Women's sports have increasingly gained recognition and importance at both the professional and collegiate levels. From thrilling basketball finals to competitive soccer championships, female athletes are showcasing their talents and breaking barriers in various sports. Coverage of these events not only highlights the incredible performances but also sheds light on the challenges and triumphs that women face in the sporting world. Additionally, news about athletes off the field—ranging from personal achievements to advocacy for equality—further enriches the narrative, illustrating the diverse impact these sports figures have in society. As awareness and support for women's sports continue to grow, it is crucial to provide comprehensive coverage that celebrates their accomplishments and fosters a more inclusive athletic landscape. With every match, game, and story, the visibility of women's sports is elevating and inspiring a new generation of athletes.

The Mid-American Conference announces the Five Member 2025 MAC Hall of Fame Induction Class

The five inductees are Ben Braun (Eastern Michigan -- Men's Basketball Head Coach), Carolyn Condit (Miami -- Volleyball Head Coach), Jenny Gilbert (Ball State -- Softball), Marny Oestreng (Bowling Green -- Gymnastics) and Jake Percival (Ohio -- Wrestling)

“We are honored to celebrate the remarkable impact of our former student-athletes, coaches, and administrators, especially recognizing the exceptional achievements of these five individuals during their time in the Mid-American Conference,” said MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher. “Welcoming this year’s inductees into the MAC Hall of Fame is a true privilege.”

“The MAC Hall of Fame stands as a tribute to the dedication and excellence of those who have competed and contributed to this outstanding Conference,” Steinbrecher added.

The MAC Hall of Fame was approved by the MAC Council of Presidents in 1987. The charter class was inducted in 1988 and subsequent classes were added in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1994. After six induction classes, the MAC Hall of Fame maintained 52 members until it was reinstated in May of 2012. This year’s class brings the number of MAC Hall of Fame inductees to 130 individuals from 19 classes.

The 2025 MAC Hall of Fame class will be inducted on Thursday, May 29 at the Marriott Key Tower. Ticket information for the 2025 MAC honors dinner and Hall of Fame celebration will be announced at later date.

2025 MAC Hall of Fame Class
Ben Braun -- Eastern Michigan (Men's Basketball Head Coach)
From 1985 to 1996, Braun served as the head coach of the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team before moving on to lead the University of California-Berkeley's program. During his 10 and a half seasons at EMU, he guided the team through the most successful decade in its NCAA Division I history, becoming the program’s all-time winningest coach with a 185-132 record.

A three-time Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year (1987-88, 1990-91, 1995-96), he led EMU to three MAC regular season and tournament championships, resulting in three NCAA Tournament appearances (1987-88, 1990-91, 1995-96), including a “Sweet 16” run in 1990-91. His leadership also secured EMU’s first-ever National Invitation Tournament (NIT) berth in 1994-95. Beyond his collegiate success, he was selected as the head coach of the United States team at the 1989 Maccabiah Games in Israel, where he guided the team to a silver medal.

Prior to EMU, he built a strong reputation at Siena Heights College, amassing a 148-103 record over eight seasons and becoming the winningest coach among all four-year Michigan colleges at the time. His success earned him NAIA Michigan Coach of the Year honors in 1981-82.

Carolyn Condit -- Miami (Volleyball Head Coach)
Carolyn Condit is the winningest coach in any sport in Miami Athletics history. Condit's Miami teams have captured nine regular-season MAC championships and made 13 postseason tournament appearances, including advancing to the NCAA Tournament in 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2008, 2017 and 2018. Her program has won five MAC Tournament titles and made 12 MAC Tournament title appearances.

Condit has been named MAC Coach of the Year six times, most recently in 2018. She is the only volleyball coach in the history of the Mid-American Conference to win more than 300 league matches, holding a conference mark of 376-259.

Condit has coached her players to five MAC Player of the Year trophies, 85 All-MAC awards, 81 Academic All-MAC awards, and 6 CoSIDA/CSC Academic All-America recognitions. Eight of her players (out of 13 volleyball players all-time) have earned induction into the Miami Athletic Hall of Fame. Condit is the only volleyball coach in the history of the Mid-American Conference to win more than 300 league matches, holding a conference mark of 375-247.

Condit, whose program has boasted superior graduation rates during her tenure, is credited with building the Miami program into a winner both on and off the court.

Keeping academics a top priority for the volleyball team is an important part of Condit’s winning philosophy. Her student-athletes take great pride in their academic achievements and often are among the leaders at Miami in grade-point average. In the spring of 2010, the team had the highest GPA among all RedHawk athletic teams with a 3.7. A Miami volleyball student-athlete has been named to a CoSIDA All-District V team 23 times, including every year from 2011-17, while six have been named CoSIDA All-Americans.

Condit earned her Bachelor's degree in 1976 from Mount St. Joseph's and also owns a Master's Degree from Indiana University. She began her college coaching career with Xavier, where she produced a 99-80 record and led the Musketeers from Division III to Division II to Division I during her time there.

