2003 UW-Oshkosh Hall of Fame
The UW-Oshkosh Athletic Hall of Fame increased its membership to 129 with May 4 inductions held at UW-Oshkosh's Reeve Memorial Union.
The 2003 inductees were of Kathi Bennett, Carolyn (Christiansen) Destache, Nancy (Dare) Kunkler, Lawrence Gagnon, George Hightdudis, Laura (Horejs) Lambert and Dave Lambert.
The UW-Oshkosh Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1974 to give tribute and deserved recognition to former athletes, coaches and friends of the university. It is also intended to enhance school tradition by honoring those people who have shown exceptional ability while on the UW-Oshkosh campus and since graduation.
When Kathi Bennett replaced Carol Anhalt as head coach at UW-Oshkosh in August of 1989, she inherited a women's basketball program that was a consistent upper-division finisher in the WIAC but foreign to 20-win seasons, league championships and NCAA Division III postseason experiences.
However, by the time Bennett departed from UW-Oshkosh in April of 1996 to become the head women's basketball coach at the University of Evansville (Ind.), she left a program on the shore of the Fox River that was charted on the radar screen as an annual 20-game winner, WIAC champion and NCAA Division III national power.
Bennett's formula for bringing UW-Oshkosh to national prominence worked quickly. In fact, it didn't even take one season as the Titans posted a 17-7 record during her first year at the school, finished second in the WIAC and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship.
Led by NCAA Division III All-American and UW-Oshkosh Hall of Fame member Lisa Kirchenwitz, the Titans posted their first 20-win season in school history in 1991 and claimed their first WIAC title since 1985. The Titans went 21-5 on the hardwood that year and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship.
Bennett, a Stevens Point Area High School graduate, guided UW-Oshkosh to an 18-6 record in 1992, with another WIAC title and appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship. In 1993, the Titans posted a 16-8 mark and finished third in the WIAC.
The best was yet to come for Bennett and the Titans over the next three seasons as they fashioned an 83-6 record, registered three WIAC championships and made three quarterfinal round appearances in the NCAA Division III Championship. However, none of those accomplishments matched the 31-0 season of 1996, when the Titans won the school's first NCAA Division III women's basketball title.
UW-Oshkosh proceeded its 1996 season by compiling a 24-3 record in 1994 and a 28-3 mark in 1995. The Titans advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division III Championship in 1994 and to the 1995 title game, where it lost, 59-55, to Capital University (Ohio) on the Crusaders' home court.
Paced by NCAA Division III Player of the Year Wendy Wangerin, Bennett's Titans finished the 1996 season perfect. In the title game of the NCAA Division III Championship, UW-Oshkosh defeated the University of Mount Union (Ohio), 66-50, before a NCAA Division III Championship-record crowd of 4,001 fans in Kolf Sports Center. Bennett was recognized that season as the Coach of the Year in the NCAA Division III by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.
Bennett's seven-year ledger at UW-Oshkosh is impressive – a 155-32 overall record, a 94-17 WIAC record, six NCAA Division III Championship appearances, five WIAC titles, 17 All-WIAC first team selections, two NCAA Division III All-America selections, and one NCAA Division III title.
Bennett, the daughter of former University of Wisconsin and current Washington State University head men's basketball coach Dick Bennett, resides in Bloomington, Ind., where she recently completed her third season as head women's basketball coach at Indiana University. Bennett is a 1986 graduate of UW-Green Bay.
It's been 20 years since Carolyn Christiansen last competed for the UW-Oshkosh women's gymnastics team, but her success as a member of the Titans from 1980-83 still ranks today as one of the finest in school and WIAC history.
Shortly after arriving on the UW-Oshkosh campus from Arlington Heights High School in the northern Chicago, Ill., suburbs, Christiansen immediately made her mark as a top performer and a leader for head coach Phyllis Hardt's Titans.
Christiansen won the WIAC's all-around title as a freshman with a score of 32.46 and helped the Titans to their second of a league-record nine consecutive team championships. Her rookie collegiate season ended with All-America honors in the all-around competition at the AIAW Division III Championship, an event won by UW-Oshkosh. That national championship claimed by the Titans in 1980 was the first in the history of the UW-Oshkosh women's athletics program.
