LAKE CHARLES – Five standout student-athletes and a successful head coach make up the 2025 McNeese Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class.
 
The 2025 inductees are:
• Arinze Agada – Football (2010-2013)
• Glenn Duhon – Men's Basketball Coach (1978-1987)
• Vick King – Football (2001-2003)
• Kevin Mitchell – Baseball (2000-2001)
• Erika Piancastelli – Softball (2015-2018)
• La'Shantena Rounds – Women's Track & Field (2011-2014)
 
These six McNeese legends will be officially enshrined during a Hall of Fame Ceremony on Saturday, August 30 at 10 a.m. in the McNeese Cowboy Club building. They will be honored at halftime later that evening during the football season opening game when McNeese hosts Louisiana Christian.
 
The class was voted on by the Hall of Fame Committee from a list of nominations. To nominate for future consideration, send to Matthew Bonnette at wbonnette@mcneese.edu. Once nominated, the committee will review the nominee to make sure criteria are met.
 
2025 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
 
ARINZE ADAGA | FOOTBALL | 2010-2013
Agada played for the Cowboys from 2010-2013, earning All-American honors in 2013 by the FCS ADA, Associated Press (2^nd team), Beyond Sports Network (2^nd team), and College Sports Madness (3^rd team). He earned first team All-Southland Conference honors in 2012 and 2013 and was named the Southland Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2013. A 2013 Team Captain, he was named All-Louisiana in 2012 and 2013, SLC All-Academic in 2012 and 2013, and All-SLC Honorable Mention honors in 2011. Today, Agada is a Reliability Lead at ExxonMobil.
 
GLENN DUHON | MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH | 1978-1987
Coached the Cowboys from 1978-87, winning the 1978 Southland Conference championship. In his 10 seasons, he compiled a 155-136 career record which currently ranks No. 2 in school history for total wins. His teams posted two, 20-win seasons (20 in 1977-78, 21 in 1985-86).  He led the 1986 Cowboys to the NIT, the program's first-ever Division I national postseason tournament, where they defeated Dayton in the first round before falling to Louisiana Tech in the second round. He guided McNeese to the 1986 SLC Tournament Championship game where they fell to ULM on a last-second three-point goal. He was named the 1978 Southland Conference Coach of the Year and coached three SLC Players of the Year (Jerome Batiste, 1987; Joe Dumars, 1985; David Lawrence, 1979) in addition to 14 First Team All-SLC selections, and two All-Americans (Joe Dumars and David Lawrence). Three of his players were selected in the NBA Draft (Dumars, 1^st round in 1985; David Lawrence, 2^nd round in 1980; John Rudd, 2^nd round in 1978). He spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the Cowboys prior to being elevated to head coach. Today, Duhon is working for Mallet Buildings while staying heavily involved with the McNeese Basketball program.
 
VICK KING | FOOTBALL | 2001-2003
Standout running back for the Cowboys from 2001-2003, earning Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors in both 2002 and 2003, the only Cowboy player to earn the award multiple years. A two-time All-SLC first team running back (2002, 2003) and 2003 first team All-Louisiana selection, King led the league in rushing in both 2002 (1,103 yards) and 2003 (1,240) as he helped guide McNeese to three straight league championships and the 2022 FCS National Championship game. He was a 2003 Walter Payton Award Semi-finalist and a participant in the Blue-Gray Game. He's currently ranked fifth on the school's career rushing list with 3,130 yards and eighth with 26 career rushing touchdowns. His 1,240 rushing yards in 2003 is ranked as the 8^th-most in a season in school history while his 103.3 rushing yards average that season is ranked as the 10^th best in season. Four times in his career he rushed for 150 yards or more, 5th-most all-time. He's tied for the season record mark with two, 200+ yard rushing games (2003) and tied for the career lead with three, 200+ yard games. His 215-yard game against Grambling in 2003 ranks as the 9th-most yards in school history. He's a member of the Southland Conference 2000s Team of the Decade. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Miami Dolphins, appearing in two games in 2004. He also was a member of the practice squads for the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets. He's currently a salesman for JJS Waste and Recycling and also owns his own trucking company called Energizer Express.
 