Condit has amassed 781 career wins in her legendary career. She is the longest-tenured current Division I head coach in the nation, and holds a 682-549 record at Miami since taking over the program in 1984. Condit has compiled more career wins than any coach in any sport in the history of Miami Athletics.

Jenny Gilbert -- Ball State (Softball)
A two-time All-American left fielder as a student-athlete for Ball State from 2011-2014, Gilbert helped guide the Cardinals to three MAC Regular Season Championships (2012, 2013 & 2014) over her playing career.

Gilbert, the only All-American in program history, became just the fourth two-time All-America selection in MAC history when she was named a second team NFCA All-American in 2014 after earning third team status one year earlier. The only three-time MAC Player of the Year (2012, 2013 & 2014), Gilbert finished her career as one of only 11 players in NCAA Division I history to earn her respective conference player of the year award three times.

Gilbert finished her collegiate career as the league's record holder in runs batted in (246), runs scored (215), home runs (75), doubles (62) and slugging percentage (.810). Her 75 home runs ranked eighth in NCAA Division I history at the conclusion of her career, and she became the NCAA career home run leader among Canadian-born players with her 66th blast versus North Dakota State (March 22, 2014). In addition, she ended her playing career tied for ninth in NCAA Division I history with 246 RBI, while her .810 slugging percentage was 10th.

Following her Ball State playing days, Gilbert signed with the Akron Racers after being selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2014 National Pro Fastpitch Draft.

Jake Percival -- Ohio (Wrestling)
Jake Percival was a wrestler for Ohio University. He was unseeded as a 149-pound redshirt freshman for the Bobcats at the 2002 NCAA tournament, Percival upset top-seeded and previously undefeated Mike Zadick of Iowa, 18-4, on his way to a fourth-place finish.

As a junior, he took a 38-0 mark into the 157-pound NCAA final, where he lost, 4-2, against Stanford’s Matt Gentry. He capped his wrestling career as a senior with a 32-3 record and a third-place finish at the NCAA tournament.

Percival finished his college career as a four-time All-American and four-time Mid-American Conference champion. His combined record at Ohio (142-10) and he had an overall winning percentage of .937 for his total of career of wrestling (high school to college).

Marny Oestreng -- Bowling Green (Gymnastics)
Oestreng, a native of Trogsted, Norway, became an NCAA champion while at Bowling Green, and still holds the BGSU records in every individual event. Oestreng's school- and career-best score in the all-around while at BG was 39.600, and she also posted the program's best-ever scores in the floor exercise (9.975), uneven bars (9.950), vault (9.950) and balance beam (9.925).

Prior to coming to BGSU, Oestreng won four Norwegian junior all-around titles and then captured three Norwegian all-around titles. She competed in the European Championships in each of the five years before coming to BG.

As a freshman in 1999, Oestreng won the NCAA title in the floor exercise. She was the final competitor of the NCAA meet, and posted a score of 9.925 to win the title and earn All-American honors. Oestreng, the first-ever BGSU gymnast to even qualify for the national meet, had earned that trip to the NCAA meet by virtue of winning the floor at the NCAA Region 4 meet hosted by LSU. She posted a score of 9.950 to win that event at the regional meet, and finished 11th in the all-around at that meet with a score of 38.600. Oestreng also tied for third on the bars at the regional meet.

Oestreng was the dominant gymnast in the conference that year, winning the all-around title at the MAC Championships with a meet-record score of 39.600. She also won the league titles in vault (9.875), bars (9.900, tied the meet record) and beam (9.850, tied the meet record). No gymnast in MAC history had ever won more than three individual titles in a single league meet. Ironically, the only event she did not win at the 1999 MAC Championships was the floor exercise, where her score of 9.900 placed her second. She was named the MAC Gymnast of the Year as well as the MAC Freshman of the Year.

In that epic freshman season, Oestreng won the vault event in 10 of the 14 meets during the season, while winning the bars and the floor exercise nine times each, the beam on seven occasions and the all-around in 11 of 14 meets. Oestreng qualified for the World Gymnastics Championships in October of 1999 in China after capturing the all-around title at the Norwegian Championships in June.

As a sophomore in 2000, Oestreng finished fifth at the NCAA Regionals in the floor, eighth in the all-around and 10th in the bars. She captured the MAC all-around (39.450) and vault (9.875) titles, and finished second in the conference in the floor exercise (9.900). Oestreng's junior year saw her finish 12th in the NCAA Regionals in the all-around with a score of 38.275. She tied for top honors in the all-around at the MAC Championships (39.150) that year, and also tied for first on bars (9.875)

As a senior in 2002, Oestreng helped the Falcons to one of the most successful regular seasons in school history with a 17-1 mark (a school record for wins in a season). At that season's MAC Championships, she tied for first in both the all-around (39.175) and the floor (9.900), and deadlocked for second on the vault (9.875). She was named the MAC Senior Gymnast of the Year.

Oestreng, now Marny Østreng Unnli, resides in Trøgstad, Norway, with her husband, Aleksander, and their two daughters. She is a business architect at Vingcard Elsafe, a company that delivers hotel locks and safes worldwide.