Knights M-Club Wall of Fame Dinner

Emily Gwaltney - Emily Gwaltney graduated from Marian University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Performance. During her time as a standout athlete playing under Coach Fleming for the Knights, she set multiple records, including career home runs and slugging percentage, as well as single-season marks for walks and on-base percentage in 2013. Recognized for her outstanding performance, Emily was twice named the Crossroads League Player of the Year, earned the Newcomer of the Year title in 2010 as a freshman, and was a four-time All-Crossroads League honoree. In addition to excelling as a hitter, she also pitched and held several pitching records.

After graduating, Emily continued her passion for softball by coaching hitting at IUPUI and Ultimate Hitting. In 2023, she founded Walk Off Hitting with support from her father, Randy, dedicating her work to guiding young athletes to play with heart, respect, and appreciation. Beyond the field, Emily cherishes her roles as an aunt, sister, and daughter. Forever grateful to softball, she proudly identifies as a Knight for life.

By the time she graduated, Emily held the career pitching wins, innings pitched, and strike out records for a career but since the records were broken by Breena Smith who is a 2019 graduate and current assistant coach. Here are Emily's pitching stats: Career record: 67-19. Innings pitched: 574.2. Earned runs: 164. Strikeouts: 533. ERA: 1.99

Wes Stowers - Wes Stowers, a 2019 graduate of Marian University, currently resides in Indianapolis. After graduation, he launched his professional career at Eli Lilly and Company. Passionate about basketball, Wes returned to the sport as a coach at North Central High School before serving as an assistant coach for Marian University’s men’s basketball team during the 2023–24 season. In 2024, he furthered his education by enrolling in the Global Executive MBA program at Duke University to enhance his leadership skills and advance his career.

On the court, Wes is Marian’s all-time leader in scoring and assists and holds the single-season scoring record. He played a pivotal role in transforming Marian’s men’s basketball program into an NAIA powerhouse during his junior and senior years, leading the Knights to an NAIA semifinal appearance as a senior and the quarterfinals as a junior. A consistent standout, Wes earned four All-Crossroads League honors—twice on the first team and twice on the second team—and was named an NAIA Second Team All-American twice.

Lakan Hasser-Smith - Lakan Hasser-Smith attended Marian University from 2012-2016 graduating with a degree in Sports Performance. She was a pivotal basketball player under Coach Katie Gearlds, leading Marian University to its first-ever NAIA Championship during the 2015-16 season. She became Marian’s all-time leading scorer on November 17, 2015, a record she held until February 3, 2024, scoring over 2,000 career points—the first female in program history to reach this milestone and the seventh in Crossroads League history.

At graduation, Lakan held multiple career records, including career scoring, field goals made and attempted (a record she still owns), three-point attempts, games played, and minutes played. She remains the career leader in minutes played and holds the single-season records for games played (38), scoring, field goals made, field goals attempted, and minutes played.

Her outstanding performance earned her the Crossroads League Player of the Year and First Team All-American honors in 2015-16. Following her playing career, she contributed as an assistant coach, helping lead the Knights to another NAIA Championship in the 2016-17 season. Lakan is in her fourth season as the Director of Video / Recruiting Assistant with Purdue Women's Basketball and resides in Lafayette, Indiana with her son Tre.

Gar King - Gar King, a 1991 graduate of Marian University, is the President of King Painting & Drywall Enterprises Inc. As a standout baseball player for Marian, Gar set the school’s single-season home run record with 17 and the single-season RBI record with 88 in 1988. That year, he helped lead the team to a 42-12-1 record. He earned multiple honors, including All-American Honorable Mention in 1988 and 1989, All-District, All-Area, and was twice named to the Mid-Central Conference All-League team.

Gar’s legacy extends beyond the field to his family, including his spouse Lisa King, daughters Kaitlyn and Mackenzie King, his late daughter Jordan King, and grandchildren Bryson and Davyna King.