SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. -- The Shepherd University Athletic Hall of Fame will induct four new members on Saturday, September 19, at the annual induction ceremony at the Storer Ballroom on the Shepherd campus. Football player Deante Steele '11  joins Erin Phelan Ziemba '16 (women's lacrosse), Chris Pratt '14 (men's tennis), and Brantley Osborne '15 (men's basketball) as the 40th class to be inducted. The "fabulous four" brings the total number of inductees in the Shepherd Athletic Hall of Fame to 177.  

The quartet will also be honored at the Shepherd-California (Pa.) football game later on Saturday as part of Hall of Fame Weekend festivities. 

Steele (Woodbridge, Va./2007 graduate of Potomac High School) was a standout defensive back/return specialist on the football team from 2007-10. Steele, a three-time All-American, helped lead Shepherd to WVIAC titles and playoff appearances in 2007 and 2010. A three-time first team All-WVIAC choice, he led the Rams in punt return average for four years, kickoff return average for three years, and all-purpose yards for two years. He was featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" in November 2010 after setting an NCAA II record 11th career kick return touchdown with a 52-yard punt return score to spark a come-from-behind win over West Liberty. He helped Shepherd to its first Super Region One title in 2010. Steele is Shepherd's career leader in kickoff return average (25.51) and has the program's top two single-season kickoff return averages with a 29.17 mark in 2009 and a 28.90 average in 2008.
 
ZIemba (Newark, Del./2012 graduate of Catoctin (Md.) High School) was a standout on the women's lacrosse team from 2013-16. Ziemba earned All-Independent Division II All-Freshman Team honors and was a first team All-Independent Division II Team choice as a sophomore. Phelan, a two-time first team All-All-MEC choice, was the MEC Tournament MVP in 2015 and 2016 as she led the Rams to a pair of MEC titles. A two-time team captain, she led the team in points, goals, and draw controls in her junior and senior seasons. She ranks second in career goals (182) and draw controls (203), while ranking third in points (251) on the Shepherd all-time list. Phelan holds the team marks for most free position goals in a career (55) and a season (21, 2016).

Pratt (Charleston, W.Va./2010 graduate of George Washington High School) was a standout on the men's tennis team from 2010-14. He posted more than 100 wins (singles and doubles) in his career. Pratt helped lead the Rams to postseason appearances in 2012 and 2013. Pratt is one of just a handful of Shepherd student-athletes to garner first team All-Conference honors for four years. He teamed with Taylor Boyle at number one doubles to record the first and only NCAA II regional win in program history against Bloomsburg in 2012.

Osborne (Shepherdstown, W.Va./2009 graduate of Shikellamy (Pa.) High School) was a standout on the men's basketball team from 2009-14. Osborne helped lead the Rams to a 20-10 overall mark and a third place finish in the MEC in 2013-14.  A first team All-MEC selection that season, Osborne also garnered second team Daktronics and NABC Coaches Division II All-Atlantic Region honors. He ranks 10th in scoring (1,816), second in three-pointers made (315), and 14th in assists (329) on the Shepherd all-time scoring list. He nearly finished his career with a 50-40-90 stat line as he had a .473 field goal percentage, a .481 three-point field goal mark, and a .893 free throw percentage

The Athletic Hall of Fame breakfast will begin at 9 a.m., with the ceremony beginning at 9:30 a.m. Tickets are $40 (they will be available in early August) and can be purchased by contacting Katie Swayne (kswayne@shepherd.edu) or by calling 304-876-5524. Additionally, a combination ticket (HOF breakfast ticket and a general admission ticket to the Shepherd-Cal. (Pa.) football game) may be purchased for $50. Tickets will also be available for purchase online.