The Loyola Marymount University family gathered Feb. 7, 2026, to celebrate Lion pride and induct into the LMU Athletics Hall of Fame two soccer players, a baseball player, a generous (if anonymous) donor, and a remarkable basketball team.
Two past athletic directors joined the festivities, as did university President Thomas Poon, Ph.D. A former senior vice president was there to receive hugs from long-ago students and colleagues, and alumni from every decade since the 1960s reminisced and caught up as they reveled in each other's company.
The ballroom in the Culver City Hilton, a mere 2½ miles from campus, felt like the home field as the buzz of conversation and laughter filled the air. And when the athletes took center stage after their accomplishments were recounted, the day's significance began to take hold.
Women's soccer star Jocelyn Blankenship Brown '16 said, "I'm proud to be an alumna of LMU, and I'm really proud and thankful to be here." She helped lead the Lions to their first-ever NCAA tournament victory – a 1-0 upset of Cal in 2014. Over her distinguished four-year career (2012–15), she recorded 14 goals and 22 assists, and ranking second all-time in program history with her 50 career points. Her career assist total remains the LMU record. Blankenship Brown concluded her time at LMU as a four-time All-West Coast Conference honoree, a three-time WCC All-Academic selection, and a two-time NSCAA All-West Region honoree.
Men's soccer standout Rafa Baca said, "LMU has a special place in my heart." Baca became the first player in LMU history to be named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List – designating the nation's best soccer player. He established himself as a team leader from the moment he arrived on campus. Known for his exceptional body control, spatial awareness, and command of the field, Baca was selected team captain as a sophomore and again as a junior. He was named the 2009 LMU Male Co-Athlete of the Year and earned First Team All-WCC honors in 2008 and 2009. He was also recognized as a 2009 Goal.com First Team All-American, a 2009 NSCAA Second Team All-Far West Region honoree, and a member of the 2007 All-WCC Second Team and All-Freshman Team. His 2008 season included Third Team NSCAA/Adidas All-Region honors, and he spent the summer of 2009 competing with the L.A. Galaxy Under-20 team.
Chris Donnels, the first baseball player in program history to earn First Team All-Conference honors in all three of his seasons at LMU, also has the distinction joining his son, Tanner, as the only father-son duo to show up in the LMU record books. The elder Donnels said, "The toughest thing I've ever gone through in my life was losing my mom to cancer. … Every time I stepped on the baseball field, I knew my mom was watching me, so I wanted to be the best I could be." Donnels is widely regarded as one of the greatest hitters to wear a Lions uniform. His name remains prominent throughout the LMU record book: he ranks fourth all-time in runs scored (183), ninth in hits (234), first in RBIs (225), first in doubles (72), first in home runs (45), first in total bases (490), and sixth in batting average (.367). Donnels earned Freshman All-American honors in 1985 after hitting .389 with eight home runs and 59 RBI. As a sophomore in 1986, he helped lead LMU to the College World Series while hitting 21 home runs and driving in 91 runs — both still single-season program records — while earning Second Team All-American distinction. He added 16 home runs and 75 RBIs in 1987 on his way to Third Team All-American honors, and following that season, he was drafted in the first round by the New York Mets.
Also inducted into the LMU Hall of Fame was a donor who is long affiliated with LMU but insists on anonymity. Athletic Director
Craig Pintens said the donor is gracious and kind, and shaped the Athletics Division in profound ways. "This is the most generous supporter in the history of LMU Athletics," said Pintens. This anonymous donor, the largest single benefactor in LMU Athletics history, played a transformative role in enhancing resources for both competitive teams and student-athletes across various programs. Their impact includes funding vital capital and operational projects such as the Gersten West Renovation, the men's basketball locker room, the athletic training room, the sports performance center, softball batting cages, and increased travel support for both the men's and women's basketball teams.
Last to take the stage were representatives of the 1987–88 LMU men's basketball team that finished with the best record in program history, going 28–4 overall and becoming the only team in school history to go undefeated in conference play with a 14–0 WCAC record. Mark Armstrong '88, the senior captain, said, "Prior to the season, I said we'd go undefeated on KXLU, I knew what we had. I had the ultimate confidence in the style of play that we had." Legendary coach of the team, Paul Westhead, told the crowd, "You learn in coaching that you're as good as your players. It's not the Xs and the Os, it's the Jimmy's and the Joe's." Another member of the team, Corey Gaines '92, said "I knew we had a good team. We played hard in practice. Westhead changed that for me, he brought the fun back for me as a player. He said, 'I want that Corey back.'"
The Lions captured their first WCAC regular-season championship since the 1960s and secured the WCAC tournament title with a 104–96 victory over Santa Clara. The Lions advanced to the NCAA tournament, where the program earned its first-ever win with a 119–115 triumph over Wyoming. The team featured four First Team All-WCC honorees: Gaines, Mike Yoest '88, Hank Gathers '90, and Bo Kimble '90.
It was an afternoon that recalled the excellence of Lion athletes, stirred memories of effort and accomplishment, and revealed the spiritual and emotional connections that remind us that we're: Once a Lion, Always a Lion.
