Barth, Chryst and Hoffmann named to 2015 WIAC Hall of Fame Class
The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) has announced the members of its 2015 Hall of Fame class. The WIAC established a Hall of Fame to coincide with the conference's celebration of its 100th anniversary, which took place during the 2012-13 academic year.
MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) has announced the
members of its 2015 Hall of Fame class. The WIAC established
a Hall of Fame to coincide with the conference's celebration of its
100th anniversary, which took place during the 2012-13 academic
year.
The 30-member class for 2015 will be inducted at the WIAC
Hall of Fame Banquet to be held on August 1, 2015, at
UW-Platteville.
In announcing the 2015 class, WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner
noted once again how difficult the selection process is given the
102-year history and incomparable success of the conference.
"Quite frankly, there are dozens, if not hundreds, more individuals
deserving of this honor. Therefore, it is our intention to
continue to induct future Hall of Fame classes every three years
with the ultimate goal of recognizing those student-athletes,
coaches, administrators, officials and others whose contributions
and achievements have established and solidified the WIAC's status
as the most accomplished Division III conference in NCAA history,"
added Karner.
For more information on the Hall of Fame class, please visit
www.wiacsports.com. More detailed bios and photos on each of
the inductees will be provided at a later date.
Name School Years Category
Ken
Anderson
UW-Eau Claire
1969-95
Coach (men's
basketball)
-Served as UW-Eau Claire's men's basketball coach from
1969-95, accumulating a career record of 631-152 (.805 winning
percentage). His 631 victories are the most in conference and
school history. Anderson led the Blugolds to 14 conference
and 14 NAIA District 14 championships. In 1972 and 1990, his
teams were national runner-up in the 32-team NAIA tournament.
He coached the United States team to the gold medal at the 1979
World University Games in Mexico City. In 2012, Anderson was
selected the WIAC Men's Basketball All-Time Co-Coach in conjunction
with the conference's Centennial Celebration.
**John
Barth
UW-Platteville
1947-81
Administrator (director of athletics) & Coach (men's
basketball/football/men's golf/men's tennis)
-Beginning in 1947, Barth taught and coached at
UW-Platteville for nearly four decades. He was the men's
basketball coach from 1947-63 and directed the Pioneers to six WSUC
crowns. Barth also served as head coach of the football,
men's golf and men's tennis squads. As the defensive
coordinator for the football team, UW-Platteville claimed five
conference titles. He served as the director of athletics, as
well as director of health and physical education from
1949-81.
Randy
Boelk
UW-Stevens
Point
1998-2001
Student-Athlete (men's swimming & diving)
-Was a member of UW-Stevens Point's men's swimming &
diving team from 1998-2001 and a 28-time All-American. He won
one individual and two relay NCAA Division III titles. Boelk
was a 10-time WIAC individual event champion and 13-time relay
winner. He holds four individual records and three relay
records at UW-Stevens Point. In 2012, Boelk was selected to
the WIAC Men's Swimming & Diving All-Time Team in conjunction
with the conference's Centennial Celebration.
Mark
Braden
Conference
Office
1985-2011
Administrator & Game Official
-His association with the conference began in 1985 when he
joined the WSUC football officiating staff. Two years later,
he added women's basketball to his officiating workload and in
1998, was selected to officiate the NCAA Division III Women's
Basketball Championship game. In 1992, Mark agreed to
become the conference's supervisor of women's basketball
officials.
**George
Chryst
UW-Platteville
1979-92
Administrator (athletics director) & Coach
(football)
-Served as UW-Platteville's football coach from 1979 until
his sudden death in 1992 at age 55, leading the Pioneers to a
79-60-2 record, with winning records in nine of his 14
seasons. He guided the program to its last league title in
1980. The WIAC Football Coach of the Year award is named in
his honor. As the athletics director from 1981-92, Chryst was
a significant influence in the formation of the "Cheese League",
which featured five National Football League teams training in
Wisconsin, including the Chicago Bears in Platteville from
1984-2001.
James P.
Fischer
UW-Whitewater
1958-present
Contributor & Student-Athlete (baseball/men's
basketball)
-Was a member of UW-Whitewater's baseball and men's
basketball teams, earning All-America accolades in both
sports. On the basketball court, he collected NAIA
All-America recognition in 1961 and 1962, and was a three-time
all-conference and all-state selection. Fischer ranks third
on the school's all-time scoring list. He continues to give
back to the Warhawks as a volunteer spotter for the public address
announcer at home football games.