In 1981, Christiansen again won the WIAC's all-around championship and paced the Titans to the league title. The Titans were denied in their quest to repeat as AIAW Division III champion, but it wasn't at the fault of Christiansen, who received All-America honors in the all-around competition, on the balance beam and in the floor exercise.
In 1982, Christiansen became the first person in WIAC history to win three straight women's gymnastics league titles, this time taking the all-around crown with a score of 33.00. Her effort again helped the Titans to the WIAC championship. Christiansen concluded her junior season with an All-America performance in the all-around competition at the AIAW Division III Championship.
Christiansen's final season at UW-Oshkosh resulted in another WIAC championship for the Titans. Individually, she finished second to teammate and eventual UW-Oshkosh Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Debbie Lindemer in the all-around competition at the league event. Christiansen's final performance at the AIAW Division III Championship resulted in All-America honors on the balance beam.
In all, Christiansen's career at UW-Oshkosh includes four conference team championships, one national championship, three conference individual titles and six All-America honors.
Christiansen, a 1983 UW-Oshkosh graduate, lives in Sussex with her husband, Doug, and their two daughters, Nicole and Jamie. Christiansen currently is in her 20th year as the Health Recreation & Fitness Director at the Jewish Community Center of Milwaukee. She also has been associated with a number of community groups in the Milwaukee area, most notably the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, and Girl Scouts of America.
In the storied history of the UW-Oshkosh women's track & field program, there have been 11 first-place finishes in running events by Titans at the NCAA Division III indoor and outdoor championships. But the first of those 11 belong to Nancy Dare, who competed for UW-Oshkosh in women's cross country from 1987-90, women's indoor track & field from 1988-91 and women's outdoor track & field from 1988-91.
Competing mainly in the middle distance running events, Dare earned five NCAA Division III All-America track & field accolades in the 1,500-meter run. In 1990, at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship, Dare established UW-Oshkosh history when she won the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:29.57. Her performance at the meet enabled the Titans to win their first women's track & field national title in school history.
Dare also received NCAA Division III All-America status in the 1,500-meter run four other times, at the indoor championship in 1990 and 1991 and at the outdoor championship in 1988, 1990 and 1991. Her second-place finish in the 1,500-meter run in 1991 helped the Titans to the NCAA Division III outdoor title.
At the local level, Dare won a pair of 1,500-meter run titles at the WIAC Outdoor Championship, with victories coming in times of 4:44.90 in 1989 and 4:34.00 in 1990. UW-Oshkosh won every WIAC track & field meet held during Dare's career, going a perfect eight-for-eight.
As a member of the UW-Oshkosh women's cross country team, Dare also enjoyed personal and team success. Her cross country career included two first- and two second-place finishes at the NCAA Division III Championship and another four WIAC team titles.
Following UW-Oshkosh's NCAA Division III title performances in 1987 and 1988, Dare finished 14th in 1989 and 18th in 1990 individually to help the Titans to a pair of second-place national finishes. Both efforts gained Dare NCAA Division III All-America accolades.
In the WIAC, Dare registered a trio of top-10 cross country finishes, placing third in 1990, seventh in 1989 and ninth in 1988.
Since graduating from UW-Oshkosh in 1991, the 12-time WIAC championship team member has held several public relations positions, with two of them, Hager Sharp Inc., of Washington D.C., in 1995, and Mueller Communications of Milwaukee in 1999, receiving Achievement Awards from the Public Relations Society of America. Dare also worked in the Washington D.C., office of Congressman Tom Petri.
Today, the Lake Geneva Badger High School graduate lives in Jackson with her husband, Andy, and daughter, Holly. Dare is currently public relations director at the Milwaukee-based Alliance for Children and Families, a position she has held for the past three years.
When the sport of tennis is discussed around Wisconsin at the high school, collegiate, amateur or professional levels, it's a good bet that the name Lawrence Gagnon will come up in conversation.
Gagnon enrolled at UW-Oshkosh in the fall of 1970 and announced his presence as a men's tennis player for the Titans from 1971-73 and in 1975 by compiling what was thought at the time to be unattainable standards.
