Thirteen Individuals Inducted into 2006 Coyote Sports Hall of Fame Class; 1986 Football Team Recognized

AWARD PHOTOS

VERMILLION, S.D. (Sept. 9, 2006)– Thirteen individuals were inducted into the Henry Heider Coyote Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, Sept. 9 at the Wayne Knutson Theatre on the campus of The University of South Dakota.

The inductees included athletes Susan Chopskie Krtinich (track and field, 1987-91) Coon Rapids, Minn.; Kristie Dean Nedved, (track and field, 1987-92) Sioux City, Iowa; Stacy Kracht Huber (women’s basketball, 1987-91), Wakonda, S.D.; Gerald Gilinsky (football, 1982-87), Lexington, Ken.; Larry Hultgren (football and basketball, 1963-67), Ida Grove, Iowa; Coralee Jorgensen (women’s golf, 1978-82), Sioux Falls, S.D.; Tim McFarland (football, 1982-87), Fargo, N.D.; Derek Miles (track and field, 1991-96), Jonesboro, Ark.; Todd Pharis (football and track, 1981-85), Sioux Falls, S.D.; Randy Rosenquist (basketball, 1990-94), Sioux City, Iowa; and Susan Trzeciak Schneider (track and field, 1985-89), Omaha, Neb. Special contributors Mick Shaeffer of Ottumwa, Iowa and Wyoming head coach and former Coyote Joe Glenn of Laramie Wyo., also were inducted.

The induction of the Class of 2006 increased the Coyotes Sports Hall of Fame membership to 237. In addition to the induction of the Class of 2006, USD will recognize the 1986 football team which advanced to the NCAA Division II finals and was part of the best two-year run in school history (21-6 record). The Coyotes Sports Hall of Fame Committee voted the USD football team into the “Special Achievements – Preserving History at South Dakota” category.

The Hall of Fame ceremony will begin with a pre-event social at 1 p.m. in the College of Fine Arts. The induction and honoring of the football team will be at 2 p.m. in the Wayne Knutson Theatre in the College of Fine Arts. During halftime of the Coyotes game vs. Minnesota-Crookston, the inductees and football team were recognized.

Athletes Category

Susan Chopskie-Krtinich – Track and Field – 1987-91
A four-time All-American, Susan Chopskie-Krtinich is one of the all-time relay and 400-meter standouts in USD school history. She was a member of NCC-winning 800-meter relay and 1600 meter relays in 1991. She was also part of the 1989 and 1990 1,600 meter squads that won NCC outdoor titles. She won four NCC titles as a member of relays at USD. Chopskie-Krtinich was an All-American on the USD 1,600 meter relay squads that finished fourth in 1990 and 1991 and third at the NCAA Division II Indoor Nationals in 1991. She finished sixth in the 400 meter dash in 1990 at the NCAA Division II Outdoor nationals. She was a member of third-place 1,600 meter relay at the 1990 NCAA Outdoor Nationals. Originally from Cottage Grove, Minn., she now lives in Coon Rapids, Minnesota. She earned an AA nursing degree in 1991 from USD.

Kristie Dean-Nedved – Track and Field – 1987-92
Kristie Dean-Nedved, originally of Minneapolis, Minn., was a five-time All-American and one of the standouts at South Dakota from 1987-92. Now of Sioux City, Iowa, she was a member of the 1990 NCC outdoor team champions, which was the first women’s team to win an outdoor conference crown at USD. She was also a member of the 1989 and 1990 indoor NCC championship teams. Dean-Nedved also was part of the 1990 team that finished 10th and the 1991 squad that was seventh at the indoor Division II nationals. Dean-Nedved also was part of the outdoor squad that finished eighth in the nation in 1990. She was a member of USD’s 4x400-meter relay team that placed third in 1990, clocking a then-school-record of 3:42.71 at the outdoor Division II national championships. Dean-Nedved was a member of the 4x400-meter relay teams that captured NCC indoor titles in 1990 and in 1991. She helped lead USD’s 4x400-meter relay squad to a fourth-place finish in 1990 and a third-place finish in 1991 at the indoor nationals. Dean-Nedved placed eighth in the 400 hurdles at the 1990 outdoor nationals. She also qualified for the indoor nationals in the 55-meter hurdles (1991, 1992) and the triple jump (1992). Dean-Nedved still owns a school record in the 100-meter hurdles. A team captain in 1992, she was named the Sioux City Relays Women’s Outstanding Athlete Award and set the 100-meter hurdles record at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays in 1992. Dean-Nedved received a B.S. degree in physical education and health in 1992 before earning a M.A. degree in physical education and athletic administration in 1995. She is now a professional healthcare sales representative with Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.

