the record for most points in a half (27), most points in a game (48) and most field goals in a game (18).
Miranda, a two-time NAIA Scholar Athlete, graduated from Huntington in May of 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in public relations.