Quintet Named to William Penn Athletics Hall of Fame
Oskaloosa–This Saturday, during halftime of the William Penn Homecoming football game, five new members will be inducted into the William Penn University Athletics Hall of Fame.
Following several seasons as an assistant coach for William Penn’s baseball team, Mike Christner took over the Statesmen softball program in 2001 and immediately developed it into a perennial power.
Guiding WPU for the next 23 years, Christner became the winningest coach in program history with 693 victories. Four of Christner’s teams qualified for the NAIA National Championship, while seven squads were crowned Midwest Collegiate Conference regular season champions. Four came away with MCC Tournament titles as well.
The 2005 team broke numerous individual and team records, headlined by winning a school-record 51 games. A six-time MCC Coach of the Year honoree, Christner was the skipper to 97 all-conference players, 45 NFCA all-region performers, 20 NAIA all-region players, and 19 All-Americans.
Christner was not just an outstanding softball coach at William Penn, he is also an alum, having graduated in 1985.
Ryan Guffey, a 2005 graduate of William Penn, was an integral part of a dominant Statesmen men’s wrestling program.
Guffey was a four-time NAIA National Championship qualifier and two-time All-American, including placing sixth in 2003 and seventh in 2005. He also won a regional title in 2002, while being named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler.
The winner of 116 matches, he currently holds school records for single-season and career pins.
A two-time team captain, Guffey helped the Statesmen to a 49-0 record in dual meets, four top-11 finishes at nationals, and a pair of regional titles in 2003 and 2004.
Damon Harrison, a 2018 graduate of William Penn, parlayed collegiate success into a long professional career on the gridiron.
Harrison earned second-team all-MSFA Midwest League honors as a sophomore and junior, before being elevated to the first team as a senior. That year, he also earned Third-Team All-America laurels from Beyond Sports Network.
During his time at WPU, he helped the Statesmen to a Midwest League crown in 2010, the first for the program in 34 years.
Harrison then went on to a nine-year professional career in the National Football League, beginning with being an undrafted free agent signee by the New York Jets in 2012. He eventually played for five different teams, including the Jets, New York Giants, Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks, and Green Bay Packers. His best season came with the Giants when he was selected as a First-Team All-Pro by the Associated Press in 2017.
Kristina McNew Coe, a 2006 graduate of William Penn, excelled in not just one, but two sports as a Statesmen.
As a softball player, McNew Coe was a three-time first-team all-Midwest Classic Conference performer, while also earning three all-region honors.
She helped the Statesmen to 131 wins on the field, headlined by a school-record 51 in the 2005 season. That season, WPU won the regional title, qualifying for its first-ever NAIA National Championship.
McNew Coe ranks high at William Penn in numerous single-season and career statistical categories.
As a basketball player, McNew Coe garnered first-team all-MCC laurels. Her 217 career three-pointers rank third all-time, while her 107 three-pointers in 2004 are the most in a single season at WPU.
Duane Palcic, a 1970 graduate of William Penn, excelled as both a Statesmen player and coach.
After serving as a point guard on successful basketball teams in the late 1960s, Palcic went on to coach three different sports.
In addition to teaching classes, Palcic served as the offensive line coach for the football team, while being head coach for baseball and men’s wrestling. He coached two wrestlers who are currently in the William Penn Athletics Hall of Fame, while one of his baseball players went on to a career in Major League Baseball.
After his time at William Penn, Palcic went to Ellsworth Community College where he coached football, baseball, softball, wrestling, and golf for nearly three decades. At Ellsworth, he helped the football team to an NJCAA national title in 1987.
William Penn will honor Christner, Guffey, Harrison, McNew Coe, and Palcic at the 2026 Athletics Hall of Fame Reception Friday night. Their awards will be received Saturday at 9 a.m. in the Penn Activity Center, and they will then officially be inducted during halftime of WPU’s game vs. Clarke (12 p.m. kickoff).
