Five to be inducted into UW-Stout Athletic Hall of Fame Saturday

MENOMONIE (October 23, 2015) - Five former UW-Stout athletes will be inducted into the UW-Stout Athletic Hall of Fame, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.

Volleyball player Tanille Zenner Hartwig, basketball and track and field standout Laura Verdegan Knudsen, basketball players Erin Churchill Konsela and Lindsey Erichsen Olsen and track standout Mike Hallingstad will be enshrined into the Hall.

The Class of 2015 will be honored at halftime of the 1 p.m. UW-Stout/UW-River Falls football game. The banquet and induction will be in the Great Hall of the UW-Stout Memorial Student Center, beginning with a reception at 5 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m. and the ceremony at 7 p.m.

Long-time Blue Devil supporter and former UW-Stout instructor Lee Smalley will receive the UW-Stout Distinguished Service Athletic Award.
 
The purpose of the UW-Stout Athletic Hall of Fame, which was established in 1978, is to pay tribute and to give deserved recognition to former athletic letter winners, coaches/athletic personnel who have demonstrated outstanding contributions while on campus or since graduation and thereby to enhance school tradition.
 
Laura Verdegan Knudsen (2001-05)
Few will match the attributes of Laura Verdegan Knudsen. A 12-time track All-American, Verdegan won the NCAA indoor triple jump title in 2004. During her track career, she was the 2005 USTCA female athlete of the year, won 10 WIAC individual championships, held or was part of nine UW-Stout track records and two WIAC records. As adept on the basketball court as the track, Verdegan was a two-time All-WIAC selection and three-times selected to the All-WIAC defensive team. A dietetics major, Verdegan received the WIAC Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete for indoor track, outdoor track and basketball and was a two-time first team Academic All-America selection. Verdegan was the men's and women's track and field head coach from 2009-13. The 2012 men's team finished fourth nationally indoors and third outdoors.
 
Mike Hallingstad (1994-97)
A major cog in the fastest relay teams in UW-Stout track and field history, Mike Hallingstad's career can stand on its own individually. An eight-time conference champion and seven-time All-American, Hallingstad qualified individually to the national meet in the open 400-meter dash, finishing fifth outdoors in 1997. To this day, Hallingstad holds the second-fastest time in school history in the outdoor 400-meter dash.  Hallingstad's name is among the top 10 times in school history in the indoor 200m (6th), 400m (3rd) and the outdoor 200m (9th) and 400m (2nd).
 


Erin Churchill Konsela (2001-05)
A three-year starter, four-year player, who quarterbacked the Blue Devils' women's basketball team during some of the program's most successful years, Erin Churchill Konsela played both the point guard and shooting guard spots. A two-time All-WIAC honorable mention selection, Churchill was a two-time team captain and finished her career with 844 points, 383 assists and 483 rebounds. Churchill was an assistant women's basketball coach for seven years.

 


Lindsey Erichsen Olsen (2001-05)
Even when called upon to change positions, going from low-post to high-post, Lindsey Erichsen Olsen continued to score for the Blue Devil women's basketball team, finishing her career with 1181 points, ranking fifth on the all-time scoring list. A three-time all-conference selection, Erichsen was a two-time team captain. During her four years, the Blue Devils won two conference titles and posted a combined team record of 84-27. The 2004-05 team advanced to the NCAA tournament, starting a three-year run for the program.



Tanille Zenner Hartwig (2002-04)
A two-time AVCA All-American middle hitter, Tanille Zenner Hartwig was the 2002 AVCA Freshman of the Year. Despite injuries throughout her career, Hartwig was a two-time first team All-WIAC selection and earned team MVP honors all three years of her career. Hartwig is first in the UW-Stout record book in block assists (345), second in hitting percentage (.309) and fourth in kills (1247).
 
 
 
 
Lee Smalley - Distinguished Service Award
Whether the gym is packed or whether there is a smattering of fans, Lee Smalley can usually be found at UW-Stout sporting events. And most of the time, with pencil in hand, he keeps his own statistics. Smalley, retired in 1992, has been a regular at Stout men's and women's events since coming to Stout in 1965. He served in the Technology Education area, training teachers. Smalley has been a true Blue Devil booster, supporting the program both financially and with his attendance and has been awarded the UW-Stout Distinguished Service Athletic Award.