Occidental Athletics Hall of Fame Announces 2025 Inductees

Established in 2012 in conjunction with the College's 125th anniversary, the Hall of Fame honors outstanding achievement in competition, service, dedication, and commitment to Occidental athletics. The Class of 2025 includes Oxy's all-time batting leaders in baseball and softball; a conference MVP point guard who opened the door for postgraduate success in professional basketball overseas; the best female distance runner in College history; and a beloved administrator who became the face of Oxy athletics.

Murray Via '54 is Occidental's all-time batting leader in baseball with a .435 career average and holds the school single-season batting record at .500 (in 1954). Playing center field for Coach Bill Anderson, Via was selected First-Team All-Conference for three consecutive years and co-captained the championship 1954 team, which was inducted in the Oxy Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019. A longtime supporter of the baseball program and team historian, he and fellow Tiger Ed Harper '51 co-authored Bringing Back Bengal Baseball, published in 2014.

Jacqueline Shimamoto '14 is Oxy's all-time hits leader in softball and batted over .400 in every season with the Tigers. Playing center field, she was a four-time All-SCIAC selection and two-time First Team All-SCIAC selection (in 2013 and 2014). A career .422 hitter with 139 career hits, 52 for extra bases, she was a Second Team National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region selection in 2014. Shimamoto leads the Tigers in most performance metrics, including career batting average (.422), single-season batting average (.455, in 2014) and career hits (139), as well as most hits in a single season (50, in 2014).

Reiner Kolodinski '81 M'01 P'10 played basketball at El Camino Junior College for two years before transferring to Occidental in fall 1978. In the 1979-80 season, the Tigers won the SCIAC championship with an 11-1 conference mark and advanced to the NCAA Division III Western Regional playoffs. A 5'11" point guard, Kolodinski was named SCIAC Player of the Year as well as All-SCIAC and All-District honors. After graduating from Oxy, he played pro basketball in Germany for two years with ASC Göttingen in the Basketball Bundesliga, the country's premier basketball league, and was a member of the 1983 German championship team. After returning to California, he worked as a teacher and coach in the Glendale Unified School District and was an assistant coach for Brian Newhall '83's Tigers for many years.

Rebecca Kopchik Carcamo '94 is widely regarded as the best female distance runner in the history of Oxy athletics, A seven-time Division III All-American in cross country and track and field, she was the 5k national champion in track and field in 1992 (with a time of 17:57.46) and national runner-up in cross country in 1991 (with a personal-best time of 17:33). A two-time SCIAC champion in cross country (1991 and 1993), she was named LA Times College Athlete of the Week on November 7, 1991, after winning her first cross country 5k championship at La Mirada Park (18:40). In 1993, her time of 19:20.9 won the conference meet at Prado Park in Chino.

Department Coordinator Olivia Sabins joined the Occidental Athletics Department in February 1989 and was a mainstay of the department for more than 36 years, retiring in June 2025. As the face of Oxy athletics, she served thousands of folks who either called or walked through the office doors. In addition to coordinating athletics business, she mentored students and staff alike and was a key contributor to the familial atmosphere of the department.

On Saturday, October 18, a meet-and-greet with the inductees will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Cannon Plaza. Registration is required. Following that event, the group will be introduced during halftime (approximately 7:45 p.m.) of the women's soccer match vs. Whittier in Jack Kemp Stadium.

On Sunday, October 19, at 10 a.m., the class will be formally inducted with an invitation-only ceremony and brunch at Cannon Plaza. Ticketing information will be announced shortly.

2025 Hall of Fame inductees (pictured above): Murray Via '54, Jacqueline Shimamoto '14, Reiner Kolodinski '81 M'01 P'10, Rebecca Kopchik Carcamo '94, and Olivia Sabins.