EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville Athletics Department has announced its latest Hall of Fame class. Included in it are: Nikola Kalabic, Shyla McKibbon-Puelston, Ellen Miles, Jack Mitchell and Andrea Sonnenschein. In addition, the 1985 Final Four Men’s Soccer Team was the second-ever team inducted into the Team Wing of the Hall of Fame.  Women’s soccer great Kayla Lambert was also voted in, but will be attending the induction ceremony with the 2016-17 class.
In 1985, the Purple Aces men’s soccer team went an unbelievable 21-1-2 on its way to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. They went without a loss for the first 23 matches, with the only loss coming to eventual champion UCLA. Facing powerhouses Indiana and Penn State in the first two rounds of the tournament, the Aces earned 3-0 and 1-0 shutouts as the defense allowed just 12 goals in the regular season and 15 overall.
While the defense did its job, the offense notched 93 goals, including a program record of 15 in a shutout of Louisville. Upperclassmen on the squad included: Dan Balassi, Ken Beul, Dan Cannon, Doug Diedrich, Joe Kofron, Tim Lane, Chris Machold, Dan McHugh, Mike Mikes, Jack Mitchell, Andrew Norton, Rob Schoenstein, Jim Short and Brian Wannemuelher. Evansville was ranked No. 1 in the nation and was the lone unbeaten team in the nation at the time of the loss to UCLA. All-time great Fred Schmalz was the head coach.
One of the top male swimmers in program history, Nikola Kalabic represented Yugoslavia in the Olympic Games in 1996 and 2000. A 4-time All-Missouri Valley Conference Swimmer, Kalabic was the league’s Swimmer of the Year in 2001. The school records that he set included: 100 free, 200 free and 100 back.
Kayla Lambert left UE as the top scorer in program and Missouri Valley Conference history. Her 132 points put her on top of both lists and today, she remains second on the conference list. She hold the UE career records in points (132), goals (51) and assists with 30. The 2008 MVC Player of the Year was the program’s first Academic All-American as she was named to the third team in 2008. She was also the first Freshman All-American in UE women’s soccer history, earning a spot on the 3rd Team in 2005.
A 4-time All-Region player, Lambert was a 3-time First Team All-MVC player and was named to the second team as a junior in 2007. Lambert was the 2005 Freshman of the Year and was also named the 2008 MVC Tournament MVP and earned a space on the 2007 All-Tournament Team.
Shyla McKibbon-Puelston ranks among the top female basketball players in school history. With 1,626 points and 833 rebounds she continues to rank second in the UE record books. A 1st Team All-MVC player in 1999 and 2000, McKibbon-Puelston led the Aces to their first-ever NCAA Tournament in ’99. She was also the MVC Tournament MVP.
She was Evansville’s only selection on the MVC All-Centennial Team, which was chosen in 2007 and was for the period from 1995-2006.
Ellen Miles was named to the MVC All-Centennial Team. Her illustrious career saw her named to the All-MVC Team on three occasions while also being named to the Scholar-Athlete Team three times. She was named a 2nd Team Academic All-American, the only person to do so in program history. Miles holds the UE 3-meter record with 417.05 points.
A member of the 1985 Final Four Team, Jack Mitchell was the scoring leader on that squad with 11 goals and 11 assists. He helped the Aces to the NCAA Tournament in each of his four seasons and the team was ranked at the top of the country in both 1985 and 86. An All-Mideast Region player in 1986, he was also named to the All-MCC squad in 1987, the first year that soccer was a sport in the league. He finished his career with 79 points in a tally that included 24 goals and 31 assists. Mitchell was a Silver Medalist in the 1987 US Olympic Festival.
Andrea Sonnenschein had a stellar career for the UE cross country team as she held the top three times in the 5K and 6K races at the time of her graduation. An MVC Scholar-Athlete Team member in 2007, she was named the team’s most valuable runner in each of her four seasons with the team. Her time of 17:30 was the program record in the 5K and it held until Kelby Jenkins broke it in 2013.