Gerald Gilinsky – Football – 1982-87
Gerald Gilinsky of Lexington, Ken., ranks as one of the great offensive lineman in school history and played a key role as USD reached the D-II national semifinals in both 1985 and 1986. Selected an All-American offensive lineman in 1986 when he was also All-NCC, Gilinsky helped lead USD to the NCAA Division II title game. He was part of a team that had a two-year record of 21-6, advancing to the national semifinals in 1985 and the title game in 1986. The Coyotes set a then-school record of 352 points, and the squad established a school record with 3,465 yards rushing in 11 games. He was a leader on the offensive line that was partially responsible for five backs rushing for 100 yards each in a single game, which is an NCAA record (581 yards, St. Cloud State, 1986). That achievement earned USD ESPN’s Unsung Hero Award. Gilinsky was named Football News First Team All-American and Associated Press First Team Little All-American in 1986. A four-year letter winner, he earned second-team All-NCC honors in 1985. Gilinsky was named NCC Offensive Line MVP in 1986. He was selected honorable mention Academic All-NCC in 1984. A native of Omaha, Neb. (Burke High School), he earned a BSBA in management in 1987 from USD. He is an agency field executive for State Farm Insurance.

Larry Hultgren – Football and Basketball – 1963-67
A football co-captain and starting running back for USD, Larry Hultgren of Ida Grove, Iowa, also played a key role for the men’s basketball team. Hultgren, who received a B.S. in business in 1967 from USD, was a team captain at USD in 1966, lettering three years in football, three years in basketball and two years in golf. In the 1964 Dakota Day football game, he had a then-school-record 85-yard TD run that helped USD upend SDSU, 10-7. He also had a 73-yard punt return against Iowa State Teachers College (Northern Iowa), as USD upset the Panthers. A member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, he was one of the originators of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at USD. When he left Ida Grove High, he was the school’s all-time leading scorer in basketball. He was all-state in 1961 and 1962, rushing for over 3,000 yards, including 303 yards in one high school game. He was the team MVP. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, he was selected a Distinguished Naval Graduate from the Office Candidate School Program. He was selected to attend the Naval Judge Advocate General School in 1969-71 and assigned to Chief of Naval Air Training in Corpus Christi, Texas. In 1971, he joined his father in the John Deere business. He is the CEO of Hultgren Implement, Inc., of Ida Grove and Storm Lake, Iowa.

Coralee Jorgensen – Women’s Golf – 1978-82
While attending USD, Coralee Jorgensen participated in the women’s golf program for Coach Dwayne Clodfelter from 1978-81, serving as team captain from 1979-81. She helped lead USD to the South Dakota championship in the AIAW. She was also the AIAW regional medalist in 1980. Originally of Irene, S.D., she was inducted into the Irene High School Hall of Fame in 1990. While in high school, she was the Class B Girls State Golf Medalist in 1978 and also finished runner-up at state in 1977. A Class A PGA golf pro with 24 years of experience, Jorgensen of Sioux Falls, S.D., has been responsible for rebuilding successful women’s, couples and junior golf programs. Since 2001, Jorgensen has served as head PGA golf professional at the Westward Ho Country Club. She received a B.S. degree in education in 1982 from USD and later attended the PGA Business School in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and finished in the top five percent of her class at the PGA Business School II in Kansas City, Mo., in 1986. Over the years, she has been identified as the “Best Teacher in South Dakota” by Golf Digest (2000) and named as one of the best teachers in the state in 2003-04 by Golf Digest. She was elected into the President’s Council for the PGA of America in 2002-06.

Stacy Kracht-Huber – Women’s Basketball – 1987-91
Stacy Kracht Huber was a four-year starter on the South Dakota women’s basketball team from 1987-91. She left USD fifth on the career scoring list with 1,277 points and also ranked fifth with 683 career rebounds. Kracht-Huber’s 385 points in 1989-90 was 14th best in school history. She was a member of the Coyotes 1988-89 playoff team, scoring 20 points in the regional playoff game vs. NDSU. An honorable mention All-NCC selection as a junior, she enjoyed a stellar career as one of the school’s all-time greats at power forward. A Mitchell, S.D., native, Kracht-Huber led the Coyotes in scoring in 1987-88 at 11.7 per game. Now living in Wakonda, S.D., she received a B.S. degree in English Education in 1992 from USD.