Gagnon had another outstanding season in 1972, this time compiling a 22-7 singles record and winning singles championships in both WIAC and NAIA District 14 play. Gagnon also won the NAIA District 14 doubles title at the top competitive flight. UW-Oshkosh, the WIAC and NAIA District 14 team champion, also qualified that season for the NAIA Championship, where it placed eighth in the country. In doubles play, Gagnon and teammate Leigh Ford paired up to advance to the quarterfinal round of the NAIA Championship, where it lost a three-set contest to the eventual second-place finisher.
The 1973 season saw Gagnon post a 24-7 singles record and finish first in first-flight singles and doubles play of both the WIAC and NAIA District 14 championships. UW-Oshkosh, the WIAC and NAIA District 14 team champion, also qualified that season for the NAIA Championship, where it placed fourth in the country. Gagnon advanced to the fifth round of singles play at the NAIA Championship, while teaming with Ford to advance to the quarterfinals in doubles action.
Gagnon was unable to play for the Titans during the 1974 season due to an injury but returned in 1975 to tabulate a 31-2 singles record. His UW-Oshkosh singles career ended with a three-set, fifth-round loss at the NAIA Championship, an event in which the Titans finished 15th. Along the way, Gagnon took home WIAC and NAIA District 14 titles in the first flight of singles play and a WIAC championship in the first flight of doubles action. UW-Oshkosh once again was crowned team champion of the WIAC and the NAIA District 14.
Following a collegiate career that featured a 101-24 singles record, Gagnon became general manager of the Four Seasons & Western Tennis Clubs in Green Bay. In 1978, he was hired as the director of tennis at the Berlin Tennis Schule in Berlin, Germany.
Gagnon, a 1975 UW-Oshkosh graduate, returned to the Milwaukee area after his three-year stint in Germany, but his stay in the Badger State lasted only a few years as in 1987 he left for Singapore to become the Davis Cup coach for Bahrain and Singapore. Since returning for a second time to the Milwaukee area in 1991, Gagnon has held a variety of tennis occupations, including his current position as director of racquet sports at the Motion Fitness and Racquet Club in New Berlin. He also is the head men's and women's tennis coach at the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Competitively, Gagnon continues to excel in tennis. The father of one son, Phil, Gagnon currently holds the top 45 and Over Doubles ranking in Wisconsin. Last month at the United States Tennis Association Indoor Championship in Chicago, Ill., Gagnon finished fifth in the 50 and Over Singles Division.
At just five-foot-seven and 172 pounds, George Hightdudis was undersized even by the relatively smaller college football standards of the 1950s.
But during a four-year career as linebacker and offensive guard, Hightdudis led the UW-Oshkosh football team in spirit and heart, thus, earning All-WIAC accolades and team most valuable player and team captain honors.
A graduate of Menasha High School, Hightdudis enrolled at UW-Oshkosh in 1954 following a tour in military service and immediately became a starter. After starting every game for UW-Oshkosh in 1955, the "Terrible Titan," as he was nicknamed, received All-WIAC first team recognition and became a defensive captain for UW-Oshkosh in 1956.
In 1957, Hightdudis' senior campaign, UW-Oshkosh posted a 4-3 record to mark the Titans' first winning season since going 5-0-1 in 1935. Hightdudis played a major role in the Titans' success that season and was rewarded with All-WIAC first team honors and team most valuable player recognition. Hightdudis played virtually 60 minutes of every game for UW-Oshkosh during his four-year career.
In addition to playing football, Hightdudis also was a member of the men's outdoor track & field team at UW-Oshkosh in 1955 and 1956.
Following graduation from UW-Oshkosh in 1958, Hightdudis went on to teach and coach football, track & field and wrestling at Marion High School. Besides his duties at Marion High School, especially that of coaching a first-year wrestling program, Hightdudis also pursued an advanced degree in counseling.
After six years at Marion High School, Hightdudis' journeyed into administrative positions with CESA 13 and with school districts in Abbotsford and Oshkosh. In 1990, a lengthy career in education ended for Hightdudis when he retired as assistant principal at Oshkosh North High School, a position he had held since 1985.
Hightdudis, who resides in Oshkosh with his wife, Ruth, still remains active with UW-Oshkosh through his longtime involvement with the school's Alumni Association and National "O" Club, with the latter featuring participation for more than 30 years.
With a total of 16 WIAC and four NCAA Division III individual event championships to her credit, Laura Horejs is one of the most heralded distance runners in the history of the UW-Oshkosh women's cross country and women's track & field programs.
