Five Selected For UW-Oshkosh Hall Of Fame Induction

UW-Oshkosh increases its Athletics Hall of Fame membership to 179 when five former student-athletes are inducted at the school’s 41st Annual Hall of Fame & Senior Awards Banquet on Sunday, May 4.

This year’s induction class includes basketball players Tim Dworak and John Lallensack, soccer player Scott Deopere, track & field standout Matt Groose and baseball player Vince Mancuso.

The banquet will be held at UW-Oshkosh’s Alumni Welcome and Conference Center (625 Pearl Avenue). Festivities begin with a social from 4:15 - 4:45 p.m., followed by the banquet at 5 p.m.

Deopere is the school record holder with 74 goals and 173 points. The two-time All-American was named the 2000 NCAA Division III Player of the Year. Deopere, a graduate of Rock Island (Ill.) High School, led the Titans to an overall record of 60-17-2, including a berth in the 2000 Final Four.

Dworak guided UW-Oshkosh to the NCAA Division III Elite Eight in 2003 and the Sweet Sixteen during 2002. He ranks second in school history with 1,999 points and third with 784 rebounds. The two-time WIAC Player of the Year compiled a shooting percentage of .610, which ranks second in league history. Dworak is a graduate of Kewaunee High School.

Over the last 50 years, no Titan has more rebounds than Lallensack’s 897. He helped UW-Oshkosh reach the 1968 NAIA Final Four with a 23-6 record. Lallensack, the 1968 WIAC Player of the Year, owns the conference record with 35 rebounds in a game. He is a graduate of Manitowoc Lincoln High School.

Groose collected 10 NCAA Division III All-America awards, including 800-meter national indoor titles in 2002 and 2003 and outdoors in 2001 and 2002. Groose was named the Outstanding Track Athlete at the 2002 NCAA Division III Indoor Championship. The Watertown High School graduate also ran on UW-Oshkosh's 2002 national championship cross country team.

Mancuso ranks among the WIAC’s all-time leaders in home runs (36) and runs batted in (171). He was named 2003 NCAA Division III Player of the Year after hitting .465 with 17 home runs and 70 RBI. The Titans posted a 127-29 record during Mancuso’s career. UW-Oshkosh's 2003 team advanced to the NCAA Division III World Series in Appleton. Mancuso is a graduate of Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School.

UW-Oshkosh will also honor its seniors at the banquet. The event includes the presentation of the John Taylor Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards.

Banquet tickets are available at a cost of $23 per person. People may also sponsor a senior-athlete’s dinner for $23. To purchase tickets or sponsor a senior, contact Susie Gustke at (920) 424-1383 or gustke@uwosh.edu. Tickets will be available until April 28.

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.