The first four selections in the Class of 2026 are athletes from the decades of the 2000s and 2010s. Other members to be announced in the coming weeks.

In the decade of the 2000s, Harrison Central’s Trent Luyster and Bellaire’s Ashley Vavrek have been selected, while Madonna’s Ross Comis and Cambridge’s Eric Fox are the honorees for the decade of the 2010s.

All four of these athletes will be formally recognized for their achievements as part of the hall of fame induction, which will be held on August 15 at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling.

Other members of the hall of fame class will be announced in the coming weeks.

Ross Comis

Here is a capsule look at the honorees:

DECADE OF THE 2000s

TRENT LUYSTER (Harrison Central High School, Class of 2001) – Pitching was the name of the game for Luyster at both the high school and college levels.

Luyster’s prep career was split between Harrison Central and Lakeland. The two schools – along with Jewett-Scio – consolidated into Harrison Central prior to the 1999-2000 school year.

With the Huskies, Luyster was brilliant on the mound. He finished with a 14-2 record and four saves. He struck out 179 hitters, including 101 as a senior. He sported an impressive 1.13 earned run average. As a senior, he put forth a 0.64 ERA. He issued just 14 walks in 118 innings of work at Harrison.

Ashley Vavrek

Though on the mound is where he was most widely recognized, Luyster was a standout at the plate, too. He hit .402 with the Huskies and as a senior posted a .463 batting average with three home runs.

Luyster was recognized for his fine season as the OVAC’s Class 3A Player of the Year and first-team All-OVAC.

At Ohio State, Luyster was a four-year letterman. He worked 228.2 innings and finished with an earned run average of 4.49. He struck out 149 hitters and had a record of 14-10 with one save.

He was named Big 10 Pitcher of the Week in 2005 after he picked up the mound win over No. 4 ranked North Carolina.

Following his junior season at OSU, Luyster was selected in the Major League Baseball Draft by the Chicago Cubs in the 39th round. He elected to return to school and was drafted in 2005 by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 30th round.

Eric Fox

While Luyster earned most of his acclaim on the diamond, he was also a standout on the basketball court. He scored more than 1,000 points in his career.

He was an All-OVAC, All-Eastern District, District 5 selection and was listed on the honorable mention All-Ohio team in Division III.

Luyster is the first athlete from Harrison Central to be selected to the OVAC Hall of Fame.

ASHLEY VAVREK (Bellaire High School, Class of 2006) – It didn’t matter the level at which Vavrek played, she could simply score the basketball.

Whether it was as a prep athlete at Bellaire or during a brilliant collegiate career at Fairmont State, Vavrek simply had a knack for putting the ball in the basket. She did so to the tune of 3,599 points in her career.

Of those points, 2,036 came during her prep career at Bellaire. That total still stands as the girls’ record.

Vavrek was a four-year letterman for the Lady Reds. She exploded onto the scene as a sophomore when she led the Ohio Valley in scoring 24.6 points per game. She didn’t stop there. She poured in 28 points a game both as a junior and senior and led the area in scoring each season.

Vavrek’s seasons obviously didn’t go unnoticed. She was named to the all-Ohio teams four times. She was twice a special mention selection and then garnered a spot on the Second Team All-Ohio unit as a junior before receiving the first-team berth as a senior.

As a senior, she was also selected as a finalist for Ohio’s Ms. Basketball award, which goes to the state’s top female player. She was the Eastern District and District 12 Player of the Year. She was the captain of the All-Valley and All-Times Leader teams. She was also chosen to play in both the Ohio North-South Game as well as the OVAC All-Star Game

Following her junior season, which is when she surpassed the 1,000-point barrier, she was All-OVAC, All-District 12, All-Valley (captain) and All-Times Leader.

At Fairmont State, Vavrek started every game of her final three seasons with the Falcons with scoring averages of 10.7, 17.9 and 21.8 points per game, respectively. Her 1,563 points ranks sixth all time in Fairmont State women’s basketball history. She ranked second at the time of her graduation in 3-pointers made with 248.

