Eight individuals and two teams will celebrate their induction as the 34th class to join the Hastings College Athletic Hall of Fame during a reception and banquet held in conjunction with Hastings College Homecoming on Saturday, September 30.
The celebration begins with a social hour at 5:00 p.m. in Kiewit Gymnasium (715 E. 7th Street, Hastings) on campus, followed by a banquet at 5:30 p.m. Tickets for the banquet are $40 per person and may be purchased online at hastings.edu/homecoming, or by contacting the Hastings College alumni office at 402.461.7363 or alumni@hastings.edu.
The Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1989 to honor and preserve the memory of athletes, teams, coaches and those who have contributed meritorious service to Hastings College and its athletic programs.
The 2023 Hastings College Athletic Hall of Fame class includes:
- Richard “Dick” Metz ‘72 of Sherman, Illinois, for football
- Denis Lessor ‘79 of Kansas City, Missouri, for men’s basketball
- Kathie (Daffer) Turley ‘81 of Valley Center, Kansas, for track and field/cross country and volleyball
- Comron Yazdgerdi ‘05 of Lexington, Nebraska, for men’s tennis
- Jordan Green ‘13 of Bennet, Nebraska, for men’s soccer
- Lauren Shomaker Hewitt ‘15 of Omaha, Nebraska, for track and field/cross country
- McKay Inman ‘15 of Aurora, Colorado, for men’s tennis
- Jim Boeve of Hastings, Nebraska, for meritorious service
- 1973 Men’s Basketball Team, completed a 25-5 record, won the District 11 Championship and played in the NAIA National Tournament
- 1989 Men’s Basketball Team, completed a 26-9 record, qualified for the NAIA National Tournament and made it to the Elite 8 for the first time in school history
Biographies of the 2023 Inductees
Dick Metz was a two-time All-NIAC selection in 1969 and 1971, and a two-time All-District selection in 1969 and 1971. He was also named the Hastings College Back of the Year in 1969.
Denis Lessor is the 19th all-time leading scorer in the history of the Hastings College men’s basketball program with 1,597 points. He was a first team selection for both the All-NIAC and All-District in 1971, and a member of four conference championship teams, four District 11 finals and the 1977 Division 1 National Tournament team.
Kathie (Daffer) Turley was a three-year letter winner on the Hastings College volleyball team (1977-79) and a three-year letter winner on the track team (1979-1981), where she primarily ran the 5,000 meters and won multiple races. She set the 5,000 meter outdoor record in 1981 and currently ranks fifth in the event; she also set the record for the indoor mile event in 1980 and ranks fourth in the event. Turley capped off her Hastings College career by qualifying for Nationals in the 5,000 and finishing sixth at the National outdoor track meet at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. Turley was instrumental in helping create a women’s cross country program at Hastings College, placing in the top 10 at every cross country meet the team attended, and finishing second in the nation at the initial AAUW national cross country meet in Salina, Kansas, in 1980.
Comron Yazdgerdi led the men’s tennis team to a 5-2 record and third place finish in the GPAC during his senior season, and received first team individual and second team doubles all-GPAC honors. A two-year team captain, Yazdgerdi also received second team singles all-conference honors during his junior season. Yazdgerdi also served as the men’s and women’s tennis coach from 2008 through 2020 and was named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year in 2014.
Jordan Green was a first team All-American selection during his senior campaign and ranked third in goals scored with 28. He was named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Offensive Player of the Year and graduated as the college’s all-time leader in goals scored (78) and total points (183) and finished second all-time in assists (37). Green was a member of the 2010 National Championship Men’s Soccer team that was inducted into the Hastings College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017. During the 2010 national tournament, he led in goals scored (6), assists (6), points (18) and game-winning goals (3, including the game-winning goal in the championship match).
Lauren Shomaker Hewitt earned All-American honors three times her senior year: in cross country when she ran a time of 18:26 and finished 19th at the NAIA Cross Country Championships, in indoor track and field when she ran a time of 17:30.61 in the 5,000 and finished fourth at NAIA Track and Field Indoor Championships and again at the NAIA Track and Field Outdoor Championships when she ran a lifetime best 36:26.04 in the 10,000 to finish third. Hewitt set the GPAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship Meet record in the 10,000 her junior year, a record that stands today. She was a five time GPAC Champion on the track and still holds Hastings College records in Cross Country, in the 3,000 and 5,000 on the indoor track, and the 3,000 steeple, 5,000 and 10,000 on the outdoor track.
McKay Inman played at #2 singles and #3 doubles during his first year, and was the #1 singles and #1 doubles player the remaining three years of his career as a Bronco tennis player. He was the first GPAC player in men’s tennis to earn All-American honors as he was named to the NAIA Men’s Tennis second team during his junior year, and was named the GPAC Player of the Year for two seasons.
Jim Boeve was appointed head coach of the Bronco baseball program in 1989, marking the return of the sport to Hastings College after a 15-year absence. During his tenure, Boeve amassed a record of 572-635 and led the Broncos to seven NIAC/GPAC Conference Championships and two NIAC/GPAC Tournament Championships. He was inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame for Meritorious Service in 2010, and in 2012 received the Robert E. “Ish” Smith Achievement Award from the NAIA for his meritorious service to collegiate baseball. After 24 years of coaching, Boeve resigned to take on additional responsibilities within the college. He currently serves as the registrar and faculty athletics representative, working with student athletes and coaches in the athletic eligibility process.
The 1973 Men’s Basketball Team completed a 25-5 record, winning the District 11 Championship for the first time in 10 years, and played in the NAIA National Tournament. Members of the team include Rick Berkshire ‘76, Jacque Evans ‘75, Bob Jackson ‘74, Jim Jones ‘74, Larry Kiewit ‘74, Chuck Minster ‘75, Bob Parminter ‘77, Doug Rasby ‘74, Brad Schneider ‘74, Mike Sitorius ‘74, Pat Sitorius ‘75, Gary Taylor ‘76, Paul Thomas ‘75, Mike Trader ‘74 and Skip Udlock ‘64 (trainer). The team was coached by Lynn “Doc” Farrell and Chuck Stickels ‘55.
The 1989 Men’s Basketball Team completed a 26-9 record, qualified for the NAIA National Tournament, and made it to the Elite 8 for the first time in school history. Members of the team include Tim Brotzki ‘92, Jon Coffey ‘90, Scott DeBoer ‘89, Mike Gossett ‘89, Alan LaFollette ‘89, Mark Lamb ‘89, James Lowry ‘91/’94 MAT, Greg Mays ‘90, Jimmy Miller ‘90, Dave Piatkowski ‘90, Jim Placke ‘90, Brad Richardson ‘91, Brian Sandfort ‘90, Scott Scheierman ‘90 and Luis Vega ‘90. The team was coached by Mike Trader ‘74, Bob Fish, Sr. ‘64, Rick Rath, Bob Fish, Jr. ‘89 and Bill Gavers ‘88.
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