USI Announces The 2022 Hall Of Fame Class​​​​​​​

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Athletics is pleased to announce the selection of the 2022 USI Athletic Hall of Fame class that will be inducted during homecoming week in February. The class of seven individuals and one team was selected by an eight-member USI Athletic Hall of Fame Committee.

Any Screaming Eagles fan was eligible to nominate student-athletes or teams on the 10th anniversary of their last season of competition or a coach/administrator who has been separated from the USI Athletics for two years. Special individuals (e.g., Varsity Club members) also were eligible for nominations as well.

This year’s class includes Abby Boberg ’06 (Women’s Track & Field, 2002-05); Danielle LaGrange ’12 (Volleyball, 2009-11); Trevor Leach (Baseball, 2007-11); Sara Loete ’11 (Softball, 2008-10); Jamar Smith (Men’s Basketball, 2008-10); Kathy Wood Vossmer ’08 (Softball, 2005-08); Dave Schenk ’78 (Baseball, 1977-78) and the 2010 NCAA Division II National Championship Baseball Team.

“I continue to be amazed by the number of outstanding student-athletes and teams this University has had,” said USI Director of Athletics Jon Mark Hall.  “The Class of 2022 truly represents our growing tradition here at USI. The seven individuals and one team that will be honored in February are truly worthy of this extraordinary honor. I know that the entire USI community is proud of this class and what it accomplished while at USI.

“After being forced to suspend selections last year due to COVID, it is an honor to resume this great tradition of honoring the incredible accomplishments of our student-athletes,” concluded Hall.

In addition to the induction of the Hall of Fame Class of 2022, USI is inducting Joanie Jost and Lois Stevens into the Athletic Hall of Distinction for contributions to the success of the University’s varsity programs.

Reservations for the February 4, induction ceremony must be made in advance and can be made by calling (812) 464-1846 or emailing Holly Delph at hdelph@usi.edu.

2023 USI ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME CLASS

Abby Boberg ’06 (Women’s Track & Field, 1988-90): Boberg was a two-time All-American (high jump) and USI’s first-ever women’s indoor track & field All-American. A three-time GLVC champion in the high jump, Boberg also was USI’s first-ever All-American in a field event and her school-records in the high jump stand today.

Danielle LaGrange ’12 (Volleyball, 2009-11): LaGrange earned second-team AVCA All-America honors, becoming the third player in USI volleyball history to garner All-America accolades as a senior, while the second-team honor was the highest All-America award in the program’s history to date. She also became the third player in the program’s history to earn GLVC Player of the Year honors, in addition to being named the GLVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for volleyball in 2011. LaGrange, who earned a pair of USI’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year awards, earned two first-team AVCA and Daktronics All-Midwest Region honors; was named All-GLVC twice, and became the second player in the program’s history to earn an AVCA National Player of the Week honor. She finished her career ranked second all-time at USI in attacking percentage;  seventh in block assists; eighth in kills; and 10th in total blocks.

Trevor Leach (Baseball, 2007-11): Leach finished his career as USI’s all-time leader in career wins (33), appearances (86), innings pitched (357) and strikeouts (246). He was named honorable mention All-American in 2010; first-team All-Region three-straight years; and first-team All-GLVC twice. Leach was named to the NCAA II Midwest Regional All-Tournament team and became the first USI pitcher to reach double digits in wins in back-to-back seasons in 2010. He tied USI’s single-season record with a 12-1 record and broke USI’s career appearance record as a junior (71). Leach also was named preseason All-American by the NCBWA in 2010.

Sara Loete ’11 (Softball, 2008-10): Loete finished her career ranked sixth all-time at USI with 104 career RBIs and 61 bases on balls. She earned All-America recognition from a pair of organizations in 2008 after hitting .405 with 10 home runs, and a school-record 54 RBIs. Loete finished her collegiate career with 21 home runs and 112 RBIs.

Off the field, Loete proved to be a leader of the USI Student Athletic Advisory Committee, guiding USI student athletes after the tragic death of Jeron Lewis.

Jamar Smith (Basketball, 2008-10): Smith was named Basketball Times NCAA Division II Player of the Year after leading USI and the GLVC with 21.6 points per game in 2009-10. He finished his two-year career with the USI record of 20.2 points per contest and set the PAC record for scoring with 40 points against the University of Illinois Springfield. Smith, who also set USI’s single-game (10) and season record (108) for three-point field goals made, was named All-America by Basketball Times, Division II Bulletin (2009, 2010), NABC (2010), and Daktronics (2010). He also was named first-team All-Region, the Midwest Region Player of the Year, and GLVC Player of the Year in 2010.

The heart of the 2009-10 squad, Smith led the Eagles in a rough time for the program. He held the team together after the NCAA sanctions came down that barred USI from the GLVC and NCAA Tournament and after the tragic death of Jeron Lewis.

Kathy Wood Vossmer ’11 (Softball 2005-08): Wood Vossmer is a two-time All-Region and three-time All-GLVC performer, while also being a three-time Academic All-District and four-time Academic All-GLVC honoree. She finished her career ranked fourth all-time at USI in runs scored (126), sixth in batting average (.362), and sixth in triples (7). One of the toughest and exciting USI softball outfielders, Wood earned second-team All-GLVC honors despite suffering a torn ACL midway through the season and, after missing less than a month with the injury, came back to hit .429 in conference-only games.

Dave Schenk ’78 (Baseball 1977-78): Schenk played prior to USI joining the GLVC in the mid-1970s (1977-78). He batted a school-record .421 over two seasons and is one of two USI baseball players to have two .400 seasons. Schenk’s .427 batting average still ranks sixth all-time for a single season at USI. He has gone on to play a major role in the development of baseball in the southwestern Indiana area, influencing many of the area’s best players.

2010 USI Baseball Team: The 2010 USI Baseball team became the first Screaming Eagles baseball team and the first Indiana baseball program to win an NCAA II championship. The team was dominating, winning the GLVC Tournament and the NCAA II Midwest Regional (hosted at USI) before making a run to the national title by winning four of five in the double-elimination NCAA Division II Championship Tournament. The 2010 squad set a school record with 52 victories and 10 season records; had seven All-GLVC honorees, three All-Region players; and two All-Americans.