Jim
Gantner
UW-Oshkosh
1973-74
Lifetime Achievement & Student-Athlete (baseball)
-Was a member of UW-Oshkosh's baseball team from 1973-74 and
earned All-America honorable mention recognition both
seasons. He helped the Titans to a third-place finish at the
NAIA World Series in 1973 and fifth in 1974. UW-Oshkosh
captured the WSUC title in 1974. Gantner was selected in the
12th round of the 1974 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft by the
Milwaukee Brewers. He played 17 seasons and 1,801 major
league games, including helping the Brewers advance to the 1982
World Series. In 2012, Gantner was selected to the WIAC
Baseball All-Time Team in conjunction with the conference's
Centennial Celebration.
Wendy
Heinecke
UW-Stout
1986-89
Student-Athlete (women's swimming & diving)
-Was a member of UW-Stout's women's swimming & diving
team from 1986-89, claiming four NAIA individual national titles
and 23 NAIA All-America awards. In 1989, she was named the
NAIA District 14 Swimmer of the Year. Heinecke posted 12
WWIAC first-place finishes and owned 14 school records and three
conference records upon graduation. In 2012, she was selected
to the WIAC Women's Swimming & Diving All-Time Team in
conjunction with the conference's Centennial
Celebration.
Ben
Hoffmann
UW-Platteville
1995-98
Student-Athlete (men's basketball)
-Was a member of UW-Platteville's men's basketball team from
1995-98 and is the only player in NCAA Division III men's
basketball history to be a part of two undefeated national
championship teams. Hoffmann is a two-time All-American,
garnering first team honors in 1998 and second team recognition in
1997. In 2012, he was selected to the WIAC Men's Basketball
All-Time Team in conjunction with the conference's Centennial
Celebration.
Michelle
Jacob
UW-Stevens
Point
1998-2001
Student-Athlete (women's soccer)
-Was a member of UW-Stevens Point's women's soccer team from
1998-2001, leading the Pointers to WIAC titles and NCAA Division
III Championship appearances all four seasons. In 2001, Jacob
claimed NSCAA All-America First Team and WIAC Player of the Year
recognition. In 2012, she was selected to the WIAC Women's
Soccer All-Time Team in conjunction with the conference's
Centennial Celebration.
**Byron
James
UW-River
Falls
1959-98
Coach (wrestling)
-Served as UW-River Falls' wrestling coach from 1959-98 and
led the team to 11 WSUC championships. In 1985, the Falcons
finish third at the NCAA Division III Championship and sixth at the
NAIA Championship. James coached four national champions, 52
All-Americans and 55 WSUC champions, while claiming conference
Coach of the Year honors in 1985 and 1988.
Steve
Kurth
UW-Eau
Claire
1959-2001
Administrator (athletics director/faculty athletics representative)
& Coach
(men's basketball/football) & Student-Athlete (men's
basketball/football)
-Had a 36-year association with Blugold athletics that began
as a student-athlete in football and basketball, earning All-WSUC
honors and the team co-MVP award in 1960. Kurth was the
school's athletics director from 1975-92. He was named
Associate Dean in UW-Eau Claire's School of Education in 1992, and
continued his association with athletics as the men's faculty
athletic representative. He was appointed to chair the
transition team responsible for the merger of the WSUC and the
WWIAC.
Dwain
Mintz
UW-Stout
1962-89
Coach (men's basketball)
-Served as UW-Stout's men's basketball coach from 1962-89,
compiling a 385-361 record and three WSUC titles. His 385
wins rank fourth on the conference's all-time list. Under his
leadership, 21 Blue Devils claimed All-WSUC first team
recognition. He coached UW-Stout's baseball team from
1963-68, and played in the St. Louis Cardinal and Brooklyn Dodger
minor league organizations in the 1940s and 1950s.
**Dominic
Moselle
UW-Superior
1966-86
Lifetime Achievement & Coach (baseball/men's
basketball/football/track & field) &
Student-Athlete (football)
-Was a member of UW-Superior's football team from 1946-49
and finished as the program's all-time scoring leader. He was
the first player in conference history to be selected in the
National Football League Draft - picked by the Cleveland Browns in
the 1950 draft. Moselle was a member of the Browns' NFL
Championship squad in 1950, and played four seasons in the
league. He was the head men's basketball coach from 1966-70
and served on the baseball, football and track & field coaching
staffs, while being an instructor in physical education from
1966-86.
