St. Peter, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus College Athletics Department has selected eight individuals for induction into its Athletics Hall of Fame. The 2013 class of inductees includes Todd Bowlby `98 (Tennis), Rebecca Wold Freeman `98 (Cross Country, Basketball, Track & Field), Alecia Tromiczak Gazzola `98 (Soccer), Scott Lauinger `96 (Basketball), Shasta Lininger Johnson `95 (Gymnastics), Mark Lynch `95 (Football), Shannon McGee`96 (Gymnastics), and Dave Newcomer`91 (Hockey). This group will be honored at the Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet, which will be held in Alumni Hall at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 2, following the Hall of Fame football game between the Gusties and Saint John’s University set to take place at 1:00 p.m. on Hollingsworth Field.
Individuals eligible for induction into the Gustavus Athletics Hall of Fame are athletes, coaches, and benefactors. Selection of athletes is based on athletic achievements while a student at Gustavus. All eight members of the Gustavus Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2013 will be inducted for their accomplishments on the playing field.
Todd Bowlby, a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is one of the most decorated athletes in the history of Gustavus men’s tennis. The face of the program in the mid-1990s, Bowlby was named the National Rookie-of-the-Year in 1995, becoming the first player from Minnesota to ever receive such an honor. A finalist in the 1996 NCAA Singles Tournament and a two-time finalist as a singles and doubles player at the 1997 and 1998 ITA Tournament, Todd is one of just three players in Gustavus men’s tennis history to earn All-America honors in all four years of his career.
Rebecca Wold Freeman, a native of Mounds View, Minnesota, was one of the most versatile female athletes to ever come through Gustavus. A three-sport standout from 1995 to 1998, Freeman was an All-Conference performer (1997) and a two-time All-Region performer (1996, 1997) in cross country. On the hardwood, Becca was three-year starter and two-time all-conference guard who scored a total of 844 points in a Gustavus uniform and graduated as the program’s all-time leader in three-point field goals made. On the track, Freeman was a four-time all-conference runner who qualified for the NCAA Championships twice – taking home All-America honors with a fourth place finish in the 800-meter run in 1996.
Alecia Tromiczak Gazzola, a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, was a pure goal-scorer during the Gustavus women’s soccer team’s run of MIAC dominance in the mid-1990s. A three-time all-conference and all-region performer, Gazzola ranks second in program history in career goals (48) and third in career scoring (48-17-113). She was a starting forward on the MIAC Championship teams of 1995, 1996, and 1997, and is one of just two players in program history to be named an NSCAA All-American twice (1996, 1997).
Scott Lauinger, a native of Marshall, Minnesota, earned All-Conference honors three times for the Gustavus men’s basketball team in the mid-1990s. Lauinger holds the school record for career field goal percentage (62.8%) and graduated ranked seventh in career scoring (1,490 pts.) and fifth in field goals made (602). Lauinger was named the MIAC’s Most Valuable Player in 1996 when he led the Gusties to MIAC regular season and playoff titles and an NCAA Tournament berth where the team advanced to the Sweet 16 before falling to Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. At the end his senior season he was named First Team All-Region by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
Shasta Lininger Johnson, a native of Chanhassen, Minnesota, was a seven-time All-American and three-time national champion on the Gustavus gymnastics team during its nationally dominating run in the mid-1990s. Johnson was a national champion on the vault in 1992 and 1994, and the floor exercise in 1994. She set the NCGA record for vault score at 9.5-9.6 – 19.10 in 1994 and helped the Gusties to NCGA National Championships in 1992, 1993, and 1994.
Mark Lynch, a native of River Falls, Wisconsin, was dominating tackle on the Gustavus football team’s offensive line in the early 1990s. A three-year starter, Lynch earned All-Conference honors in 1993 and 1994. Over his career, Mark blocked for two running backs who surpassed 2,000 career yards and who both rank inside the top 10 all-time in career rushing yards at Gustavus.
Shannon McGee, a native of Round Rock, Texas, was seven-time All-American and member of the 1993 and 1994 Gustavus NCGA Championship gymnastics teams. McGee was a national champion in the all-around in 1993 and was named the NCGA Senior Athlete-of-the-Year in 1996. She earned All-America honors three times in the all-around, twice on the floor, and once each on the bars and balance beam.
Dave Newcomer, a native of Rochester, Minnesota, was a three-time all-conference performer as a center for the Gustavus men’s hockey team in the late-1980s and early-1990s. Newcomer earned American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) All-America honors in 1991, and was the MIAC Player-of-the-Year in 1991. He ranks sixth all-time in scoring for the Gusties with 177 points (74G, 103A) and is one of only five players in program history to play in 115 games or more.
The selection of inductees to the Gustavus Athletics Hall of Fame is made by the Gustavus Hall of Fame Board which is a 13-member group consisting of current athletic administrators, and former coaches and alumni.
It should also be acknowledged that Rebecca Wold Freeman qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 1997.