MENOMONIE - Eight Blue Devil legends will have their legacies etched in stone this fall as members of the Blue Devil Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024. The newest class includes:
- Naomi DeLara (Gymnastics)
- Daniel Drewek (Track & Field)
- Derek Hanson (Hockey)
- Patrick Mengelkoch (Football)
- Tim Nelson (Track & Field/Cross Country)
- Erin Anderson (O'Connell) (Softball)
- John Miller (Coach)
- Layne Pitt (Administrator)
The UW-Stout Athletic Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony will be held in conjunction with UW-Stout's Homecoming festivities when the university inducts eight new members into the Hall, Saturday, Oct. 26, in the Great Hall of the Memorial Student Center.
Inductees will be introduced at halftime of the homecoming football game, which is slated to begin at 1 p.m. at Don and Nona Williams Stadium. The induction ceremony will be held in the Memorial Student Center following the game. The evening will include dinner, cash bar, and remarks from all inductees in attendance.
Tickets are available to order on-line.
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. A list of previous inductees can be found
HERE
Naomi DeLara – Gymnastics 2008-2011
- Five-time All-American.
- Four-time National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) National Champion
- 2011 NCGA West Region gymnast of the year
- 2008 National Champion on the balance beam
- 2009 National Champion on the floor exercise
- 2011 National Champion on vault and balance beam.
- Four-time WIAC champion
- Selected to the WIAC All-Time gymnastics team in 2012
Daniel Drewek – Track and Field, 2008-2012
- Seven-time United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-American.
- Three indoor championships
- Four outdoor championships.
- Five-time NCAA Division III pole vault All-American.
- All-American in the heptathlon and 4x100-relay team.
- 2011 WIAC decathlon and pole vault champion, named field performer of the meet
- 2012 WIAC heptathlon champion
- Eight-time WIAC athlete of the week
- School record holder in the indoor and outdoor pole vault as well as the heptathlon and decathlon
Derek Hanson – Hockey 2006-2010
- Centered one of the most prolific lines in UW-Stout hockey history.
- School record for points with 140.
- Tied for school record for career-assists with 80 with line mate Scott Motz
- Second all-time with 60 career goals.
- 26 career power play goals
- Three-time all WIAC and NCHA selection.
- Played a pivotal role in Stout's first NCAA Division III hockey tournament appearance and led them to the Frozen Four the next season.
Patrick Mengelkoch – Football 2007-2010
- Played in all 40 games as a blocking and receiving tight end.
- Led Stout in receiving yards for three straight season.
- Stout's all-time receiving tight end leader
- Three-time All-WIAC selection
- 2010 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and D3football.com All-American
- Third-team AP Little America Team selection
- Selected to the 2010 All-State/AFCA Good Works Team
Tim Nelson – Track and Field, 2008-2012
- Seven-time United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-American.
- 2012 USTFCCCA Division III Men's Athlete of the Year for both outdoor track and field and cross country, winning individual national titles in the indoor and outdoor 5000-meter, outdoor 10,000-meter and cross country.
- School record holder in the indoor 3000- and 5000-meter, and outdoor 5000- and 10,000-meters.
- Won five WIAC Championships.
- 2011 and 2012 WIAC Athlete of the Year
- Two-time Capital One Academic All-America of the Year for men's track and field and cross country.
- WIAC Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete of the Year in both cross country and outdoor track and field
Erin Anderson (O'Connell) – Softball 2002-2005
- 2003 All-American
- Led NCAA Division III in home runs in 2003 with 15.
- Her 15 home runs in 2003 are School and WIAC records.
- Two-time first-team Great Lakes All-Region selection.
- Four-year starter, playing in 150 games.
- Three-time All-WIAC selection.
- School record in fielding percentage (.992)
- Sits in the top-10 in four categories
- Slugging percentage (.636/third)
- hits (164/eighth)
- RBI (112/third)
- at-bats (461/eighth)
- Key member of Stout first ever NCAA Division III tournament team.
John Miller – Swimming, Track & Field Coach 1982-1989
- Three-time NAIA District 14swimming coach of the year.
- Coached four-time national champion Wendy Heineke
- Coached 11 women to 41 total All-America honors
- Coached 17 men to 43 total All-America honors
- Coached seven individual men's conference swimming champions, 13 individual women's swimming conference champions
- Coached nine individual women's track and field conference champions
- Meet director for two NAIA national championship meets
- Served as the president (1988-89), vice-president (1987-88) and secretary (1986-87) of the NAIA national swimming and diving association.
Layne Pitt – Sports Information Director 1994-2022
- Initiated the department's athletic website in 1996.
- Added live stats and video streaming services of games.
- Introduced social media
- Produced statistics, stories, game notes, player bios and photographs of thousands of games and events, publicized thousands of student-athletes
- Worked with the addition of men's hockey, women's soccer, men's and women's golf, women's lacrosse and varsity Esports
- Managed publicity for the 2001 and 2017 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) championships and numerous NCAA Division III and WIAC championships.
- Presented with the University's Chancellor's Academic Staff Award for Excellence in 2019
- Lifetime Achievement Award from the College Sports Communicators for more than 25 years of service