KEVIN MITCHELL | BASEBALL | 2000-2001
Mitchell was a member of the Cowboys for two seasons in 2000 and 2001 and earned 2001 ABCA/Rawlings and Collegiate Baseball All-American Third Team honors, being one of four Cowboy players in school history to earn postseason All-American honors. He earned first team All-Southland Conference honors in both seasons. In 2001, he led the league in both batting (.415 average) and home runs (19) and added 64 RBIs to become the team's Triple Crown winner, one of only 16 players in school history to achieve that mark. He hit .415 in 2001, a batting average that continues to rank as the fourth-highest average in a season in school history. His 19 home runs that season continues to rank as the 2^nd-most in a year and those 64 RBIs are tied for sixth in a season. He also hit 20 doubles (8^th-most), and slugged .813 in 2001, the third-best in a season. He compiled a .357 career batting average, ranking eighth all-time, 27 career home runs (tied as the 10^th-most in history), while his .647 career slugging mark is fifth all-time. He's been employed with Texas Parks and Wildlife as a Texas Game Warden the last 21 years. He and his wife, Jennifer, also a McNeese alum, have been married for 23 years, and the couple has two sons, Blake (20) and Clay (20). Blake was drafted by the Kansas City Royals as the 8^th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft while Clay is expected to sign a National Letter of Intent to play football at Rice University.
 
ERIKA PIANCASTELLI | SOFTBALL | 2015-2018
The greatest softball player to play at McNeese and arguably the best-ever in the Southland Conference, Piancastelli rewrote the McNeese and Southland Conference record books, combining to break 24 total records. A two-time NFCA All-American in 2015 and 2016, she's the first player from McNeese to earn All-American honors. She was also a four-time NFCA All-Region recipient and became the first player in conference history to be named the league's Player of the Year all four seasons. In addition, she was named the league's Hitter of the Year all four years, was a four-time first team All-Louisiana selection, the 2015 SLC Freshman of the Year, 2018 Louisiana Hitter of the Year, a four-time McNeese Female Athlete of the Year, SLC Tournament MVP in 2016 and 2017), and a three-time SLC Student-Athlete of the Year (2016, 2017, 2018). She helped lead the Cowgirls to conference regular season championships in 2016 and 2017, and SLC Tournament titles and NCAA Tournament appearances three straight years from 2016-2018 when the Cowgirls became the first team in conference history to three-peat as tournament champions. In her career, McNeese compiled a remarkable 163-73 overall record that included three straight 40-win seasons. The Cowgirls also posted a league record of 86-21. Her career portfolio included breaking 15 career records (10 McNeese, 5 Southland) and nine single-season records (7 McNeese, 2 Southland). She ended her collegiate career with a .401 batting average, 75 home runs, 212 RBIs, 62 doubles, 228 runs scored, 229 walks, 548 total bases, .868 slugging percentage, .561 on-base percentage, and 15 intentional walks - all school records. Her career home runs, RBIs, runs scored, walks and total bases are still Southland Conference career records while her doubles number is tied for a league record. She's one of the elite NCAA Division I softball hitters to amass a .400 batting average, 200 RBI, 75 home runs and an .800 slugging percentage in a career. Her career walks and slugging percentage currently ranks seventh in the NCAA record book. After McNeese, she's been a member of the Italian National Team since 2016 and competed in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 for Team Italy, helping lead her team to a sixth-place finish. She's played professionally since 2018 and is currently a member of the Volts of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League where she was drafted as the 29^th overall pick in the 2025 inaugural draft.
 
LA'SHANTENA ROUNDS | TRACK & FIELD | 2011-2014
Became the first McNeese Cowgirl to garner All-America honors for an indoor season after she placed fourth in the weight throw at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships with a school record throw of 71-6.25. At the time, she was just the fourth Cowgirl to earn All-America honors in either indoor or outdoor season and is still one of just two to earn the honors for the indoor season. Her fourth-place finish is the highest ever by a Cowgirl at the NCAA Indoor Championships. A three-time SLC Champion in the weight throw, winning the event in 2012, 2013 and 2014, and is one of just two athletes in Southland Conference history to be a three-time winner in that specific event. She was named the Southland Conference Indoor Women's Outstanding Field Athlete in 2012 and 2014. Her school record throw of 71-6.25 at the NCAA Championships continues to hold the top spot in the Southland Conference as well. Today, Rounds is Safety Engineer at Nucor Steel Louisiana in St. James Parish, the largest DRI plant using HYL technology and North America's largest steel manufacturer and recycler. She's also very active in Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, her church and community.