SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Debby Volkers Gleason, the first female in Augustana track and field history to win a national championship, heads the College's Hall of Fame class for 2010.
She is joined by Stephanie Kjorness Barth (volleyball), Scott Beckstrand (basketball), Pat Flaherty (wrestling), Warren Kersten (football), Jeff Fisher (football) and Jeanne Tostenson Scarpello (softball).
In addition, Mike Ricke, boys' basketball coach at Madison (S.D.) High School, has been selected to receive the Ole Odney Award; the late Danny Olson, long-time radio sports announcer, will receive the Lefty Olson Award; and Bill Hinks, founder of Furniture Outlets USA, will receive the Milt & Clara Harvey Award.
Augustana's 2000 volleyball team, which lost to Hawaii Pacific in the NCAA Division II national championship match, will be recognized. The Vikings, under coach Kim Sudbeck, posted a 30-4 record and claimed a share of the North Central Conference title. Team members were Lori Fossum, Jennifer Ganahl, Katy Peterson, Lindsay Voss, Carrie Leber, Kari Peterson, Andrea Szkarlat, Tara Boeve, Ann Von Arx, Kelli Vreeman, Martie Ahmann, Sara Larson, Lindsey Neill and Teresa Resch.
A banquet recognizing the inductees on Friday, Oct. 8, begins at 6 p.m. with a social hour at the Holiday Inn City Centre Starlite Room. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. with the program to follow. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for children. Call 274-5420 for tickets.
DEBBY VOLKERS
From launch to landing, Debby Volkers is the best female high jumper in Augustana history. The high flier from Primghar, Iowa, pushed the school record to new heights from the moment she arrived on campus. As a sophomore she joined the elite Division II jumpers with consecutive wins at the University of South Dakota Open, the Bill Hillerbrand Invitational, and the Flagstaff Invitational hosted by Northern Arizona University. On March 7, 1997, she wrote a new chapter in school track history by clearing 5-10½ at the NCAA Division II indoor track championships to become the Vikings' first female track athlete to win an event at the national level. She was named the North Central Conference female track athlete of the week after setting school, meet and South Dakota collegiate records with a winning jump of 6-feet, ½ inch at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays. She was a two-time NCAA indoor champion and was the outdoor champion in 1997. She was ranked second nationally in 1996 and first in 1997. Debby and her husband, Joey, live in Owatonna, Minn.
JEANNE TOSTENSON
Her considerable skills as a player served Jeanne Tostenson well when she entered the coaching ranks. As an outfielder, she was chosen to the All-North Central Conference team each of her four years at Augustana. In addition, she was twice selected to the North Central Region team. Now, after 10 years as the head coach at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, she is close to becoming the Mavericks' all-time wins leader. With Tostenson in the lineup, Augustana won conference championships in 1992 and 1993. The Vikings claimed the North Central Region title in 1993 and went on to capture runner-up honors at the NCAA Division II championships. Memorable moments of her days with the Vikings include winning the conference championship in her home town (Mankato, Minn.) and finishing second at nationals. In 1993, she set the school record for most-at-bats (252). She hit .337 her freshman year and .378 in each her junior and senior years. She hit 76 singles in 1994 and was perfect in the field. She hit .476 and scored the winning run as Augustana won two of three games with Morningside to win the 1993 NCC crown. Jeanne and her husband, Tom, live in Omaha, Neb.
STEPHANIE KJORNESS
At all times, Augustana opponents had to be aware of where Stephanie Kjorness was positioned on the court. She was an adept defender, but also had a reputation for “killer” serves. For example, in 1993 she led the North Central Conference in service aces per game. On the other side of the net, her career statistics include 87 blocks. When it comes to service aces, no one in Augustana history has more than Kjorness' 264. She also ranks first in most service aces for a single season (104). She appeared in 434 matches for the Vikings and is fourth on the career list for kills (1,311). Relentless at the net, she is credited with 3,344 attacks, the fourth highest total in the program's history. She has a career hitting percentage of .243. She was selected to the all-conference team in 1994, and twice was selected conference player of the week. Stephanie and her husband, Scott, live in Verona, Wis.
WARREN KERSTEN
At the conclusion of the 1975 football season, Coach Ralph Starenko lauded the Vikings' offensive line as the best group he had ever assembled. A key member of that unit was guard Warren Kersten, who was chosen to the All-North Central Conference team. The 1975 team posted a 7-3 record, the best finish for the Vikings since 1942. Augustana was 5-2 in conference play to claim third-place in the final standings. During the regular season, the Vikings defeated the University of South Dakota, South Dakota State University, and North Dakota State University. Kersten played a pivotal role in protecting quarterback Dee Jay Donlin, who was the top passer in the NCC with 1,194 yards. In addition, Kersten helped see to it that Frank Penza and Tom Rogers had room to run as the duo racked up 1,766 yards rushing. Warren and his wife, Kate, live in Batavia, Ill.
