The Gustavus Adolphus College Athletics Department has chosen eight individuals for induction into its Athletics Hall of Fame. The 2005 inductees include Holly Brodmarkle Cervin ’87 (Track and Field, Basketball), Marc Illies ’85 (Football, Baseball), Marc Iverson ’89 (Football), Gretchen Koehler (Coach), Mary Mansour ’85 (Softball), Jay Rooker ’85 (Soccer), Rich Skanse ’84 (Tennis), and Dick Walters ’75 (Ice Hockey, Golf). This group will be honored at the Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet which will be held in Alumni Hall at 7:30 pm on Saturday, September 24, following the Hall of Fame football game against Saint John’s University at 1:00 p.m.
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. In the Gustavus Hall of Fame Class of 2005, Holly Brodmarkle Cervin, Marc Illies, Marc Iverson, Mary Mansour, Jay Rooker, Rich Skanse, and Dick Walters are being inducted for their accomplishments as student-athletes, while Gretchen Koehler will be inducted as a coach.
Holly Brodmarkle Cervin, a native of Brainerd, Minnesota, finished sixth in the high jump at the 1987 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships to become the first All-American in the history of the women’s track and field program. She was a five-time all-conference selection including twice in the indoor season and three times in the outdoor season; Marc Illies, a native of Mound, Minnesota, was a four-year starter at shortstop in baseball and a four-year starter at cornerback and wide receiver in football. He earned all-conference honors in football in 1983 and in baseball in 1984 and 1985; Marc Iverson, a native of St. Peter, Minnesota, was a two-time all-conference offensive lineman on the football team. He started every game of his collegiate career at right tackle and was a key member of the 1987 conference championship team; Gretchen Koehler, a native of Winona, Minnesota, was the head coach of the volleyball team for 28 years compiling an all-time record of 548-353-10. Koehler, who directed the volleyball team to league titles four times (1982, 1984-86), also coached the basketball, tennis, and softball teams; Mary Mansour, a native of Bloomington, Minnesota, was a three-time all-conference outfielder on the softball team. She graduated in 1985 as the program’s second all-time leading hitter with a .374 average. She currently ranks 5th all-time; Jay Rooker, a native of Jordan, Minnesota, was a three-time all-conference forward on the men’s soccer team in the mid-’80s. He was the leading scorer on the 1983 MIAC Championship team and graduated as the program’s third all-time leading scorer with 39 goals and 17 assists for 95 points; Rich Skanse, a native of Bloomington, Minnesota, was the 1982 NCAA Division III Doubles Champion with teammate Shaun Miller. A three-time All-American, Skanse also received the Arthur Ashe Award in 1983, which is given to one player in Division III that combines the attributes of scholarship, playing ability, sportsmanship and civic involvement; and Dick Walters, a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, a goaltender on the ice hockey team who compiled a career record of 77-21-0 and started on two league championship teams. Walters earned All-Conference honors in 1973 and 1975 and All-America honors in 1975. He was also a two-time all-conference selection on the golf team.
The selection of the inductees to the Gustavus Hall of Fame is made by the Gustavus Hall of Fame Board which is an 11-member group consisting of current athletic administrators, and former coaches and alumni.