Melissa
Mueller
UW-Oshkosh
1991-94
Lifetime Achievement & Student-Athlete (women's track &
field)
-Was a member of UW-Oshkosh's women's track & field team
from 1991-94, winning three individual NCAA Division III titles
(two indoor, one outdoor) and nine WIAC championships (five indoor,
four outdoor). Mueller competed for the United States in the
pole vault at the 2000 Summer Olympics and set the American indoor
pole vault record twice in 1999. In 2003, she earned a gold
medal in the pole vault at the 2003 Pan American Games. In
2012, Mueller was selected to the WIAC Women's Track & Field
All-Time Team in conjunction with the conference's Centennial
Celebration.
**Emogene
Nelson
UW-River
Falls
1959-82
Administrator & Contributor
-Was a pioneer in physical education and competitive sports
for women and served as the Executive Director of Women's Athletics
in Wisconsin. In 1977, she helped the commissioner's position
for the WWIAC become a reality by acting as Executive
Secretary. She was president of the Wisconsin Association for
Health, Physcial Education and Recreation, and on a number of local
and state task forces and committees on faculty development, women
in administration, physical education and athletics. In 1983,
Nelson was the first woman named to the UW-River Falls Athletic
Hall of Fame.
Nancy
Nelson
UW-Whitewater
1966-70
Student-Athlete (women's basketball/women's golf/softball/women's
tennis/women's volleyball)
-Was a member of UW-Whitewater's women's basketball, women's
golf, softball, women's tennis and women's volleyball teams,
earning a combined 13 letters. She was a three-time MVP for
the women's basketball team and helped the Warhawks post a 32-5
record in four seasons, while the volleyball squad went undefeated
both years that she played. In 1979, Nelson was the No. 1
draft choice of the International Women's Professional Softball
Association and earned league MVP honors.
Tori Neubauer-Muesing UW-La
Crosse
1980-84
Student-Athlete (women's cross country/women's track &
field)
-Was a member of UW-La Crosse's women's cross country and
track & field teams from 1980-84, claiming six NCAA Division
III individual titles. She posted a first-place national
finish in cross country in 1982 and 1983 – one of four women
in NCAA Division III history to win multiple titles. Neubauer
also secured eight conference championships (three indoor, five
outdoor) and qualified for the United States Olympic Trials in 1984
and 1988. In 2012, she was selected to the WIAC Women's Cross
Country and Women's Track & Field All-Time Teams in conjunction
with the conference's Centennial Celebration.
Tom
Newberry
UW-La
Crosse
1982-86
Lifetime Achievement & Student-Athlete (football/men's track
& field)
-Was member of UW-La Crosse's football and men's track &
field teams from 1982-86, securing NAIA All-America First Team
honors in football in 1984 and 1985. He was selected by the
Los Angeles Rams in the second round (50th overall pick) of the
1986 National Football League Draft and played 10 seasons in the
NFL, including a starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl
XXX. Newberry won four national titles in track & field
and produced 10 conference first-place finishes (three indoor,
seven outdoor). In 2012, he was selected to the WIAC Football
and Men's Track & Field All-Time Teams in conjunction with the
conference's Centennial Celebration.
John
Peterson
UW-Stout
1968-71
Lifetime Achievement & Student-Athlete (wrestling)
-Was a member of UW-Stout's wrestling team from 1968-71 and
accumulated three WSUC titles, as well as a pair of NAIA
All-America honors. In 1976, he won a gold medal at the
Olympic Games in wrestling 82kg freestyle. In 1972, Peterson
claimed a silver medal at the Olympic Games in wrestling 82kg
freestyle. The WIAC Wrestler of the Meet award is named in
his honor. In 2012, Peterson was selected to the WIAC
Wrestling All-Time Team in conjunction with the conference's
Centennial Celebration.
Otto
Puls
Conference
Office
1959-2005
Administrator & Game Official
-Over a span of nearly 50 years, Puls was a significant
contributor to the success of the WIAC in a variety of roles
associated with helping to ensure that the quality of officiating
in the conference was commensurate with the most accomplished
Division III conference in NCAA history. His officiating
tenure with the WSUC began in 1959 and over the next 40 years, he
presided over countless WIAC/WSUC baseball, men's basketball and
football games.
Andrew
Rock
UW-La
Crosse
2001-04
Lifetime Achievement & Student-Athlete (men's track &
field)
-Was a member of UW-La Crosse's men's track & field team
from 2001-04, winning 11 national titles and 17 WIAC
championships. Rock was the first athlete in NCAA Division
III history to win three consecutive indoor 400-meter dash
crowns. In 2004, he won a gold medal as a member of the
4x400-meter relay team at the Olympic Games. In 2005, Rock
claimed a gold medal at the World Outdoor Games with the
4x400-meter relay squad. Rock was a two-time CoSIDA Academic
All-American. In 2012, he was selected to the WIAC Men's
Track & Field All-Time Team in conjunction with the
conference's Centennial Celebration.
