North Florida Athletics Reveals 2026 Hall Of Fame Class

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - After a period of nominations and voting, North Florida Athletics has announced its 2026 Hall of Fame Class, featuring six individuals and one team.

Joining the prestigious ranks is Travis Trace (men's golf), Amy Taylor (swimming), Kyle Nasta (men's soccer), Nicole Baran (volleyball & beach volleyball), Mark Romano Sr. (veteran vote - men's soccer), Sara Walsh (donor/vip vote - women's soccer) and the 2018-19 UNF Men's Golf team.

The class will be formally inducted Friday, Jan. 23, and then recognized at the North Florida men's basketball game against Bellarmine on Saturday, Jan. 24.

Travis Trace (Men's Golf, 2015-19)

The Jacksonville, Fla., native arrived at UNF in 2015 and was a key contributor for four seasons on the men's golf team. Trace was awarded All-ASUN honors twice in his Osprey career with Second Team recognition in 2018 and First Team recognition in 2019. He also earned Second Team PING All-Southeast Region and PING All-American honorable mention during the 2017-18 season.

During the 2016-17 season, he became the first UNF player to qualify for NCAA D-I Championship as an individual. He also earned ASUN All-Tournament distinction that postseason after finishing as the runner-up at the ASUN Championship Tournament as a sophomore.

In 2017-18 during his junior season, he earned his first career medalist title by winning the NCAA Norman Regional. The following season, he helped his team to back-to-back ASUN titles, as well as back-to-back team appearances in the 2019 NCAA Championship along with his third straight season in the national tournament.

Amy Taylor (Swimming, 2012-16)

The Plant City, Fla., native arrived at UNF in 2012 and was a four-year letter winner for the swimming team. She finished her career holding four program records, which were all set during the 2016 CCSA Championships meet. The 200 butterfly record of 2:02.05 still holds as the top event time in school history.

Taylor was a three-time CCSA Swimmer of the Week honoree during the 2015-16 season and was named to the CCSA All-Academic Team all four years with the Ospreys. She became the program's first four-time member of the CCSA All-Academic Team.

She finished her UNF career with the most top 10 times in program's history as the Ospreys' top distance swimmer. As of today, she still currently holds 16 times in the top 10 in program history across the 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 1000 freestyle, 1650 freestyle and 200 butterfly events.

Kyle Nasta (Men's Soccer, 2012-15)

The Jacksonville, Fla., native arrived at UNF in 2012 and finished as one of the most decorated goalkeepers in school history through his four seasons with the men's soccer team. He ended his Osprey career as a two-time All-ASUN selection, including First Team recognition in 2014, two-time NSCAA Southeast All-Region selection and 2014 ASUN Goalkeeper of the Year.

Nasta was a member of the 2015 ASUN Regular Season & Tournament Champions, which was the first in program history during a 7-0 win against USC Upstate. He also led the team to the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance against Coastal Carolina.

On top of his postseason accolades, he also adds two-time ASUN weekly selections, an ASUN All-Tournament Team in 2014 and ASUN Academic All-Conference and NSCAA Second Team Scholar All-Region honoree in 2014. He was also selected as ASUN Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year and All-Conference prior to the 2015 season.

Nasta's D-I career records still stand for total wins (18) and saves (150) with the Ospreys. After his time at UNF, Nasta was a two-year professional goalkeeper with the Jacksonville Armada.

Nicole Baran (Volleyball, 2009-12 / Beach Volleyball, 2012-13)

The Saint Augustine, Fla., native arrived at UNF in 2009 and served as a four-year member of the volleyball team, as well as a member of beach volleyball's first two seasons in program history. She goes down in program history as one of the most decorated libero players for the Ospreys.

Baran was a two-time First Team ASUN All-Conference selection on top of receiving 2012 ASUN Libero of the Year. She also earned ASUN All-Freshman Team distinction in 2009, was a two-time ASUN All-Academic Team selection and an ASUN All-Tournament honoree in 2012.

At the conclusion of the 2012 season, Baran finished with the most digs in program history with 1,929 total and led UNF in digs for four consecutive seasons. She completed her career as the only UNF D-I player to post more than 500 digs in a season twice and was the career leader in digs/set at 4.06.

Baran was also a key member of UNF's ASUN Beach Volleyball championship squad in its inaugural 2012 season. She paired with Allison Shirley at No. 5 pairs position, posting a perfect 3-0 mark in the ASUN Championship team competition and reaching the final match of flight play.

Mark Romano Sr. (Men's Soccer, 1991-95)

Mark Romano Sr. was one of the founding members of the inaugural men's soccer team at UNF in 1991. He played a pivotal role in launching the program serving as an ambassador and recruiting talent from across Florida - which included his brother, AJ Romano, who was inducted into UNF Hall of Fame Class of 2012.

Romano served as team captain from 1993-95, demonstrating leadership and commitment on and off the field. Through his on the field performance, he was selected to the Sunshine State Conference Second Team during the 1993-94 season.

He is among the top scorers in all-time UNF soccer history with 34 total goals in his career - second only to his brother, AJ. He also finished second in points (89), third in assists (21), third in shot attempts (140) and eighth in games played (66).

Sara Walsh (Women's Soccer, 1996-99 / Longtime Supporter)

Sara Walsh was a four-year starter for the women's soccer team from 1996-99 during UNF's D-II era. Earlier this past season, she was selected as a part of the UNF Women's Soccer All-Decade Team that spanned from 1996-2005, which celebrated its 30th anniversary season.

The Tampa, Fla., native played 73 total matches in which she scored 28 goals and tallied 14 assists. Among the all-time UNF ranks, she currently is sixth in points (70), eighth in goals (28) and ninth in game-winning goals (five). She also held the school record for goals and points in a game during her time with the Ospreys.

After graduating in 1999, Walsh became a professional sportscaster working for ESPN from 2010-17 and Fox Sports from 2018-19 and is now a current member of NFL Network. She also earned four regional Emmy Awards in three years while working at WKRN in Nashville from 2003-06.

2018-19 UNF Men's Golf (Team Inductee)

Rounding out the UNF Hall of Fame Class for 2026 is the UNF men's golf team for their historic 2018-19 season. They earned back-to-back ASUN Tournament titles and their sixth conference championship overall in the 2019 ASUN Tournament Championship to help them advance to back-to-back NCAA Championship Tournament appearances for its sixth team appearance in program history.

The Ospreys finished the season with three tournament team wins and three runner-up placements on top of their postseason success. They also had three individual medalist crown winners and 11 combined top-five finishes to rank as high as the No. 13 team in the nation.

In the 2019 ASUN Championship tournament, North Florida men's golf dominated the field with a 12-stroke victory over the runner-up, Liberty. Scott Schroeder was named both ASUN Coach of the Year and GCAA Region Coach of the Year.

Philip Knowles, a Class of 2025 UNF Hall of Fame inductee, was a standout player on the 2018-19 team earning ASUN Player of the Year, First Team All-ASUN, Third Team PING All-American, PING First Team All-Southeast Region and UNF Male Athlete of the Year. Travis Trace, who is also being inducted individually into the 2026 UNF Hall of Fame Class, was named First Team All-ASUN in 2019.

Along with Knowles and Trace, Jordan Batchelor was the ASUN Championship tournament individual champion with Andrew Alligood being the ASUN Championship individual runner-up and Second Team All-ASUN. Cody Carroll was named ASUN Freshman of the Year, along with Michael Mattiace being recognized on the ASUN All-Academic Team.