Six Named to St. Norbert Athletics Hall of Fame

From Asst. AD/Athletics Communications, July 18, 2019 |
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - The St. Norbert College Department of Intercollegiate Athletics 2020 Hall of Fame Class will be inducted Saturday, October 5 on campus.

Inductees are Ashley (Graybill) Akins (women's track and field/cross country), Kyle Jones (men's hockey), Stacy (Ritter) Shaske (women's basketball), Russ Schmelzer (athletics training staff), Abbey Sutherland (women's volleyball) and Andrew Winters (men's soccer and tennis).

Akins, a 2009 graduate, was a four-year letterwinner in track and field from 2006 to 2009 and a two-year letterwinner in cross country from 2007 to 2008. She is a two-time NCAA Division III national champion in the 800-meter run, capturing the 2009 indoor and outdoor titles. A three-time All-American, she won a total of 15 Midwest Conference titles (seven indoor, eight outdoor).

Jones, a 2008 graduate, was a four-year letterwinner in hockey from 2005 to 2008. Jones led St. Norbert to its first national championship as a senior in 2008, winning the Sid Watson Award as the nation's top player. Jones fashioned an 87-10-8 career record and later went on to play professionally for seven years. Jones holds NCAA Division III record with 25 career shutouts and a consecutive shutout streak of 337 minutes 22 seconds.

Shaske, a 2003 graduate, was a four-year letterwinner in basketball from 2000 to 2003. The Midwest Conference Player of the Year in 2003, she led the Green Knights to 23 wins and a spot in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Tournament that season. She finished her career with 884 points and was typically assigned to defend the opposing team's best player.

Schmelzer, a 1981 graduate, was the head athletics trainer for St. Norbert for 37 years. Schmelzer was the first full-time certified athletic trainer at St. Norbert, and was hired shortly after his graduation. He was the only certified athletic trainer at St. Norbert from 1983 to 1996. Also handling the Green Knights' equipment and laundry needs in his early years, Schmelzer retired in December 2017.

Sutherland, a 2004 graduate, was a four-year letterwinner in volleyball from 2000 to 2003. Named the Midwest Conference Player of the Year in 2002 and 2003, she was a three-time All-MWC selection and was twice named honorable mention all-region. She is also St. Norbert's career leader in assists with 4,606. Sutherland has gone on to a successful coaching career, currently the head coach at UW-Green Bay after leading programs at Southern Mississippi and UW-Stevens Point.

Winters, a 2007 graduate, was a four-year letterwinner in soccer from 2003 to 2006 and in tennis from 2004 to 2007. A NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient, Winters was twice named a first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American in soccer and once in tennis. As a senior, he was a first-team All-MWC selection in soccer and was half of the MWC No. 1 doubles champion in tennis.

The Class of 2020 brings the total enshrined in the St. Norbert Athletics Hall of Fame at 152 persons. The Hall of Fame Induction Banquet will be held on the evening of Saturday, October 5 at 7 p.m. (6 p.m. cocktails) in the Michels Ballroom on the St. Norbert campus. For banquet tickets or other Hall of Fame information, call (920) 403-3031.