Tim McFarland – Football – 1982-87
Tim McFarland, a native of Armour, S.D., ranks as one of the all-time greats in USD’s offensive line. He was named to the Associated Press Little All-American second team and a Football News Honorable Mention All American in 1986. A first team All-NCC Offensive Guard and first team Academic All-NCC selection in 1986, McFarland served as team co-captain. He was selected to the NCC’s All Academic Team in 1985. A four-year starter, McFarland played in 49 straight games and was a member of two consecutive playoff teams, including the 1985 squad that reached the D-II semifinals and the 1986 squad that reached the D-II title game. He helped lead USD to a 21-6 record. McFarland was part of offensive line that set a school record 3,465 rushing yards and 32 points per game in 1986. The team’s 352 points was a school record until broken in 2005. He blocked for the five backs that set an NCAA record (across all divisions) by each rushing for 100 yards in 52-0 win over St. Cloud State in 1986. The performance earned USD the ESPN’s Unsung Heroes honor. McFarland was a three-year starter for the Coyotes and later received a free agent tryout in 1987 with the Arizona Cardinals. McFarland was all state as a prep in both football and basketball at Armour, helping the Packers to a state cage title game in 1983. He received a B.S.B.A. degree in 1987 from USD and now lives in Fargo. N.D., where he is an estimatics team manager for State Farm Insurance.

Derek Miles – Track and Field – 1991-96
Olympian Derek Miles, originally of Sacramento, Calif., is one of three South Dakota graduates to compete in the Olympic Games. At USD, Miles won the North Central Conference pole vault title in 1996 and finished fifth at the 1996 NCAA Division II indoor meet. He was third at the 1994 NCAA Division II outdoor nationals. Currently an academic adviser at Arkansas State, he earned an undergraduate degree in history and a master’s degree in athletic administration at USD in 1996. Miles ranks as one of the world’s top pole vaulters. He finished seventh at the Athens Olympics in 2004, and was ranked fifth in the world at the end of the 2005 season. Miles of Bell Athletics/Nike currently resides in Jonesboro, Ark., where he trains with some of the best pole vaulters in the world. He holds a personal best of 19-2.50 that he set at the DakotaDome in 2005, which was the seventh best in the world that year. Miles was the USA Indoor champion in 2003 and fifth at the World Outdoors, also in 2003. Miles was ranked third in the U.S. by the Track and Field News in 2005. He has also set up the Derek Miles and Friends Pole Vault Competition at his alma mater. The competition annually brings some of the world’s top vaulters (Jeff Hartwig, Toby Stevenson, and others) to the DakotaDome.

Todd Pharis – Football/Track and Field – 1981-85
Todd Pharis, originally of Groton, S.D., was a standout in football and track and field for the Coyotes. Named first-team All-NCC in football in 1983 and second-team All-NCC in 1984, Pharis was honorable mention All-NCC in 1982. A four-year letter winner and three-year starter, he was the team co-captain in 1984. In his career, he totaled 306 tackles, including 104 (24 solos) as a senior. A starter in every game over his final three seasons, he led USD to an 8-3 mark in 1984. Pharis, a four-year letter winner in track, broke the USD, Howard Wood and state collegiate discus record at the Howard Wood Relays in May 1985. He re-set the discus record at the NCC outdoor track meet a week later in May 1985, which remains a 21-year-old USD school outdoor record and it was the fifth best throw in Division II in 1985. Pharis placed third at the NCC meet in 1985. He also placed seventh and earned All-American honors in the discus at the outdoor nationals in 1985. He was third in the NCC in the discus in 1982 and fifth in 1984. Pharis was inducted into the U’s Track Alumni Hall of Honor in 2005. He was a first-team all state player in football at Groton High. Pharis was the state A high school discus champion as a senior, placing second as a junior and fourth as a sophomore. After graduating from USD, Pharis was a vice president with WFC, a subsidiary bank owned by Whirlpool Corp., for 10 years. In 1995, he moved to South Dakota from Los Angeles to open a Pizza Ranch restaurant. He now has opened seven Pizza Ranch restaurants. In 2000, he was named one of 10 “Outstanding South Dakotans” by the South Dakota Junior Chamber of Commerce. Pharis, who lives in Sioux Falls, S.D., earned a B.S.B.A. degree in 1985.

