Ring of Honor Reception Registration 

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University Soccer Ring of Honor will welcome five new members with the induction of the Class of 2026 at the 12th induction ceremony Saturday, Oct. 3.
 
The class of 2026 includes:

• Shaun Below (Class of 1997)
• Patrick Conley (Class of 2012)
• Tom Kent (1976-77)
• Thomas Watyka (Class of 1973)
• Cheryl Wickerham (Class of 2006)

The induction class will be recognized during halftime of Slippery Rock's men's soccer game against Shepherd University, which is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start Oct. 3 at James Egli Field.
 
The formal induction ceremony will then take place on the night of Oct. 3 at the Russell Wright Alumni House & Conference Center. The festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception and appetizers followed by opening remarks and induction speeches beginning at 7:45 p.m. Bill McKinley, the night's master of ceremonies, will give opening and closing remarks.
 
To register for the 2026 Ring of Honor induction ceremony visit the link at the top of the page or click HERE. Cost of attendance is $30 per person.
 
The addition of the five-member class of 2026 increases the number of Ring of Honor inductees to 88 since the inaugural class was inducted in 2011.
 
The following are brief profiles of members of the Ring of Honor Class of 2026, listed in alphabetical order.
 

SHAUN BELOW
- Graduation Year: 1997
 
Shaun Below was a two-year starter as a defensive midfielder at The Rock who played from 1992-97 with a redshirt year after a knee injury sidelined him during his senior year.
 
Self-described as "not the flashiest" of players, Below did his work in the trenches assisting the defense and contributing to the attack in timely fashion. He finished his career with five assists and one goal, which was a game-winner against No. 3 Geneva.
 
He has carried soccer with him throughout his career after leaving The Rock and he currently serves as the head coach at Pocono Mountain West High School. Below worked SRU soccer camps from 1995-2009 and was the director of coaching at both the Pocono Mountain Youth Soccer Association and Keystone Athletic fromOK 2004-10.
 
"I owe basically anything good that has happened in my life to The Rock, Slippery Rock soccer and the friends I made there," says Below.
 

PATRICK CONLEY
- Graduation Year: 2012
 
Patrick Conley was a four-year starter on defense from 2008-11 and was an integral part of some of the best teams in SRU program history.
 
He started 76 of 80 career games played and still ranks second all-time in program history in games started and third in games played. Conley contributed on both ends of the field as well, scoring 10 goals and handing out five assists over his career to rack up 25 points from his defensive position.
 
He was named to first team All-PSAC honors in 2008 and finished his career as a four-time All-Region honoree. He picked up second team All-Region honors in 2008 and then closed his career with three straight first team All-Region awards from 2009-11.
 
Conley started 22 games in 2009 while helping Slippery Rock to the PSAC title and the best season in program history with an 18-4-1 overall record. He scored three goals and handed out two assists that season with two of his goals serving as game-winners.
 
During his tenure at The Rock, Conley helped SRU to win 50 total games over four seasons.


TOM KENT
- Playing Years: 1976-77
 
Tom Kent played two seasons as a defender at Slippery Rock in 1976 and 1977 before transferring out and eventually graduating from Hartwick College.
 
Kent broke into the starting lineup at SRU during his freshman season and started each game of his two-year career at The Rock. He helped the program go 22-7-2 over that stretch, including a 13-4 record in 1976 and a 9-3-2 mark in 1977.
 
His efforts during the 1977 season landed him on the All-America team.
 
Kent left SRU to attend Hartwick following the 1977 season after Hartwick had just won a Division I national title. He started all but two games over his two years at Hartwick and helped lead the team to the NCAA playoffs in both years, including a run to the national semifinals in his final season of competition.
 
Reflecting on his decision to leave SRU, Kent credited the experience his teammates and coaches at Slippery Rock provided him with giving him the confidence and the tools to break into the starting lineup at a Division I program that had just won a national title.
 

THOMAS WATYKA
- Graduation Year: 1973
 
Thomas Watyka was a four-year member of The Rock soccer program from 1964-67 and earned his degree in 1973.
 
A goalie, Watyka appeared in 37 games over four seasons and played more than 2,750 minutes between the posts. He still ranks second all-time at SRU in saves per game (8.62), fourth in save percentage (.862), fifth in total saves (319), seventh in goalie wins (17) and ninth in most games played by a goalie (37).
 
His 14.45 saves per game in 1967 in still an SRU single-season record, while his .903 save percentage that year ranks fifth all-time at SRU. Those efforts in 1967 helped Watyka to earn All-America honors on his way to being named the team's MVP.
 
Watyka enjoyed a career in education and coaching after leaving SRU and is a retired teacher. He coached at the high school level at Havre De Grace in Maryland and at the college level at Pitt-Johnstown.
 

CHERYL WICKERHAM
- Graduation Year: 2006
 
Cheryl Wikerham played in 76 games over four seasons from 2002-06 as a defender, helping The Rock women's soccer program to a pair of PSAC titles.
 
She earned a starting role on the left side as a freshman in 2002 and helped The Rock to claim their first PSAC tournament title in program history in 2003 when she moved to center-back. Her efforts that season landed her on the All-PSAC team and the All-Region team in the Atlantic Region.
 
She would add another All-PSAC honor in 2004 and would help lead Slippery Rock to a second PSAC tournament title in 2005. The Rock allowed just 0.64 goals per game on the way on the way to the 2005 title.
 
Slippery Rock won at least 10 games in each of the four seasons Wickerham was a starter and won at least 13 games three times.
 
She earned an undergraduate degree in Athletic Training from SRU before going on to add a veterinary technician degree. She has been working in veterinary emergency medicine since 2009 and became board specialized in emergency and critical care in 2020.
 
Wickerham has stayed connected to soccer and currently coaches in her local soccer club in the Pittsburgh area.
 
 


To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official Athletic Communication accounts on 'X' (formerly Twitter, @Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics) and Instagram (RockAthletics).