Posted: Jul 03, 2023

Northwood Announces 17th Athletic Hall of Fame Class

MIDLAND, MICH. – The Northwood University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has announced the members of the 17th class of the Athletic Hall of Fame.

Darina Berkova (Women's Tennis), Johnel Davis (Football), Tony Johnson (Football/Men's Basketball/Baseball), Keith Lough (Men's Soccer), Lauren Metaj (Women's Basketball) as well as two teams: the 1999 & 2000 football teams will join 87 other inductees into the Athletic Hall of Fame.

The 17th annual Hall of Fame ceremony will take place October 14 in the Hach Student Life Center, following the Northwood football game against Ashland at 1 p.m. The reception for the event will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the dinner and program at 6 p.m.

Information on purchasing tickets for the event will be announced in the near future. Members of the 1999 and 2000 football teams should email Dave Marsh (dmarsh@northwood.edu) to inquire about attending the event.

The inductees were selected based on their athletic prowess, contributions to the athletic programs, success and character as well as their positive representation of Northwood University.

	*DARINA BERKOVA* Women's Tennis 2007-10, 2013-14 Darina Berkova was a dominant force for Northwood women's tennis in both singles and doubles. A four-time All-GLIAC honoree, Berkova finished her career with a 78-7 record in singles from the No. 1 position while posting a perfect 32-0 mark in GLIAC play. She won the ITA Midwest Regional singles title all three times she competed in the event. After winning the GLIAC Player of the Year in the fall of 2009, she earned her undergraduate degree. She then returned four years later and once again won GLIAC Player of the Year in the fall of 2013. Northwood took home both the GLIAC and the GLIAC Tournament Championships all four years of her career. The Timberwolves reached the NCAA tournament quarterfinals in 2010 and were a sweet-16 team four times in Berkova's career. Berkova also excelled in the classroom, earning GLIAC All-Academic three teams and the GLIAC Commissioner's Award in her final season.
	*JOHNEL DAVIS* Football 1992-95 Johnel Davis is one of the best linebackers in the history of Northwood football. He holds the program record for tackles in a career with 476, 46 more than any other player in school history. A four-year starter for Northwood, Davis earned First Team All-Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference honors twice and earned team defensive most valuable player at Northwood as well. In 1995, Davis became the first player in school history to compete in the Snow/Cactus Bowl, which is the annual Division II all-star game. Davis has gone on to a lengthy career coaching high school football, currently serving as the head coach at Lansing Sexton.
	*TONY JOHNSON* Football/Men's Basketball/Baseball 1997-2001 Tony Johnson was a rare three-sport student-athlete during his time at Northwood. In his primary sport of football, he was a dominant force, sharing the school record for tackles for loss for a career (50.5) and holding record for fumble recoveries in a career. Johnson led Northwood in tackles in each of his final three seasons on the team and led the Timberwolves to a pair of GLIAC Championships in 1999 and 2000. A four-year starter at outside linebacker, Johnson earned All-GLIAC honors three times in his career and claimed All-American honors in 2001. He also spent four years with the baseball team, batting .259 as a catcher. In his senior season, Johnson became a three-sport athlete, joining the basketball team as a backup guard.
	*KEITH LOUGH* Men's Soccer 2008-11 Keith Lough became an impact player for the Northwood men's soccer team from day one. He finished his career with 24 goals and 12 assists for 60 total points, all of which ranks in the top four in program history. He became the first player in school history to earn GLIAC Freshman of the Year honors in 2008. Lough then was named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2011, becoming just the third player in the history of the GLIAC to earn both Freshman of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year. An honorable mention All-American in 2011, Lough earned All-GLIAC honors three times in his career. He was Northwood's best player on the first team to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2011.
	*LAUREN METAJ* Women's Basketball 1998-2001 More than 20 years after her career ended, Lauren Metaj still stands as the all-time leading scorer in Northwood women's basketball history with 1,465 points. She also holds the school record with 10 steals in a single game. Her scoring average of 17.8 points per game in 2000-01 is the highest for an individual in women's basketball history. Metaj scored 36 points twice in her career, giving her two of the top four individual scoring games in Northwood history. She led Northwood in scoring all four years of her career and became the first player to earn All-GLIAC as well as All-Region honors in 2001. In all, Metaj's name appears 26 times in the Northwood record book.
	*1999 FOOTBALL TEAM* The 1999 Northwood Football team captured the program's first conference championship in 23 years. The Timberwolves finished the year with an 8-2 overall record while going 7-2 in conference play. Northwood set the tone for the season in the first week of the year, posting a 41-30 win over Grand Valley State. The Timberwolves also earned a 28-24 Axe Bowl victory over rival Saginaw Valley. Pat Riepma picked up his third GLIAC Coach of the Year award for his efforts that season. Northwood featured 13 All-GLIAC players and a total of four future Northwood Athletic Hall of Famers (Ron Hunter, Tony Johnson, Pat Riepma, Sleepie Tollie).
	*2000 FOOTBALL TEAM* The 2000 Northwood Football team took the achievements of the 1999 season and took them to even higher levels. The team finished the year 10-2 overall, won their second straight GLIAC Championship and finished the year ranked No. 8 in Division II. The team earned the first NCAA Playoff appearance and victory in school history. The Timberwolves opened the playoffs in memorable fashion, defeating Indiana University of Pennsylvania 28-0 after an overnight snowstorm in Midland. Pat Riepma picked up his fourth GLIAC Coach of the Year award, leading a total of 13 All-GLIAC performers. Four Northwood Athletic Hall of Fame members were a part of the team (Ron Hunter, Tony Johnson, Pat Riepma, Sleepie Tollie).