EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Athletics is pleased to announce the selection of the 2023 USI Athletic Hall of Fame class that will be inducted during homecoming week in February. The class of five individuals and two teams were 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.
This year’s class includes Mary Ballinger ’11 (Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field, 2007-10); Dustin Emerick ’12 (Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field, 2008-12); Shaun Larsen (Baseball, 2008-09); Eric Schoenstein ’93 (Men’s Soccer, 1988-91); Stephanie Wilson Poland ’09 (Volleyball, 2004-07); the 1993-94 Men’s Basketball NCAA Division II National Finalist Team and the 2000-01 Women’s Basketball NCAA Division II Elite Eight Team.
“I continue to be amazed by the amount of outstanding student-athletes and teams this University has had,” said USI Director of Athletics Jon Mark Hall. “The Class of 2023 truly represents our growing tradition here at USI. The five individuals and two teams 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.”
In addition to the induction of the Hall of Fame Class of 2023, USI is inducting Sandy Hatfield into the Athletic Hall of Distinction for contributions to the success of the University’s varsity programs.
Reservations for the February 3 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
Mary Ballinger ’11 (Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field, 2007-10): Ballinger became the third female student-athlete in the program’s history to win a national championship when she won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2009 NCAA II Outdoor Championships. She finished fifth at the NCAA II Cross Country Championships after capturing the GLVC individual title and earning GLVC Runner of the Year accolades in 2009. Ballinger, who won a total of nine GLVC individual titles as well as a GLVC relay championship, concluded her career with nine All-America awards and six All-GLVC honors in two seasons at USI. She also was named the 2009 Midwest Region Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCCA and the 2010 GLVC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. The Chesterton, Indiana, native was named the GLVC Scholar Athlete of the Year for Cross Country in 2009 and was recognized twice as the USI Female Student Athlete of the Year (2008-09 and 2009-10).
Dustin Emerick ’12 (Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field, 2008-12): Emerick is a combined four-time All-American in cross country and outdoor track. He earned the All-America honors, in addition to 12 All-GLVC awards, three GLVC Freshman of the Year awards, and seven All-Midwest Region recognitions. In track, Emerick was the USTFCCCA Midwest Region Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2011 and 2012. The 2012 USI Male Student-Athlete of the Year is USI’s record-holder in the 10,000 meters and ranks third all-time at USI in both the indoor and outdoor 5,000 meters.
Shaun Larsen (Baseball, 2008-09):Â Larsen was a two-time All-American and All-GLVC performer and was dominating in the closer role. He had 33 saves (a career record that is 15 saves better than the number two position) in two seasons and 59 appearances, setting the single-season record for saves (17) in 2008 that tied for first, nationally, in the NCAA Division II.
Eric Schoenstein ’93 (Men’s Soccer, 1988-91): Schoenstein is a four-time GLVC champion, three-time All-GLVC, 1988 All-Region selection, and 1991 Academic All-GLVC performer. He still ranks third in career goals (34), career points (90), and is fifth in career assists (22). The team captain on the 1991 GLVC championship team, he was a part of 57 men’s soccer victories in four seasons.
Stephanie Wilson Poland ’09 (Volleyball, 2004-07): Wilson Poland was a 2007 Academic All-American and three-time Academic All-District volleyball player. She also was a two-time All-Region and four-time All-GLVC honoree as the team’s setter. Wilson Poland ranks second all-time in assists (holding the single match record), 21st in blocks and 13th in digs. She helped lead USI to the 2004 GLVC regular-season and tournament titles as well as an appearance in the 2004 NCAA II Great Lakes Region Tournament.
1993-94 Men’s Basketball Team:Â First USI men’s basketball team to advance to the NCAA II Elite Eight and the first to play on national television in the national championship game. The 1993-94 team holds the USI record for scoring over 100 points, surpassing the plateau 18 times that season; points in a season; best field goal percentage in a season; best three-point field goal percentage in a season; and most assists.
2000-01 Women’s Basketball Team:Â The 2000-01 Women’s Basketball team finished 28-4, the second-highest winning percentage in program history, earning the GLVC regular season and tournament championship. The squad won the Great Lakes Regional Championship on the road before advancing to the NCAA II Elite Eight. The team featured three 1,000 point career scorers.
