BOONE, N.C. — App State's Former Athletes Association has announced the 2026 App State Athletics Hall of Fame class.
In alphabetical order, this year's inductees will be Kyle Blevins (Wrestling – 2008-12), Hector Crespo (Baseball – 2010-13), John Fitch (Men's Basketball – 1978-82), KT Stovall (Football – 2000-03) and Maryah Sydnor (Women's Basketball – 2011-15).
There also will be a Special Service Award given to Chip Sigmon, the head strength and conditioning coach at App State from 1984-90.
This is the 51st class in the history of the App State Athletics Hall of Fame. The group will be inducted in a ceremony in the Grandview Ballroom of Kidd Brewer Stadium's north end zone facility on Friday, Sept. 18, the night before the Mountaineers' home football game against Charlotte.
Registration information for the Hall of Fame dinner will be released in the coming weeks.
2026 APP STATE ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Kyle Blevins (Wrestling – 2008-12)
Ranked second in App State history with 124 career wins, Blevins enters the Hall of Fame as one of the program's most accomplished standouts. He made an immediate impact to earn Southern Conference All-Freshman honors and carried that momentum all the way to a historic senior season. After dropping his opening match at the 2012 NCAA Championships, Blevins stormed back and won six straight matches before placing fourth at 165 pounds, marking the highest finish by any unseeded wrestler that year. Alongside teammate and third-place finisher Austin Trotman, Blevins became part of the first duo in program history to earn All-America honors in the same season, capping his brilliant career with a 40-8 record (the most single-season wins in program history) and a Southern Conference Wrestler of the Year honor.
Hector Crespo (Baseball 2010-13)
The first Freshman All-American in program history, Crespo ranks as App State Baseball's all-time leader in career games played (225) and stolen bases (101), a resume that led to him being selected by the New York Yankees in the 34th round of the 2013 MLB Draft. He earned first-team All-Southern Conference honors during both his junior and senior seasons, additionally landing on the SoCon All-Tournament and all-district teams in 2013 after hitting .336 as the only Mountaineer to start all 54 games. Crespo finished his standout career ranked second in school history in career at-bats (874), runs scored (208), hits (283) and walks (124). He is currently the Miami Marlins' director of minor league operations.
John Fitch (Men's Basketball – 1978-82)
Playing in 106 career games for the Mountaineers, the two-time All-Southern Conference Tournament Team honoree enters the Hall of Fame as one of the program's greats. Fitch finished his career scoring 15 points per game on 52-percent shooting, increasing his averages every season of his career. Under head coach Bobby Cremins, Fitch appeared in the NCAA Tournament during his freshman season, playing meaningful minutes for a sixth-seeded team that faced LSU after winning the SoCon title. His senior season, under head coach Kevin Cantwell, Fitch helped lead the team to a 75-70 win over a Mike Krzyzewski-led Duke team in Cameron Indoor Stadium, scoring a team-high 22 points in the win.
KT Stovall (Football – 2000-03)
Boasting an illustrious career in the Black and Gold, Stovall first burst onto the conference stage as an All-Southern Conference First-Team selection in 2002. He followed that up with a dominant 2003 senior season, recording a league-high 10 sacks and 22 tackles for loss to earn SoCon Defensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-America honors. A Buck Buchanan Award finalist, Stovall also garnered National Player of the Week accolades after a dominant three-sack performance against Furman. He finished his career ranked among the program's top 10 in nearly every major statistical category for defensive linemen, including forced fumbles (11), fumble recoveries (six) and quarterback hurries (41). After finishing his career in the High Country, he signed with the Tennessee Titans. Stovall still ranks third in App State history in career tackles for loss (55) and second in total sacks (30.5).
Maryah Sydnor (Women's Basketball – 2011-15)
One of the most decorated players in program history, Sydnor made an immediate impact by earning SoCon Freshman of the Year honors in 2012. After averaging 10.1 points per game during her debut season, she steadily built on that momentum to earn second-team all-conference honors as a sophomore and a first-team selection as a junior. In her senior season, which marked the inaugural year for App State in the Sun Belt Conference, Sydnor earned First-Team All-Sun Belt honors. She led the team with 17.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, highlighted by a spectacular performance on the road at No. 10 Kentucky, where she scored 33 points. Over her brilliant career, Sydnor started in 102 of her 120 game appearances and finished with career program rankings of third place with 1,821 points, fifth place with 849 rebounds and second place with 432 made free throws.