Randy Rosenquist – Basketball – 1990-94
Randy Rosenquist, known as “Rosey,” ranks as one of the most popular men’s basketball players in school history. He was named the NCC men’s basketball MVP in 1994, when he averaged 16.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in leading USD to a 24-6 mark, including 15-3 in NCC play en route to the Elite Eight Championships. Rosenquist helped lead South Dakota to consecutive appearances in the Elite Eight Division II Championships. A three-time all NCC selection, including 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1993-94. he started three years for head coach Dave Boots’ Coyotes.. During his career, USD had a combined 43-11 record in the NCC and overall was 69-20. He scored 1,611 career points, or 13.89 per game, a total which ranks fifth all-time on the career scoring charts at USD. “Rosey”, who was a senior co-captain for the Coyotes, also ranks fourth in career steals at USD with 207, including 63 in 1993-94, a total which is seventh on the single season chart at USD. In his career, he knocked down 209 three-point field goals, which is fifth all-time on the USD career charts. With his 1,611 points and 522 rebounds, Rosenquist is a member of the 1,000-point, 500-rebound club. He is the only player in school history to collect 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists (355 assists). He scored a career-high 32 points vs. Augustana in 1992. Rosenquist, who had 88 career double digit scoring games, concluded his career with a 25-point effort at the Elite Eight Championships against eventual national champion Southern Indiana. A native of Sioux City, Iowa, he still lives in his home town. Rosenquist earned a B.S. biology degree in 1994 from USD.

Susan Trzeciak Schneider – Track and Field – 1985-89
Originally of Biloxi, Minn. Susan Trzeciak-Schneider was a two-time All-American who won one individual and three relay crowns in NCC Conference competition. She was a member of the Coyotes title-winning 1,600- meter relays in 1988 and 1989 at the NCC Indoor meet. She also was a member of the 1988 1,600-meter relay that won an NCC Outdoor title in 1988. She captured the 800-meter title at the 1989 NCC Indoor meet. Trzeciak-Schneider earned two All-American honors as member of the fifth-place 1,600 meter relay squad in 1988 and the second place team in 1989 at the NCAA Indoor nationals. She earned a BSED in physical education in 1989 from USD and now lives in Omaha, Neb. Special Contributor Category —

Mick Shaeffer – Charlie Coyote – 1970-75
Dr. Mick Shaeffer of Ottumwa, Iowa, helped create the legacy of Charlie Coyote before there was a DakotaDome. Shaeffer established Charlie while performing at old Inman Field and the New Armory. Shaeffer, a USD student in the 1970s, helped design the costume and persona of “Charlie Coyote.” He once passed the hat among USD students to pay for the first mascot suit, which was constructed of papier-mache. Mick, who spent 5 1/2 years as “Charlie,” including two years while attending medical school, also funded his own way to USD games. At an NCAA D-II regional in 1973, “Charlie Coyote” was the only team mascot named to the all tourney team while endearing himself to a St. Louis, Mo., crowd. Shaeffer played the part of “Charlie” in more than 101 football or basketball games. One of his defining acts was the half-court shots, which he made three times, including his final shot at the New Armory. Beyond his performances at games, Shaeffer, who was a member of the student senate and rush chair for the Sigma Nu fraternity, made stops to visit children with disabilities at hospital and helped at several USD Banquet events? During the 1972-73 season, Shaeffer, a graduate of O’Gorman High (1969), was made an honorary letterman for his contribution to the USD athletic program. Shaeffer earned a B.A. degree in biology in 1973 and a M.D. in 1977 from USD.

Joe Glenn – Football – 1967-70
Former Coyote Joe Glenn is a rising talent in the Division I football coaching ranks. In 20 years of coaching, Glenn, now the head coach for the University of Wyoming Cowboys, has won three national titles at two schools (Northern Colorado and Montana) and directed Wyoming to its first bowl (2004) in 43 years. He won back to back NCAA Division II championships at Northern Colorado in 1996 and 1997, along with receiving two American Football Coaches Association Division II National Coach of the Year awards. In 2000, Glenn moved on to Montana where he led the Grizzlies to a pair of Division I-AA championship game appearances and the 2001 Division I-AA national title. In his second season at Wyoming (2004), he led the team to a 7-5 record and a win over UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl. He has a career record of 173-79-1. A native of Lincoln, Neb., Glenn has been honored numerous times by his peers. In 2000, he was presented the Eddie Robinson Award by The Sports Network as the Division I AA national coach of the year. A 1971 graduate (B.A. degree, health, physical education and recreation) of USD, Glenn was also the AFCA Division II National Coach of the Year in 1996 and 1997. The Denver Post named Glenn one of Colorado’s “Greatest Coaches of the 1990s.” His first coaching job was as the backfield coach for the Coyotes, his alma mater, in 1974. He played quarterback and wide receiver for South Dakota from 1967-70 and served as a team captain as a senior. Following graduation, he earned a ROTC military commission and served two years in the U.S. Army. In 1975, he received a master’s degree in education from USD.