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Celebrating Marlin Legends
Four standout alumni athletes and a generous benefactor were inducted into the VWU Athletic Hall of Fame
University News | October 5, 2025
Photo Gallery: Athletic Hall of Fame
Virginia Wesleyan University, with its rich athletic tradition, held its much-anticipated Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony on October 4 in the Cunningham Multi-Activity Center in the Jane P. Batten Student Center. This year’s inductees included four former Marlin athletic standouts and one benefactor honored for his advocacy and support of the University’s intercollegiate athletics programs.
Congratulations to the 2025 Inductees! They bring honor and distinction to Virginia Wesleyan University.
Gary D. Bonnewell ’79, H’16, Benefactor
Gary Bonnewell has long been a steadfast advocate for Marlin Athletics. His visionary leadership, generosity, and dedication have shaped the future of Virginia Wesleyan’s athletic programs and enriched the student-athlete experience. A proud alumnus, he remains the only graduate to have served as chair of the University’s Board of Trustees. Among his enduring contributions are the establishment of the Bonnewell Sports Medicine Center in the Jane P. Batten Student Center and his pivotal role in creating the VWU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.
Professionally, Bonnewell serves as senior vice president and senior portfolio manager at Morgan Stanley, where he has earned the prestigious Family Wealth Director designation. He was recognized on Forbes’ Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list in 2019, 2020, and 2021. A 1979 graduate of Virginia Wesleyan with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, he went on to earn a Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning and holds the Certified Financial Planner designation.
His service to his alma mater has been extensive and distinguished. In addition to his tenure as Board Chair, Bonnewell is a past president of the Alumni Council and the Blue Marlin Athletic Club. He was the inaugural recipient of the Alumni Community Service Award and is a member of both Sigma Beta Delta and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies. As a student, he served as Vice President of the Student Government Association, worked as an athletic trainer, founded the Monogram Club, and hosted programs for campus radio station WVAW. In recognition of his many contributions, Virginia Wesleyan awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 2016.
Beyond campus, Bonnewell has been a devoted leader in the Coastal Virginia community. His service includes leadership roles as president of the Norfolk Jaycees, president of the D’Art Center, chairman of NATOFest (formerly the International Azalea Festival), and chairman of the Board of Trustees of Norfolk Collegiate School. He currently serves as president of the Norfolk Sister Cities Association, president of Pack Training Team, lay leader at Ghent United Methodist Church, and as a board member of both the Virginia United Methodist Foundation and the General Douglas MacArthur Foundation.
Bonnewell and his wife, Deborah, reside in Norfolk and are the proud parents of two adult children, David and Grace.
Courtney Bogan ’16, Softball (2012-2016)
Courtney Bogan is a two-time NFCA First Team All-American, and was named 2016 HERO Sports All-American and First Team All-Region in 2015 and 2016. She was awarded ODAC Player of the Year in 2015, First Team All-ODAC in 2016 and 2015, Third Team All-ODAC in 2014, and Second Team All-ODAC in 2013. A prolific batter, she ranks fourth in single-season batting average (.487 in 2015). In her career, she is top-10 in three different categories including; career batting average (.416); career triples (10); and is second in program history for runs scored (179). She was also a terror on the bases, awarded the NFCA Golden Shoe in 2016, and she broke the record for stolen bases in a single season with 70 in 2016.
Jayla Harris ’19, Women’s Basketball (2015-2019)
Jayla Harris is the all-time leading scorer for the program with 1,931 points and is top-10 in career assists. She was named D3Hoops.com Third Team All-American in 2019 and All-South Region in 2019. Selected as ODAC Player of the Year in 2018-19, Jayla is a four-time All-Conference recipient, Second Team in her First Year, and First Team the next three years. Awarded Second Team VaSID All-State in 2017 and 2018 and First Team All-State in 2019, she holds three of the top-10 single season points scored in school history in 2017, 2018, and 2019, is second in program history in field goals made with 674; and second in program history in made free throws with 377.
Hanna (Hull) Mazingo ’20/ M.B.A. ’21, Softball (2016-2021)
Hannah Hull was a two-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) National Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018, NFCA National Pitcher of the Year 2021, and named NFCA National Freshman of the Year 2017. She was a four-time NFCA First Team All-American in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021. In 2017 and 2018, she was named FPN Sports All-American and selected to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament team in 2017, (Most Outstanding Player), 2018 (Most Outstanding Player), and 2021 (Most Outstanding Pitcher). In addition, she is a four-time First-Team All-Region (2017-2021), four-time NCAA Region All-Tournament Team (2017-2021), and was named Most Outstanding Pitcher from 2017-2021. The only four-time ODAC Pitcher of the Year (2017-2021), she was named ODAC Rookie of the Year in 2017, ODAC Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2020, four-time First-Team All-ODAC, four-time All-ODAC Tournament Team, ODAC Most Outstanding Player in 2017, 2018, and 2019. She holds five program records, including a career ERA with a 0.80 (880.1 innings pitched); career appearances at 170; career record of 132-12 (.917); career strikeouts with 1,353; and career saves with 15.
Pete Sadin ’91, Men’s Soccer (1988-1992)
Pete Sadin was named First Team All-South Region in 1990 and 1991 and helped the team make the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. Awarded First Team All-Conference by the ODAC in 1990 and 1991, he holds ODAC records in career goals against average at 0.464, tied for first with 13 shutouts in a single-season, fifth in the ODAC in career shutouts with 26, and holds two top-10 single season goals against average records in 1991 (0.378) and 1990 (0.401). Has the best career save percentage in program history at .946; the best single-season save percentage in 1990 at .957; and the third best single-season save percentage at .951.
The 2025 Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony served as a testament to the hard work, determination, and spirit that define Virginia Wesleyan University and its athletic community. Each inductee, with their impressive records and accomplishments, has forever etched their names in the annals of the university's history. Well done, Marlins!
The Virginia Wesleyan University Athletic Hall of Fame was established by resolution of the Board of Trustees on May 16, 2007 to honor those who, by outstanding achievement in athletics, by service to athletics, or through significant contributions to athletics, have made lasting contributions to Virginia Wesleyan's intercollegiate athletic program.