Horejs competed in women's cross country at UW-Oshkosh from 1988 to 1991 and in women's indoor and outdoor track & field from 1989-92. During that time the Oshkosh Lourdes High School graduate helped lead the Titans to four NCAA Division III championships and 11 WIAC titles.
In cross country, Horejs was a NCAA Division III All-American three times, with finishes of 10th in 1989, fourth in 1990 and first in 1991. Her national title in 1991 was the first in the history of the UW-Oshkosh women's cross country program. Thanks to Horejs's four-year efforts, UW-Oshkosh finished first in the team standings at the NCAA Division III Championship in 1988 and 1991 and second in 1989 and 1990.
Running at the WIAC Championship, Horejs took top honors in 1990 and 1991 as the Titans won the league title all four seasons. Horejs also finished third at the WIAC meet in 1989.
Individually, Horejs' track & field resume contains three national titles, six All-America performances and 14 conference championships. Her listings are headed by 1,500-meter run victories at the 1992 NCAA Division III Indoor and at the 1991 and 1992 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships. Horejs's six All-America mentions were also in the 1,500-meter run, with indoor and outdoor efforts in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
Horejs's WIAC Indoor Championship performances include first-place finishes in the 1,000-yard run in 1989; 1,000-meter run in 1990, 1991 and 1992; 1,500-meter run in 1991 and 1992; 3,000-meter run in 1991 and 1992; and the distance medley relay in 1990. At the WIAC Outdoor Championship, Horejs finished first in the 800-meter run in 1989, 1,500-meter run in 1991 and 1992, and in the 3,000-meter run in 1991 and 1992.
Today, nearly 11 years since she last competed for the Titans, Horejs still holds UW-Oshkosh records in the 1,000-meter run, 1,500-meter run and 5,000-meter run indoors and in the 3,000-meter run outdoors.
Following graduation from UW-Oshkosh in 1992, Horejs has worked as a personal trainer for Club West, marketing coordinator for Suburban Electric, sales representative for U.S. Cellular and director of sales for Town & Country Electric, all located in the Fox Valley.
Horejs currently lives in Winchester with her husband, Dave, who also will be inducted tonight in UW-Oshkosh's Hall of Fame, and children, Valerie and Mitchell. Horejs and her husband's induction mark the first husband-wife membership in UW-Oshkosh's Athletic Hall of Fame.
Finishing 25th in 1988, 11th in 1989, 15th in 1990 and third in 1991, Dave Lambert is one of just seven four-time All-Americans in the history of the NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Championship.
Lambert's run to success also paid dividends for the Titans as they won three NCAA Division III titles from 1988-90 and WIAC championships in 1989 and 1990.
The Oshkosh Lourdes High School graduate also was stellar against his WIAC counterparts as he won the league's individual race in 1991 after finishing third the previous two seasons.
As a distance runner in track & field, Lambert competed from 1989-92. Lambert helped the Titans end a long conference championship drought by winning the WIAC indoor title in 1989 and the WIAC outdoor championship in 1990. At the national level, UW-Oshkosh's highest rankings with Lambert as a team member were a second-place finish at the 1990 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship and a ninth-place finish at the 1992 NCAA Division III Indoor Championship.
Indoors, Lambert was a three-time NCAA Division III All-American in the 5,000-meter run, with finishes of second in 1992, fourth in 1991 and third in 1990. In the WIAC, Lambert won the 3,000-meter run in 1990 and 1991 and the 5,000-meter run in 1991 and 1992.
Outdoors, Lambert also was a three-time NCAA Division III All-American, with 5,000-meter run finishes of second in 1990 and seventh in 1989. He also placed sixth in the 10,000-meter run in 1992. In the WIAC, Lambert won the 5,000-meter run in 1990 and 1991 and the 10,000-meter run in 1991.
Impressive in the classroom as well as on the track or terrain, Lambert was a frequent mention on the university's Dean's List. In 1992, he was named to the CoSIDA/GTE Academic All-America Team as well as being named as an UW-Oshkosh John Taylor Scholar-Athlete award winner. In addition, Lambert was also named as the WIAC's Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1990 and 1991 and WIAC's Men's Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1992.