2023 Hall of Fame Class Announced NINE INDIVIDUALS, FOUR TEAMS FORM 18TH INDUCTION CLASS

North Central College has announced the list of inductees, to include nine individuals and four teams, which will comprise the 2023 induction class to the North Central Athletic Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place Saturday, Oct. 7, in conjunction with the College's Homecoming festivities.

The list of individual inductees matches the third-largest since the inaugural class was inducted in 2004, while the team inductions are a new feature this year. The newest honorees will join 131 individuals who have been selected to the previous 17 induction classes.

This year’s team inductees are the 1958 men’s swimming NAIA national champions, the 1975 and 1976 men’s cross country NCAA Division III national champions, and the 1983 women’s basketball Division III national champions.

Individual inductees include Sean Delaney ‘92 (baseball), David Jones ‘94 (men’s track & field), Kyle Brady ‘10 (men’s cross country/track & field), Aaron Fanthorpe ‘10 (football), Gabe Youel ‘11 (men’s wrestling), Vlasta Mangia '15 Scherer (softball), Gina Fisher ‘16/M ‘18 Kmiec (women’s lacrosse), and special inductees Jim Miller '86 (senior director of athletics) and the ninth President of the College, Dr. Harold R. Wilde (H) '15.

Team Inductees

The 1958 men’s swimming team won North Central’s first-ever national championship in athletics at Ball State Teachers College (now Ball State University) in Muncie, Indiana. The Cardinals scored 88 points to finish well ahead of runner-up Central Michigan University’s total of 54.5. North Central established new NAIA national records in six events at the championship and had three individuals (Jim Rank ‘58, Ernie Alix ‘60, John Molitor ‘60) win national championships. All three have since been inducted into the North Central Athletic Hall of Fame.

The 1975 and 1976 men’s cross country championships were the first of what now numbers an NCAA all-divisions record 19 national titles in the sport. The 1975 championship meet was just the third in Division III history, held at Franklin Park in Boston. North Central placed its five scoring runners among the top 42 overall finishers, scoring 91 points to finish ahead of runner-up Occidental College (California) and third-place Brandeis University (Massachusetts). The 1976 championship, held at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, saw the Cardinals total 109 points to finish well ahead of runner-up Humboldt State University’s (California) score of 153. North Central placed four runners in the top 22 finishers.

The 1983 women’s basketball championship is the first in a women’s sport by any team at North Central. The Cardinals went 26-6 overall, winning the Chicago Metro Conference Tournament before defeating Buena Vista University (Iowa), Central College (Iowa) and the University of Minnesota-Morris in NCAA Tournament games at home inside Gregory Arena. North Central defeated Knoxville College (Tennessee) in the national semifinals before defeating Elizabethtown College (Pennsylvania), 83-71, in Worcester, Massachusetts, in a game broadcast live by ESPN.Four members of the team, Bonnie Hansen ‘83 Jagiella, Camie Loudenbeck ‘83, Brenda Sanders ‘83 and Kim Wallner ‘84, have since been inducted into the North Central Athletic Hall of Fame.

Individual Inductees

Sean Delaney ‘92 was a three-time All-College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) performer and an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) First Team All-America selection in 1992, when he was also drafted in the 23rd round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Kansas City Royals.

Delaney was a key contributor to the Cardinals’ CCIW Tournament Championship and advancement to the second round of the Division III Regional Championship in 1991 and North Central won 105 games in his four years in uniform. Still ranking eighth in the Cardinals’ history in career runs batted in (122) and triples (11), Delaney was with the Royals’ organization until 1996, reaching the AA level with the Wichita Wranglers of the Texas League.

“Playing professionally was never on my radar until going to North Central and talking with the coaches... learning more about the history of the program opened my eyes.”

- Sean Delaney '92

David Jones ‘94 was a five-time All-American and two-time CCIW champion in the triple jump. Jones clinched the 1994 Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championship, held on North Central’s campus, for the Cardinals with a personal-best effort of 48 feet, 8.50 inches to place third overall. Each of Jones’ All-America performances helped North Central place eighth or better at the national finals.

"The students at North Central really support their athletes. I remember the teams helping run the meet, and a lot of faculty were there as well, and finally just looking at the trophy and thinking, 'We did it.'"

