Hepburn & Stots Part of 2025 NWCA Division II HOF Class

2/7/2025 8:50:00 AM

MANHEIM, Pa.- Eight standout NCAA Division II men's wrestlers will be inducted into the Jim Koch Division II Hall of Fame as a part of its class of 2025, as announced by the Division II Coaches Association.

Steve Costanzo (St. Cloud State), Warren Crow (Albany, N.Y.), John Finch (Cal Poly), TJ Hepburn, Dave Klemm (Eastern Illinois), Raufeon Stots, Geno Savegnago (Eastern Illinois), and Jim Woods (Western Illinois) will all be honored as the newest Hall of Fame members August 2, 2025, at the Sawgrass Marriott and Spa (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) as a part of the 2025 NWCA Convention.

Hepburn transferred to UNK after an NJCAA runner-up finish at Colby (Kan.) C.C. and went on to become a three-time All-American. He first was at 149 pounds, placing third at the 2010 NCAA Division II Championships and then was a 2011 National Runner Up. Hepburn moved up to 157 pounds for his final season where he won a national title.

He is one of 16 Lopers to be a three-time All-American and one of 20 to win an individual national title. Going 118-16 in his UNK career, he helped the Lopers win two regional titles and the 2012 National Championship. He also was a two-time Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Wrestler of the Year and a two-time region champion.

A Connecticut native, he was a four-time state finalist who won three titles for Ledyard High School and was the state's 2007 Dave Schultz Excellence Award winner. Finally, Hepburn had a brief MAA career before moving into coaching and fitness training.

Stots, one of just four repeat National Champions in UNK history, was a back-to-back NCAA Division II national champion at 149 pounds in 2012 and 2013. His efforts helped UNK win back-to-back National Team Championships, the only time that has been done in school history. Stots missed most of his first season at UNK due to injury but bounced back to win 64 matches and a regional title over his final two campaigns and was also a two-time NJCAA Championships qualifier and one-time NJCAA placer (4th, 2009) wrestling for Labette (Kan.) C.C. where he was coached by UNK alumni Joe Renfro. At Klein Oak High School in Texas, he was coached by former Loper Brad Ewing and didn't began wrestling until his junior season.

Stots went on to become an MMA fighter after his time at UNK winning an Interim Bellator Bantamweight Championship and has had one successful title defense to date.

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