OSU release – CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State Athletics is excited to announce its 2022 Hall of Fame Class. The 2022 class will be recognized on Saturday, November 5, and comes as Oregon State celebrates the 50th anniversary of Title IX this year. Most of teams represented in this class were organized under the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) which was founded in 1971, until the NCAA brought women’s sports into their fold in 1982. OSU women’s rowing participated in the National Women’s Collegiate Rowing Association as its National Championship. The class will feature teams from women’s golf (1974), gymnastics (1980), softball (1979, 1980, 1981), and women’s track and field (1972 and 1979 relay teams) in addition to 21 student-athletes and one coach. The 1974 women’s golf team was coached by Lynn Guggenheim and was the last year of the two-golfer format. Rise Alexander and Mary Budke led the team to a third-place finish nationally. Both were nominated for the Hayward Amateur Athlete of the Year Award after that season. Alexander later spent 24 seasons as Oregon State’s head coach, leading the team to 11 postseason appearances. 1980 Women’s Gymnastics Team: AIAW National Championships 4th Place Team (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) and AIAW Regional Team Champion (Spokane, Washington). Competing at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Oregon State University placed 4th in the team competition at the AIAW National Championships, the highest finish to date by an OSU women’s gymnastics team. (The 1982 team also finished 4th in the first NCAA National Championships.) Led by OSU Hall of Fame inductees Mary Ayotte (Law) and Linda Parker, OSU had three other All-Around gymnasts, competing in all four events; Kris Femling, Carol Holmes and Connie Shuya. Mary Berg, Nancy Holmes, and Laura Shuya rounded out the team. Head Coach Ron Ludwig was assisted by Bryan Lea, Jackie Johnson and Jill Jory (Hicks). Rita Emery led the 1979 and 1980 Beaver softball teams to the Women’s College World Series, finishing in seventh in ’79 and fifth in ’80. Ellen Margolis led Oregon State to a fifth-place finish in 1981. Denny Smail is also being inducted; she pitched in the WCWS from 1977-79. She posted a 0.75 ERA in the 1979 WCWS. She pitched in 529 1/3 innings in her career for Oregon State, posting a 1.31 ERA. She struck out 326 and tallied a 50-25 record. The 1972 women’s track and field 4×110 relay team featured Margaret George, Sue George, Connie Larsen and Jeri Nored and finished third nationally. Seven years later, the 4×800 relay team won a national championship. It featured Robin Blake, Kathy Castello, Kris Trom and Kathy Weston, with Loa Mosby contributing prior to an injury before regionals. Track and field student-athletes Beth Smith (third in the nation in shotput and sixth in discus in 1973) and Linda Winter (third in high jump at Division for Girls’ and Women’s Sports (DGWS) nationals in 1971) will also be inducted. Four multi-sport student-athletes are set to be inducted. They are: Joan Heeter – She played softball, women’s basketball, volleyball, field hockey and track and field. Heeter was on the undefeated 1968 and 1969 women’s basketball teams. She was also a member of the 1968 track and field NCWSA Regional Championship Team. Shirley Lagestee – Three-time All-American in track, she also participated in five sports at Oregon State (women’s basketball, track and field, field hockey, softball and soccer). She also served as team captain in nine of her 13 seasons. Sherry Sevall – Three-sport athlete in volleyball, basketball and tennis. She won the Pacific NW Championship three times and led OSU to three conference titles. She was the leading scorer on the 1967 and 1968 women’s basketball teams. Lyla Voth – Competed in gymnastics, track, basketball, bowling, softball, volleyball, field hockey and tennis. She was a member of the first Oregon State gymnastics team to win a Pac-8 Championship. She was also a member of six conference championship teams. Fifteen student-athletes from women’s rowing will be inducted: April Allen – Earned a silver in the HW Wherry in 1969. Jan Brown – Placed second nationally in 1975. Kate Gribskov – First OSU woman to be selected for national tryouts. Placed second nationally in 1975. Denise Jolley – Two-time medalist in 1967 and 1969. First Oregon State woman to win a national championship in the HW Wherry in 1967. Marcia Morley – Teammate with Janet Shoenborn and earned a bronze in the Wherry in 1966. Janet Shoenborn – A three-time medalist in 1966 and 1967. She was part of a two-person team with Marcia Morley, who was OSU’s first-ever to compete in the NWRA Championship. Ellen Kinnunen and Carol Urie – Placed third in the lightweight crew pair in 1972. Bene Schleuniger and Tanya Duvall – Placed third in the lightweight crew pair in 1979. Carol Schmit, Bonnie Forseth, Jan Brown, Jennifer Hartley and Karen Bluel – The five placed third at the Open Quad in 1974. One coach will be inducted, Astrid Hancock, who coached rowing from 1965-75 and swimming from 1964-65, 67-73. Hancock’s nine-year career saw women’s rowing win one national title and other boats medal (top three respectively) nine times. Several others finished in the top 10. As the swimming coach, she was the first to help OSU be represented at the AIAW Championships in 1972.
