Wichita State Announces 2027 Shocker Sports Hall of Fame Inductees

Five standout athletes have been named to the 2027 Wichita State Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame, according to Wichita State Athletics.

The incoming class features a diverse group of competitors spanning softball, track and field, and bowling. This selection brings the total number of former coaches and student-athletes in the Hall of Fame to 173, alongside 14 at-large selections.

The university has scheduled a formal dinner for 6 p.m. on Jan. 30 at the Marcus Welcome Center. Following the dinner, the official induction ceremony will take place during halftime of the men’s basketball game against UTSA, which is set for 1 p.m. on Jan. 31.

Tickets for the Jan. 30 dinner are priced at $50 per person. Wichita State Athletics reported that fewer than 100 tickets remain for the event, and reservations can be made through goshockers.com or by contacting the Shocker Ticket Office.

The 2027 inductees represent various eras of Shocker excellence, from early program pioneers to recent record-breakers. Madison (Perrigan) Duncan, a softball catcher from Mustang, Oklahoma, enters the Hall following a prolific career from 2017 to 2021.

Wichita State Announces 2027 Shocker Sports Hall of Fame Inductees

Duncan’s statistical impact on the softball program remains significant. During her senior year in 2021, she hit .297 with 21 home runs, nine doubles, and 57 RBI. While she currently sits second on the Wichita State career lists for home runs (58) and RBI (191), she remains the American Conference career leader in doubles with 51.

The bowling program is represented by two inductees with vastly different but equally impressive trajectories. Dasha Kovalova, a former standout from Dnipro, Ukraine, earned IBMA Collegiate Bowler of the Year honors in both 2014 and 2015. Since her time at Wichita State from 2012 to 2016, she has become a United States citizen and is training for a position on Team USA.

Vicki Little, a Wichita native who competed from 1971 to 1975, serves as a foundational figure for the women’s bowling program. Little was part of the 1975 team that secured the Intercollegiate Team Championship, marking the program’s first national title. Her influence extended beyond her playing days, as she served as an assistant coach in 1976 and took over as head coach in 1977, leading the team to another ITC crown.

Track and field contributors Viktors Lacis and Aaron True round out the 2027 class. Lacis, a middle-distance runner from Rezekne, Latvia, competed for the Shockers from 1998 to 2002. His career reached a global scale when he competed in the 2000 Olympics for Latvia, reaching the 800 meters semifinal with a time of 1:47.24.

True, a javelin thrower from Leroy, Kansas, showcased similar elite-level performance between 2014 and 2019. He earned first-team NCAA All-American honors in both 2018 and 2019. His career-best throw of 254-3 remains the second-longest in Wichita State history.

Inductee	Sport	Key Achievement
Madison (Perrigan) Duncan	Softball	Career home run and RBI leader (at time of graduation)
Dasha Kovalova	Women’s Bowling	Two-time IBMA Collegiate Bowler of the Year
Viktors Lacis	Track and Field	2000 Olympic 800m semifinalist
Vicki Little	Women’s Bowling	Head coach and 1975 National Champion
Aaron True	Track and Field	Two-time NCAA All-American

The upcoming festivities provide a rare moment for the Shocker community to bridge the gap between the program’s historic roots and its modern successes. For many, the induction of figures like Little and Kovalova highlights the international and multi-generational reach of the university’s athletic identity.

The induction ceremony on Jan. 31 will be integrated into the halftime of the men’s basketball game against UTSA.