The Butler Athletics Hall of Fame will welcome seven individuals and two teams as its Class of 2026.
 
The Class of 2026 includes the 1998 men's cross country team, the 2010 men's soccer team, John Barron (football), Katie Clark (women's cross country/track & field), Erin (Falkenberry) Stremming (softball), Scott Lidskin (men's cross country/track & field), Paul Newsom (men's swimming), Lynnsey (Showers) Cohn (women's golf), and Jeff Peek (special service award).

This year's Hall of Fame class will be celebrated on campus Saturday, Jan. 16 while also being recognized at the Friday, Jan. 15 men's basketball game against Villanova and the Saturday, Jan. 16 women's basketball tip against Xavier.

"The Butler Athletics Hall of Fame is one of the greatest honors that can be bestowed upon a Bulldog student-athlete and those who have significantly supported Butler Athletics," said Grant Leiendecker, Butler Vice President/Director of Athletics. "Our selection committee has identified another spectacular group of Bulldogs, and we are thrilled to celebrate each of them and their accomplishments over the coming months."

The Butler Athletics Hall of Fame was created in 1991 to provide a forum in which those who have brought honor and respect to Butler University and its athletic program could be acknowledged and permanently enshrined in Hinkle Fieldhouse. Inductees have made exceptional contributions to the prestige of the University in the field of athletics and continued to demonstrate in their lives the values imparted by athletics.
 
1998 Men's Cross Country Team
The 1998 Bulldogs were the first Butler men's cross country team to be nationally-ranked, climbing as high as No. 12 during the season. The team was also the first to earn a berth in the NCAA Cross Country Championships, where they placed 16^th (out of 31 teams) at the national meet. The 1998 team captured Butler's first Midwestern Collegiate Conference men's cross country title, sweeping five of the top six individual spots and finishing one point off a perfect score. All five Butler runners earned All-MCC honors. The team was led by Justin Young, who earned All-America honors in 1998 by finishing 22^nd at the NCAA Championships. Young (in 2014) and head coach Joe Franklin (in 2024) have previously been inducted into the Butler Athletics Hall of Fame as individuals.

2010 Men's Soccer Team
The 2010 Bulldogs finished the season ranked No. 11 in the national polls after being ranked as high as No. 5 earlier in the season. The team posted a 16-1-3 overall record, going undefeated in Horizon League play and winning the Horizon League Tournament. The Bulldogs received a first-round bye in the 2010 NCAA Tournament and their only loss came in the NCAA Tournament to Michigan State. The Bulldogs were led by coach Kelly Findley and featured two All-Americans in Ben Sippola (first team) and Matt Hedges (second team). Sippola was the Horizon League Player of the Year and Hedges was named Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year. Sippola was inducted individually to the Butler Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023. 

John Barron, Football
John Barron was a standout member of the Butler football team from 1985-88. He helped the Bulldogs to conference championships three times and Top 10 national rankings in 1987 and 1988. He was selected as a first-team All-Heartland Collegiate Conference receiver in 1988 and led NCAA Division II in kickoff return average (31.1 yards per return) in 1986. He finished his Butler career ranked sixth in receiving yards (now outside the Top 10). The 1989 graduate served as a long-time high school coach at Plymouth and John Glenn in northern Indiana.
 
Katie Clark, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
Katie Clark was previously inducted into the Butler Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the 2013 cross country team that placed third nationally. She will now be honored for her individual achievements. Clark is a two-time Academic All-American (2013 and 2014) and a three-time All-American (2012 cross country; 2013 outdoor track in both the 5k and 10k). She won Horizon League title in multiple events. In Butler's lone season in the Atlantic 10 Conference (2013-14 academic year), she was the conference's cross country champion and also the Female Track Athlete of the Year.
 
Erin (Falkenberry) Stremming, Softball
Erin (Falkenberry) Stremming starred for the Butler softball team during the 2009-12 seasons. During her time with the Bulldogs, she set program records for home runs, RBIs and total bases for both single-game and career. Falkenberry was selected to the 2011 Horizon League first team and the conference's 2010 second team.
 
Scott Lidskin, Men's Cross Country/Track & Field
Scott Lidskin was Butler's MVP in each of his four seasons leading the Bulldogs' cross country team. He was the 1995 Midwestern Collegiate Conference runner-up in cross country while earning All-MCC honors three times in cross country. In track and field, Lidskin won MCC championships in 1996 in both the indoor mile and the indoor 1,000 meters. The 1996 Butler graduate has coached the Westfield High School program to several state championships in cross country in the years since graduation.
 
Paul Newsom, Men's Swimming
Paul Newsom was the Horizon League Most Outstanding Performer in both 1991 and 1992, winning conference titles at various distances in both seasons. At one time, Newsom owned program records in the 50 free, 100 free, 500 free, and as part of relay teams in the 200 free, 400 free, 800 free and 200 medley. The 1993 graduate currently works for the university in the Lacy School of Business as executive director of alternative investments.
 
Lynnsey (Showers) Cohn, Women's Golf
Lynnsey (Showers) Cohn is one of the most decorated golfers in Butler program history, being named Horizon League Women's Golf Athlete of the Year in both 2005 and 2006. Showers won the Horizon League Tournament three times (2004, 2005, and in 2006 tied with her sister Lauren, who won in a playoff). She is a 2009 graduate of Butler's pharmacy program.
 
Jeff Peek, Special Service Award
Jeff Peek was a 1979 Butler graduate who played for the golf team during his undergraduate years. Peek was instrumental in establishing the Butler Athletics Hall of Fame in the early 1990s and served as a volunteer leader of the B Association (the athletics alumni association now known as Butler's Fighting Crew) and the Hall of Fame selection committee for several decades. He passed away in the fall of 2026.