PAT FLAHERTY
No matter the weight class he was assigned, Pat Flaherty registered wins in record fashion for the Vikings. He was a two-time All-America at 142 and 150 pounds, and posted third- and fourth-place finishes in NCAA Division II national competition. In 1976, he set a school record for wins in a season, compiling a 29-7 record. Augustana's 1976 team finished sixth at the national tournament and was 11-4 in duals. Flaherty won his weight class at the Augsburg Takedown Tournament and the Southwest Missouri Invitational and was the runner-up at the North Central Conference meet. In 1977, the Vikings were ranked fourth in the national Division II poll, finished third in the conference and were runners-up at nationals when all 10 wrestlers qualified. That year, Flaherty broke his own wins record with 32, had the most pins (12), the most near falls (26), the best dual record (12-0) and the most team points (52). Pat and his wife, Karen, live in Bettendorf, Iowa.
SCOTT BECKSTRAND
From the field and the free-throw line, Scott Beckstrand was a prolific scorer for the Vikings. He remains among the top five in Augustana career scoring with 1,680 points. He was the Vikings' leading scorer for the 1991-92 season with 555 points. He is second in most points for a single game, putting up 42 against Saint Cloud State in 1991. He holds the school record for most free-throws made in a season with 196 in 1991-92. He was a perfect 16-for-16 from the stripe against Minnesota State Mankato in 1991. An able defender, he ranks among the top five in career steals (144). He is in the top 15 in career rebounds (684). He was named to the All-North Central Conference team in 1992 and is a three-time selection to the academic All-NCC team. Scott and his wife, Haley, live in Sioux Falls.
JEFF FISHER
Augustana's 1973 football team came within 17 points of an undefeated season due in part to a defense that yielded just 147 points. The defense featured an experienced backfield led by two-time All-North Central Conference linebacker Jeff Fisher. Augustana posted a 6-3-1 record with its three conference losses to the University of South Dakota by seven points, North Dakota State (the conference co-champion) by two points and the University of North Dakota by four points. The Vikings were tied by South Dakota State. Said Starenko, “The seniors were a big factor in our season. They gave us the leadership, the dedication to our goals, confidence, and the necessary concentration to achieve the jobs that had to be done.” Fisher, who was named to the All-Lutheran Team, served as a tri-captain on a defensive unit that intercepted 18 passes. The Vikings set 21 team and individual records and matched four others. Jeff lives in Vermuda Dunes, Calif.
OLE ODNEY AWARD
Mike Ricke, who graduated from Augustana in 1996, guided Madison High School to the state Class A boys basketball championship in 2009. The title march ended a 64-year drought for the Bulldogs. Despite graduating much of the firepower from that unit, Ricke and the Bulldogs repeated in 2010. The 2010 team won 25 times and lost just once, pinning the only loss on Sioux Falls Christian's outstanding team. Ricke was nominated for boys basketball Coach of the Year by the South Dakota High School Coaches Association and was named Region 2 Coach of the Year by the South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association. Among the players Ricke has coached at Madison are Tony Fiegen, winner of the South Dakota Mr. Basketball Award in 2009, and Derrick Wiebe, a finalist in the 2010 Mr. Basketball balloting.
LEFTY OLSON AWARD
For 28 years,
Danny Olson provided play-by-play radio coverage for Augustana athletics. He graduated from Luther College in 1949 and came to Sioux Falls three years later as sports director of KIHO-AM radio. He was the sports voice for KSOO radio from 1956 to 1983 and worked full-time for KELO radio from 1984 to 1994 and part-time from 1995-2003. He broadcast state high school basketball tournaments for 50 years and covered the state amateur baseball tournament for 40 years. He was elected South Dakota Sportscaster of the Year eight times and was inducted into the North Central Conference, the South Dakota High School Basketball Coaches Association, the Sioux Falls YMCA, the State Amateur Baseball Association, the South Dakota Sports, and the Sioux Falls Public Schools Appreciation halls of fame. In 1977, he was the recipient of the first Sportscaster of the Year award by the South Dakota High School Coaches Association. In 1982, he received the Conservation Communicator of the Year award by the National Wildlife Federation and the South Dakota Wildlife Federation. In 1999, he was voted Male Athlete of the Year by the South Dakota Senior Games Association.
MILT & CLARA HARVEY AWARD
Bill Hinks is a successful businessman who is also well known for his philanthropy. Bill and his wife, Carolyn, established the Hinks Family Endowment for Children in need at Sanford Children's Hospital. They have generously supported the Children's Inn, South Dakota Make A Wish, McCrosson's Boys Ranch, Sioux Empire United Way, the Susan G. Komen Foundation and City of Hope. The Hinks Family Scholarship was established at Augustana in 2006. Bill is the founder of Furniture Outlets USA. He began in 1976 with a single location in Sioux Falls. The company now has 28 retail stores in South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa. Through the years he has developed many friendships with the Augustana staff and teams through his interest and generous support of Viking athletics. In 2008, Bill and Carolyn received the Tuve Award, Augustana's highest form of donor recognition.
