UW-Oshkosh Hall Of Fame To Welcome Eight New Members

The UW-Oshkosh Hall of Fame welcomes its largest class ever when eight members are inducted at the Hall of Fame & Senior Awards Banquet on Sunday (May 5). The event begins at 5 p.m. in UW-Oshkosh's Reeve Memorial Union.

Two baseball players, Kevin Mlodik and Aaron Richartz, are among the inductees. Also included are gymnast Tiffany (Barden) Losinski, track & field thrower Vicki Drewa, tennis standout Jennifer (Pekulik) Petricek and soccer goalkeeper Mitchell Poppen. Legendary coaches Deb Vercauteren and John Zupanc join them in the class of 2013.

UW-Oshkosh also will honor its senior student-athletes. The banquet includes the presentation of the John Taylor Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Phyllis Roney Coaches awards.

Losinski compiled eight All-America finishes for the Titans from 1996-99. She was a three-time honoree on the balance beam, including a national champion in 1996. The Stevens Point High School graduate received four All-America awards in the all-around competition and one more in the floor exercise.

Drewa, from Kaukauna High School, helped UW-Oshkosh capture national outdoor track & field championships in 1990 and 1991. She gained All-America status with the discus all four years (1990-93), taking the conference title in 1991. With the shot put, Drewa totaled three All-America finishes indoors and three more outdoors.

Both Mlodik and Richartz were part of UW-Oshkosh’s 1994 national championship team. Mlodik (1993-95) ranks eighth in conference history with his 2.50 earned run average. The Rosholt High School graduate was drafted by the Oakland Athletics following an All-America 1995 season. He helped the Titans to a 108-24 overall record, including a 19-4 mark with his pitching.

Richartz (1991-94) was a three-time All-American who finished his career with a .371 batting average, 35 home runs and 146 runs batted in. After coming from Menomonie High School, he helped UW-Oshkosh to a 132-42 overall record.

Petricek (1997-2000) ranks among the top players in program history with her 75-17 singles record. The Sheboygan Falls High School graduate compiled a 20-1 mark during her freshman campaign. She later became the first Titan to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championship.

From 1990-93, Poppen totaled a 46-11-8 record as UW-Oshkosh’s goalkeeper. He allowed an average of just 0.81 goals per game. Poppen, from Burnsville High School (Minn.), helped the Titans to a pair of national tournaments, including an Elite Eight berth in 1993.

Vercauteren won 18 national titles while coaching women’s cross country and women’s track & field from 1981-2010. The Ashwaubenon native was inducted into the WIAC Hall of Fame last year. She was named National Coach of the Year four times, while her athletes totaled 58 individual national titles and 331 All-America awards.

Zupanc coached men’s cross country and men’s track & field from 1981-2010. He guided the Titans to indoor and outdoor national championships in 2009. Zupanc led UW-Oshkosh to four national titles and seven conference championships in cross country. The Monroe native coached his athletes to 14 individual national titles and 108 All-America citations.

The UW-Oshkosh 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. This year’s class increases the total membership to 174.