Greenville Celebrates Generations of Athletic Excellence
Published: September 07, 2026
Greenville University will celebrate more than five decades of athletic excellence this Homecoming as it welcomes its 2026 Athletic Hall of Fame class and recognizes the newest member of the Order of the Orange and Black.
This year’s honorees include record-setting athletes, a longtime coach and administrator, and three men’s cross-country teams that established one of the most successful eras in Greenville history.
Together, their stories demonstrate how competition can build resilience, community, and a lifelong commitment to serving others.
Danny Donaldson, who attended Greenville College from 1999 to 2004, will enter the Athletic Hall of Fame as one of the most accomplished track and field athletes in school history.
Donaldson won nine National Christian College Athletic Association championships, earned four NCAA All-American honors, and set school records in the long jump, 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 4x100 relay, and 4x200 relay. After tearing his ACL in 2001, he returned to national competition and earned NCAA All-American finishes in the long jump.
He was also a two-time team MVP and received the team’s Most Points Award.
Jamie Schollenbruch Bilinski, who attended Greenville from 2012 to 2016, will be inducted following a multi-sport career in volleyball, basketball, and soccer. Bilinski set Greenville’s career digs record with 2,279 and was named the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015.
A four-time Greenville volleyball Defensive Player of the Year and three-time first-team all-conference selection, she helped the Panthers secure conference championships and NCAA tournament appearances.
Her career culminated with the 2016 June Strahl Award, and she was later selected for the SLIAC Volleyball All-Decade Team.
Professor Doug Faulkner ’86 will enter the Hall of Fame for meritorious achievement. A former Greenville men’s soccer and basketball player, Faulkner returned to the University in 1988 and has served as head men’s and women’s basketball coach, director of athletics, and professor.
He currently serves as senior vice president for student life and athletics. Across those roles, Faulkner has worked to integrate faith and athletics while developing students as leaders and followers of Christ.
The 1971, 1972, and 1973 Greenville men’s cross-country teams will be honored together for establishing an era of national-caliber success. Coached by Dave Altopp in 1971 and Roger Haun in 1972 and 1973, the teams compiled a combined 28-5 dual-meet record.
All three squads qualified for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Championships, creating Greenville’s only streak of consecutive national qualifiers. Budget limitations prevented the 1972 team from competing at nationals, but the 1973 team returned and placed 32nd.
Athletes including Rich Weinhandl, Steve Piercy, Byron Wilbur, and Terry Lewis helped sustain the three-year run.
Norah Swinigan Atkins will receive the Order of the Orange and Black after building one of the most decorated careers in Greenville women’s cross-country and track and field history.
A four-time first-team all-conference performer in cross-country, Atkins also collected five indoor and eight outdoor all-conference honors. She became the SLIAC record holder in the 1,500 meters, earned four NCCAA All-American honors, and contributed to the 2025 overall team championship. She also received the NCCAA Indoor Wheeler Award.
From the cross-country teams that built Greenville’s national presence in the early 1970s to the athletes and leaders who carried that tradition forward, the 2026 honorees have strengthened the University’s athletic legacy. Their records remain part of Greenville history, but their endurance, leadership, and faith continue to shape the Panthers who follow them.
