The year 2000 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees are: Georgia Johnson Palmer (87) of Pleasant Grove, Utah, and Greg Hunter (86) of Edmonds, Wash. Palmer placed 3rd nationally in the 800-meters in 1987 and fifth in the 400-meters in 1986 and competed in the relays for All-American honors. Hunter was a First Team All-American in football as a guard on offense. He continued at BYU where he was a starter for two years.

Alumni Athletes of the Year were Mari Burningham Carpenter (97) and Dan Robinson (96). Carpenter was a Ricks First Team All-American in volleyball. At BYU her team placed fifth nationally in her junior year and qualified for the top 16 in her senior year. Robinson was third nationally in passing at Ricks. As a quarterback for the University of Hawaii he led his team’s turnaround from no wins to nine victories in his senior year.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Sophomore Jamie Critchfield was named an Honorable Mention All American by the National Junior College Athletic Association (njcaa).

Former assistant coach Kendall Grant (85), is the new head coach of the women’s basketball program at the College of Southern Idaho. He was an assistant at Ricks in 1993-94 and from 1997 to 1999.

INDOOR TRACK

Sophomore Kish Beverly bested his brother Bryan’s 1993 school record 400-meters by .20 of a second at 47.98 at the Mountain States Games in Pocatello.

BASEBALL

Ricks was seventh in the league with an overall 20-29 record. Sophomore Brady Gardner led the pitching staff with a 6-4 record and freshman Jaron Poulson, a third baseman, led with a .306 batting average.

WOMEN’S FAST-PITCH SOFTBALL

A four-year string of consecutive regional titles was broken with Ricks placing fourth at the regional finals with a 31-19-2 overall record. Salt Lake Community College and North Idaho, both newcomers to the league, ousted Ricks in the finals. Sophomore Mandy Flint had a 27-18 pitching season and freshmen outfielder Carole Hill and third baseman and pitcher Marcie Neff led the team in hitting. All three were named to the all-region team.

TRACK AND FIELD

The men’s and women’s team both placed third at the national finals with sophomore David Wood winning the national title in the discus with a toss of 168-8. He was also second in the shot put. Nine others received All American recognition: Kody Whitear (2nd in decathlon), Cathy Fuailemaa (2nd in shot put, 3rd in hammer), April Jackson (2nd in high jump and 100-meter hurdles), Shalene Liddle (3rd in heptathlon), Kristen Ogden (3rd in 10,000 meters), and AnnMarie Adams, Courtney Allen, Erin Park and Amber Wintch (3rd in 3,200-meter relay).

Both the men’s and women’s team won the regional title.

School records were set by April Jackson in the 100-meter high hurdles (13.88), Kish Beverly in 400-meters (47.06), Lisa Preston in the pole vault (10-10), Jeff Tingey in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles (51.83), and Dan Uffens in the javelin (216.3)

COACHING CHANGE

Doug Stutz, head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country teams since 1992 and an assistant coach in men’s and women’s track and field since 1988, is the new head coach of the Ricks men’s and women’s track and field program. He replaces Ferron Sonderegger (74), who teaches a foreign language in addition to teaching physical education.

Under Stutz the women’s cross country team won four consecutive national titles (1996-1999) and the men’s team one (1999).

Sonderegger, who came to Ricks in 1987, coached three national women’s championship teams. Two were in cross country (1988-89) and one in track and field (1997). He coached 20 athletes to individual national titles.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

All seven sports teams for the spring of 2000 achieved a gpa of 3.00 or higher. Men’s track and field at 3.42, baseball at 3.41 and wrestling at 3.19 were ranked first nationally by the njcaa. Women’s track and field at 3.43 and men’s basketball at 3.23 were both second nationally. Women’s basketball was eighth at 3.36 and women’s fast-pitch softball was 17th at 3.03.