Vavrek was named All-WVIAC as both a junior and senior and the league’s most valuable player as a senior. She also earned All-Atlantic Region acclaim as a senior. Her play helped the Falcons win a pair of WVIAC championships.

Along with basketball, Vavrek was a four-year standout in volleyball for the Lady Reds. A four-year letter winner, Vavrek was chosen for both the OVAC and District 12 All-Star Games.

Vavrek joins her sister, Kacie (Bellaire Class of 2002) in the OVAC Hall of Fame.

DECADE OF THE 2010s

ROSS COMIS, Madonna (Class of 2014) – To say this former Blue Don dominated his competition on the football field might still be selling him short.

In his career, Comis accounted for an astounding 9,255 yards of total offense and an incredible 121 touchdowns.

As a senior, Comis helped lead the Blue Dons to the Class A state championship thanks to a campaign in which he rushed for 2,037 yards and 35 touchdowns to go along with 1,731 passing yards and 22 touchdowns. Add it all up and it was a season in which he accounted for 57 touchdowns and 3,768 yards.

Comis also led the Blue Dons to the state championship game as a junior.

Comis rushed for 71 touchdowns during his prep career, which set state and valley records. He ran for 4,839 yards and threw for 4,416 yards and 49 touchdowns.

Comis was named the Most Valuable Player of the state title game in both of his appearances. That was just one of the numerous accolades he attained. He was named First Team All-State as both a junior and senior, captaining the squad as a senior. He was a three-time All-OVAC and All-Valley selection. He was second-team all-state in Class A as a sophomore. He tied for second in the voting for the prestigious Kennedy Award as a senior.

After high school, Comis accepted a scholarship offer to UMass. He played four seasons with the Minutemen. He completed 122 of 194 passes for 1,799 yards and 14 touchdowns. He rushed for 300 yards and six touchdowns. He had a single-game high of 540 yards passing and four touchdowns in a triple overtime win against Liberty.

Also in high school, Comis was a standout on the baseball field for the Blue Dons. He helped Madonna win the 2012 state championship. He was an all-state selection along with all-OVAC and All-Valley.

ERIC FOX, Cambridge (Class of 2014) – This multi-sport athlete shined brightly regardless if it was on the pitch, gridiron, mat or track for the Bobcats.

However, it was on the track – specifically on the pole vault runway – where Fox shined the brightest. A four-year letterman in track, Fox earned All-Ohio acclaim three times in the pole vault, including finishing as state runnerup both as a junior and senior. He cleared 15-feet as a junior and raised the standard to 15-ft-10 as a senior. As a sophomore, he was fourth in the Division II state meet at 14-ft-4.

En route to the state meet, Fox won the regional pole vault title as both a junior and senior after finishing fourth to narrowly squeeze into the state meet as a sophomore. Fox was also a three-time OVAC and district champion in the pole vault.

Fox wasn’t a one-trick pony on the track. He was a regional qualifier in the high hurdles and long jump individually and was a key cog on multiple Bobcats’ relay teams during his career.

In football, Fox shined as a kicker, earning First Team All-Ohio and All-Eastern District as a senior. He was all-district and honorable mention All-Ohio as a junior.

As a soccer player, Fox earned all-OVAC, all-district and played in the East District All-Star Game as a senior.

On the wrestling mat, Fox finished his senior season with a 32-12 record. He placed fourth in the OVAC and sixth in the district tournament. He was eighth in the OVAC as a junior and qualified for the district tournament.

Fox’s track exploits took him to University of Louisville where Cardinals’ coaching staff took his pole-vaulting prowess and made him a decathlete. He was the ACC Decathlon champion as a senior. He was the ACC champion in the pole vault as a junior and finished fourth in the decathlon. He was fourth in the decathlon as a sophomore. He placed third and fourth, respectively, as a junior and senior in the ACC heptathlon. His personal best in the pole vault was 16-10 ¾. He also went 6-7 in the high jump and 22-9.75 in the long jump.