By Richard Immel
USA Wrestling

STILLWATER, Okla. – The National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum Honors Weekend concluded on Saturday night at the McKnight Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Oklahoma State University with the formal induction of the Class of 2026 honorees. 

The evening of celebration was moderated by Hall of Fame announcer Sandy Stevens. Each honoree was introduced with a detailed short film created by Skooter Schultz, before being presented with their tailored award and sharing some words of inspiration for the crowd of supporters. 

Four Distinguished Members were inducted this year: Ben Askren, Tervel Dlagnev, Lee Roy Smith and Shannon Williams-Yancey. 

As one of the most influential wrestlers of his generation, Asken was a two-time NCAA Division I champion, four-time NCAA finalist and two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner for the University of Missouri. Askren represented the U.S. at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Following his competitive career on the mats, Askren pursued mixed martial arts with great success and helped found Askren Wrestling Academy, which is now one of the nation’s premier youth wrestling clubs. In 2025, Askren required a double lung transplant, which he has pushed through to a full recovery. 

In a few words, Askren explained to the crowd how wrestling is among the highest of intellectual pursuits, and something that drew him because he could control his own fate on the mats. 

“Wrestling showed me I was capable,” he reflected. And, in his unique Ben Askren way, delivered the thought of chess being child’s play compared to the mental strategy required in wrestling. 

Dlagnev was a late bloomer in the sport of wrestling, after he and his family immigrated from Bulgaria when Dlagnev was four years old. He didn’t take up wrestling until his sophomore year of high school and rose to become a two-time NCAA Division II national champion at Nebraska-Kearney. Dlagnev represented the U.S. at two Olympic Games, finishing with a bronze medal in 2012 in London, England, and in fifth place in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

The message from Dlagnev was gratitude. He expressed thanks to his high school coach Henry Harmoney, his college coaches, Marc Bauer and Ty Swarm, and Mark Manning, who brought Dlagnev back to Nebraska, where he is now on staff with the Huskers, among many other friends and family members. 

“Relationships are what make the journey worth it, no matter how it ended up,” Dlagnev said to close his remarks. 

Addressing the Honors Weekend crowd for the final time as Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum, Smith made it clear he knew how hard it was to get into the Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member, and it wasn’t an honor he’d expected, nor something he would shy away from. 

Smith delivered a message of wrestling being the personification of struggle, and wrestlers emerging stronger on the other side of challenges. “That’s what we do, pass these stories on to inspire the next generation,” Smith noted in closing. 

In addition to his work with the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum, Smith was an NCAA champion at Oklahoma State, becoming the first Cowboy to win 100 career matches. He earned a silver medal at the 1983 World Championships and went on to leave a legacy in coaching with USA Wrestling and Arizona State. 

As a four-time World medalist and seven-time U.S. World Team member in the beginning stages of women’s wrestling global development, Williams-Yancey was a true pioneer for the sport of wrestling, which she “fell in love with from day one.” 

Williams-Yancey expressed appreciation for her father, Mike Williams, who encouraged her to wrestle, and gave her the fighting spirit that was on display throughout her career. She spoke of her husband, Mark Yancey, who earned that title by kissing her cauliflower ear on a dare. Finally, she gave it up to her girls, former teammates, who stood beside her along the way. 

“This award is not just for me, it’s for girls everywhere,” Williams-Yancey remarked. 

Six other individuals were honored on Saturday night, each presenting a deeply personal connection to the sport of wrestling. 

Wrestling was a family affair for Meritorious Official recipient Zach Errett, who joined his father, David Errett, with the distinction. After reaching the pinnacle as an Olympic official in 2012 and 2016, Errett stepped away from officiating entirely to take care of his late wife, Jill Errett, and focus on the most important priority: family. He continues to give back to wrestling through education programs, impacting individuals across the world with his work. 

Order of Merit recipient James L. Porter suffered a back injury on the football field and turned that experience into a lifelong career in medicine as the premier athletic trainer in wrestling for five decades. His noted goal was simple: to get wrestlers fixed up and back to the mat as quickly as possible, while also reducing their chance of reinjury. 

Medal of Courage recipient Patrick Morrissey was an NCAA Division I qualifier at Cal Poly and highly successful in the corporate world before he was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease in 2019. He overcame large odds to row 2,800 miles in the mid-Pacific Ocean from California to Hawaii, helping raise $43 million for Parkinson’s research. 

Outstanding American recipient Major General (Ret.) Mike Nardotti earned NCAA Division I All-America honors at the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1968. Soon thereafter, he was commissioned to Vietnam, leading young men on the battlefield. He earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart for heroism and injuries sustained during a combat mission in Vietnam. Nardotti took on a legal career and rose to Army Judge Advocate General. The determination he found through wrestling was the base for it all. 

It was inspiring to hear from the next generation as Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award recipient Austin Collins and Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award recipient Natalie Radecki took the stage to lead off the night. Stevens remarked that the nation is in good hands with individuals like Colling and Radecki next in line. 

On Saturday morning, those attending Honors Weekend learned more about each inductee at the Honoree Reflection Program, where each honoree has two presenters speak on their behalf. The group of speakers included family members, friends, teammates, coaches, and others who could offer unique insight into what makes each of them worthy of honor and recognition. 

The speakers for this year’s honorees were:

·      Max Askren and John Mesenbrink for Distinguished Member Ben Askren

·      Marc Bauer and Jeff Rutledge for Distinguished Member Tervel Dlagnev

·      Mike Child and Mike Sheets for Distinguished Member Lee Roy Smith III

·      Afsoon Johnson and Gary Abbott for Distinguished Member Shannon Williams-Yancey

·      Gary Mayaab and Chris Bombei for Meritorious Official Zach Errett

·      Chad Smidt and Dr. Robert Hines for Order of Merit recipient James L. Porter

·      Jake Gaeir and Scott Forman for Medal of Courage recipient Patrick Morrissey

·      Chris Nardotti and Dr. Eric Bantz for Outstanding American Mike Nardotti 

Both Saturday functions—Honoree Reflection Program and Induction Ceremony—were recorded and are available to watch on the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Rokfin Channel.