- David Jones '94

Kyle Brady ‘10 was a seven-time All-American and two-time national champion who was the only Cardinal to contribute to all three legs of North Central’s sweep of the national cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field championships during the 2009-2010 academic year.

Brady placed 21st at the national cross country championships to earn one of North Central’s seven All-America awards in the meet, then won individual national championships in the indoor 5,000-meter run and outdoor 10,000-meter run in addition to a third-place finish in the outdoor 5,000.

"Life lessons like patience, determination and consistency make running such an awesome sport. When you break it down to those core values, you can be successful in anything.”

- Kyle Brady '10

Aaron Fanthorpe ‘10 earned CCIW Offensive Player of the Year honors each of his three seasons as North Central’s starting quarterback (2007, 2008, 2009), twice earning Third Team All-North Region honors from D3football.com. Fanthorpe ranked second nationally in passing efficiency (190.6) as a senior, leading North Central to a Division III-best 49.0 points per game. The Cardinals went 28-6 with Fanthorpe at quarterback, winning or sharing the CCIW Championship each season.

The whole process of game planning and watching film, I still apply that to my daily life. It teaches you how to get ready for a game, but it also teaches you to get ready for life. You have to adjust to things that are thrown at you and keep going.”

- Aaron Fanthorpe '10

Gabe Youel ‘11 made four trips to the Division III Men’s Wrestling Championship and earned three All-America awards, also claiming four CCIW individual championships and two Great Lakes Regional Championships. Youel concluded his career with a then-North Central record 157 victories, including 38 pins, and led the Cardinals to three straight CCIW team championships.

"I can win even if the team is struggling, but it's always a lot more fun when the guys that you practice with and work hard with every single day are winning as well."

- Gabe Youel '11

Vlasta Mangia '15 Scherer is the fourth student-athlete in the history of the Cardinals' softball program to earn All-Conference honors four straight years and owns North Central's career records for innings pitched (659.2) and victories (64) in addition to a program-best four no-hitters. A two-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region selection, Scherer also ranks in the Cardinals' career top 10 in eight offensive categories.

“I feel like I hear this a lot, but you get a family vibe at North Central...you have a sense of belonging and you're not just a number.”

Vlasta Mangia '15 Scherer

Gina Fisher ‘16/M ‘18 Kmiec was the first North Central women’s lacrosse player to earn multiple conference Player of the Year awards, earning Midwest Women’s Lacrosse Conference (MWLC) Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2013 and 2014 before being named the CCIW’s Offensive Player of the Year in that conference’s first season of competition in 2015. A two-time Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Association (IWLCA) Second Team All-Region selection, Kmiec remains the Cardinals’ all-time leader in goals scored (207), assists (107), ground balls (375) and caused turnovers (205).

"North Central has such a rich athletic history in DIII athletics. To be a permanent part of that is a true honor. Being the first lacrosse player, male or female, is super significant and I'm appreciative of that recognition."

- Gina Fisher '16/'18 Kmiec

Jim Miller '86 took over as North Central's athletic director in 2005 following a national search, following a 16-year tenure as the head coach of the Cardinals' men's wrestling program. Miller was promoted to the position of senior director of athletics in May.

Under Miller's direction, North Central athletic teams have won 21 NCAA Division III team national championships, 55 individual and relay national championships, 108 team conference championships and more than 700 academic awards. Miller is credited with reviving wrestling at the College and guided the Cardinals to a CCIW championship in 1997, the program's first in nearly 20 years.

“We’ve had the right mix of coaches, support, and the ability to make adjustments along the way. Seeing our teams achieve at that level has just been a thrill and something I could never imagine.”

Jim Miller '86

Dr. Harold R. (Hal) Wilde (H) ‘15 served as North Central’s president from 1991 until his retirement in 2012. During that time, the Cardinal athletic department added three varsity sports (women’s soccer in 1994, women’s golf in 1997, women’s lacrosse in 2009), opened competition in new venues such as Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium and the Residence Hall-Recreation Center, and won 14 Division III team national championships.

"A role I relished was being a cheerleader for our students and our student-athletes. There’s no bigger payoff for a president than watching students do things well.”

- Dr. Harold R. (Hal) Wilde (H) '15

More information on each inductee will be made available in a twice-weekly profile series to be released on northcentralcardinals.com beginning in August.

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