**Sandy Schumacher
UW-Eau
Claire
1968-95
Lifetime Achievement & Coach (women's basketball/women's
golf/softball/women's volleyball)
-Was a pioneer of women's athletics at UW-Eau Claire after
arriving at the university in 1968 and was one of the founding
members of the WWIAC in 1971. She conducted the first
volleyball and basketball camps for girls at Eau Claire and was the
school's first women's volleyball coach from 1970-75.
Schumacher was also the first Blugold women's basketball coach,
directing the program from 1969-87, and served as softball coach
from 1993-94. After her retirement in 1994, she was an
assistant coach for the women's golf team.
**Ed
Schwager
UW-Whitewater
1927-71
Administrator (director of athletics) & Coach (baseball/men's
basketball/football/
men's track & field) & Student-Athlete (men's
basketball/football)
-Served as UW-Whitewater's athletics director from 1942-71
and developed the physical education and athletic programs to their
greatest heights. When he took over, only three sports were
available and he expanded the offering to 11 sports. Schwager
also coached baseball, men's basketball, football and men's track
& field. He was a member of UW-Whitewater's men's
basketball and football teams, earning all-conference honors in
each sport three times.
Lydia
Thering
UW-Superior
1954-94
Administrator (director of athletics) & Coach (softball/women's
tennis/
women's track & field/women's volleyball)
-Was an exceptional leader and advocate for women and
women's athletics, serving as the director of women's athletics for
16 years and the department chair of the physical education/health
and human performance department. Thering coached softball,
women's tennis, women's track & field and women's volleyball at
UW-Superior in the 1960s and 1970s before women's sports reached
varsity status.
Dr. Russell G.
Tiedemann
UW-Oshkosh
1953-88
Administrator (director of athletics) & Coach (baseball) &
Student-Athlete
(men's basketball/football/men's track & field)
-Served as the baseball coach at UW-Oshkosh from 1968-69 and
1971-88, posting a 501-168-2 record (.748 winning
percentage). The Titans won the NCAA Division III title in
1985, made eight NCAA Division III World Series appearances, three
NAIA World Series showings and claimed 15 WSUC championships.
Tiedemann also served as the director of athletics for the 1987-88
school year. In 1989, UW-Oshkosh's baseball field was named
Russ Tiedemann Field. In 2012, he was selected the WIAC
Baseball All-Time Team Co-Coach in conjunction with the
conference's Centennial Celebration.
**Ted
Whereatt
UW-Superior
1930-47
Coach (men's basketball/football)
-Served as UW-Superior's football and men's basketball coach
from 1930-47 – missing three years while in the
service. His football teams won five conference championships
with the 1936 and 1937 teams not allowing a point. On the
basketball court, the Yellowjackets won five league titles under
his leadership and reached the national tournament in 1941.
UW-Superior's baseball field is named in his honor.
Judy
Wilson
UW-River
Falls
1966-92
Administrator (associate athletic director) & Coach (field
hockey/women's tennis/
women's track & field)
-Served as a founding member of the WWIAC and chaired many
committees that furthered the development of women's athletics in
the state. Wilson was UW-River Falls' associate athletic
director from 1980-92. From 1966-84, she coached field
hockey, earning WWIAC Coach of the Year honors in 1982 and leading
the team to a state tournament victory in 1972. Wilson
coached the women's tennis team from 1966-70 and 1984-89, claiming
conference Coach of the Year recognition in 1988. From
1966-78, she directed the Falcon women's track & field
team.
Carol
Yanna
Conference
Office
1991-2014
Administrator
-Her tenure with the conference began in 1991 with the
WWIAC. For the next 23 years, Yanna was the go-to-person for
most everything pertaining to the operations of the conference
office. In 1997, she was a key player and invaluable
contributor to the merger of the WSUC and WWIAC into the
WIAC.
Kari (Groshek) Zdroik
UW-Stevens
Point
1998-2002
Student-Athlete (women's basketball)
-Was a member of UW-Stevens Point's women's basketball team
from 1998-2002, helping the Pointers to the 2002 NCAA Division III
title. In 2002, Zdroik claimed All-America First Team
recognition and WIAC Player of the Year honors, while receiving the
NCAA Top VIII Award. She is the first CoSIDA Academic
All-America selection in program history. In 2012, Zdroik was
selected to the WIAC Women's Basketball All-Time Team in
conjunction with the conference's Centennial
Celebration.
**deceased