Three Former Titans To Join WIAC Hall Of Fame Membership
Former UW-Oshkosh student-athletes Mary (Leivian) Taylor and brothers Terry and Tim Jorgensen will be inducted into the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Hall of Fame on Saturday (July 28) in Eau Claire.
A cocktail hour begins at 4 p.m., followed by dinner at 5 p.m. and the induction program at 6 p.m. from UW-Eau Claire’s W.R. Davies Center.
The WIAC, the ninth-oldest conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), will be inducting 27 people on Saturday as part of its third Hall of Fame class.
The inaugural WIAC Hall of Fame class was held in 2012 and included former UW-Oshkosh student-athletes Casey Edwards and Jarrod Washburn and coach Deb Vercauteren. In 2015, UW-Oshkosh's inductees were Jim Gantner, Melissa Mueller and Russ Tiedemann.
In announcing the 2018 class, WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner noted once again how difficult the selection process is given the 105-year history and incomparable success of the conference.
“Quite frankly, there are dozens, if not hundreds, more individuals deserving of this honor. Therefore, it remains our intention to continue to induct future Hall of Fame classes every three years with the ultimate goal of recognizing those student-athletes, coaches, administrators, officials and others whose contributions and achievements have established and solidified the WIAC’s status as the most accomplished Division III conference in NCAA history,” added Karner.
Mary (Leivian) Taylor
Mary (Leivian) Taylor was a member of UW-Oshkosh’s women’s gymnastics team from 1986-89, claiming 16 national titles and 14 conference championships.
Taylor captured individual titles in the all-around and uneven bars at the 1986, 1987 and 1988 NAIA Championships. In 1986, Taylor added NCAA Division II first-place finishes in the all-around and uneven bars.
Taylor was a four-time WIAC champion in the all-around from 1986-89 – the only gymnast in league history to accomplish the feat. She helped the Titans claim three WIAC titles and the 1986 NAIA and 1989 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) championships.
In 1987, Taylor won both the all-around and balance beam titles at the United States Gymnastics Federation Division II-III Championship.
Taylor was inducted into the UW-Oshkosh Hall of Fame in 2005 and the NCGA Hall of Fame in 2017. In 2012, she was selected to the WIAC Women’s Gymnastics All-Time Team in conjunction with the league’s Centennial Celebration.
Taylor earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from UW-Oshkosh in 1990. She lives in Oshkosh and has been employed by the Experimental Aircraft Association since 2000.
Terry Jorgensen
Terry Jorgensen was a member of UW-Oshkosh’s baseball team from 1985-87, helping the Titans to a 109-15 record. He was selected to the American Baseball Coaches Association’s All-America First Team in 1986 and 1987 after earning second team honors in 1985. Jorgensen was named the Most Valuable Player at the 1985 NCAA Division III World Series when UW-Oshkosh won the national title with a 37-3 record.
Jorgensen was a three-time All-WIAC Southern Division First Team selection and ranks third in NCAA Division III history with a career .900 slugging percentage. His .445 career batting average ranks second on the conference’s all-time list. Jorgensen career marks also include 164 runs batted in, 150 runs scored and 41 home runs.
Jorgensen was the 29th overall selection in the 1987 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft by Minnesota and played in 91 major league games for the Twins. Jorgensen was inducted into the UW-Oshkosh Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2012, he was selected to the WIAC Baseball All-Time Team in conjunction with the league’s Centennial Celebration.
Jorgensen earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from UW-Oshkosh in 1998. He resides in Luxemburg, where he has been a physical education teacher in the Luxemburg-Casco School District since 1998.
Tim Jorgensen
Tim Jorgensen was a member of UW-Oshkosh’s baseball team from 1992-95, helping the Titans to a record of 144-32. He was named the 1994 and 1995 NCAA Division III Player of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association and selected the Most Valuable Player at the 1994 NCAA Division III World Series when UW-Oshkosh won the national title with a 41-4 record.
Jorgensen was a three-time All-WIAC First Team honoree and shares the NCAA Division III record with 70 career home runs. Jorgensen hit for the “home run cycle” during UW-Oshkosh’s 18-7 win over UW-Eau Claire on May 14, 1995. He owns the conference record with 237 career runs batted in while ranking third with 200 runs scored. Jorgensen was drafted in the eighth round of the 1995 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft by the Cleveland Indians and played a total of four minor league seasons. He was a 28th-round draft pick of the San Diego Padres in 1994, but chose to return to UW-Oshkosh for his senior collegiate season.
Jorgensen was inducted into the UW-Oshkosh Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2012, he was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame and selected to the WIAC Baseball All-Time Team in conjunction with the league’s Centennial Celebration.
Jorgensen earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from UW-Oshkosh in 1997. He resides in New Franken and has been employed by Associated Bank since 2001.
2018 WIAC Hall of Fame Class
UW-Eau Claire: Arlene (Meinholz) Beardsle, Jim Bollinger, Tom Prior
UW-La Crosse: Jim Drews, Barbara Gibson, Jennifer (Tischaefer) Ignacio,
UW-Oshkosh: Terry Jorgensen, Tim Jorgensen, Mary (Leivian) Taylor
UW-Platteville: Scott Arneson, Stephanie (Sullivan) Gilmore, Jim Jianette
UW-River Falls: Merilee (Healy) Cardinal, Dr. R.A. Karges, Roger Kuss
UW-Stevens Point: Lynn "Red" Blair, Frank O'Brien, Sheila Miech
UW-Stout: Dwight Chinnock, Mel Coleman, Laura (Verdegan) Knudsen
UW-Whitewater: Jack Miller, Matt Turk, Dave Vander Meulen
WIAC Office: Jason Church, Craig Culver, Lou Pitt