The Gustavus Adolphus College Athletics Department has chosen nine individuals for induction into its Athletics Hall of Fame. The 2008 inductees include Sue Erlandson Breckner ’83 (Volleyball), Milt Brostrom ’49 (Benefactor), Sarah Edmonds Harris ’93 (Cross Country), Steve McDermott ’88 (Soccer, Basketball), Andy Micheletti ’72 (Ice Hockey), Ginny Schafer ’93 (Soccer), Tim Schwartz ’90 (Football, Baseball), Mary Sutherland Ryerse ’90 (Tennis), and Heather Thorson Kittelsen ’92 (Softball). 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, October 25, following the Hall of Fame football game against Augsburg 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. Eight of the nine members of the Gustavus Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2008 will be inducted for their accomplishments as athletes, while one, Milt Brostrom, will be inducted as a benefactor.
Sue Erlandson Breckner, a native of Edina, Minnesota, was a two-time All-Conference performer on the volleyball team (1981, 1982) and the starting middle hitter of the 1982 MIAC Championship team. She graduated as the program’s all-time leading hitter with 808 kills;
Milt Brostrom, a native of Ironwood, Michigan, was a professor of mathematics at Gustavus from 1955 To 1991, who served as the faculty athletic representative to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1969 to 1991. He also served as the NAIA District 13 Eligibility Chair from 1975 to 1979 and the MIAC Eligibility Chair from 1980 to 1991. Brostrom has also worked as the timekeeper for Gustavus football games for the past 40 years;
Sarah Edmonds Harris, a native of Sioux City, Iowa, was the 1992 NCAA Division III Cross Country Champion. Harris won every race she competed in during the 1992 season including the MIAC Championship and the NCAA Central Region Championship. She received the Honda Cup as the Division III Runner of the Year and was also named the Cross Country Coaches Association Runner of the Year;
Steve McDermott, a native of North St. Paul, Minnesota, was two-sport standout in soccer and basketball earning All-Conference honors in soccer in 1986 and 1987 and in basketball in 1988. He was captain of both the soccer and basketball teams in his senior season and was the starting guard on the 1988 men’s basketball team that won the MIAC Championship;
Andy Micheletti, a native of Hibbing, Minnesota, is considered to be the most successful goaltender in the history of the men’s hockey program as he has held the school records for career wins (53), career save percentage (.914), and career goals against average for more than 30 years. He was the starting goaltender on four MIAC Championship teams and four NAIA Final Four teams and earned NAIA All-America honors in 1971;
Ginny Schafer, a native of Wayzata, Minnesota, was a three-time All-Conference, two-time All-Region, and two-time All-America honoree as a defender for the women’s soccer team in the early ’90s. Shafer, a four-year starter for the Gusties was named the team’s captain in her senior season and Team MVP in her sophomore, junior, and senior seasons;
Tim Schwartz, a native of Gaylord, Minnesota, was a standout running back on the football team and shortstop on the baseball squad. Schwartz was a three-year starter for the baseball team earning All-Conference honors in 1989 and 1990 and graduating with a career batting average of .339. In football, he started at tailback and on special teams earning All-Conference honors in 1989, while also being named the Most Valuable Player by his teammates that same year. He ranks 12th all-time in rushing at Gustavus with 1,599 yards;
Mary Sutherland Ryerse, a native of Plymouth, Minnesota, played #2 singles and #1 doubles on the 1990 squad that won the NCAA Championship. She was also awarded the 1990 Division III Arthur Ashe Award, which is presented to the player who best combines tennis ability with academics and community service. Ryerse was a two-time All-America honoree as well as a three-time All-Conference performer;
Heather Thorson Kittelsen, a native of Tonka Bay, Minnesota, a three-time All-Conference third baseman on the softball team, who graduated as the all-time leading hitter in Division III with a career average of .488. As a sophomore in 1990, Kittlesen led the MIAC in hitting with a .540 average, while helping the Gusties win the league title with a 20-0 record. She still ranks first all-time at Gustavus in batting average (.488), runs scored (120), and stolen bases (63).
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.