Marian University Athletics has announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2025 which includes three individuals and one team.
“Marian University Athletics is excited to announce our Hall of Fame Class of 2025,” said Director of Athletics Tony Draves. “All three individuals, and the 1993 women’s cross country team, are great ambassadors for Marian University and we can’t wait to honor them in September. Congratulations to all of those being recognized.”
The 1993 Marian women’s cross country team enters the Marian Hall of Fame as the only team in program history to reach the NAIA National Championship and win a conference title. Marian finished in third or better in three of seven meets before winning the LMC Championship with a team score of 28. Marian then placed 34th at the NAIA National Championship. The Sabres were led by Kristine Kashirsky who won the individual titles at the LMC Championship and the NAIA District 14 meet, along with being placed on the LMC All-Conference team. She averaged a time of 19:54 over 10 meets and placed 54th at the NAIA National Championship. Also earning All-Conference recognition was Amy Huberty, while Sue Sesing and Kathy Pansky were All-District selections. Kate Candee was named the LMC Coach of the Year for her leadership of the squad and she was assisted by Caroline (Coughlin) Lampereur, a member of the Marian Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2016.
Deanna (Dolgner) Respalje was one of the best attackers in the early 2000’s and becomes the sixth Hall of Fame inductee from the Marian women’s volleyball program. Competing from 2000-2003, Marian boasted a 96-39 record with a pair of LMC Championships and berths into the NCAA Tournament. Respalje made her impact immediate on the Sabre women’s volleyball program earning LMC All-Conference and LMC Co-Rookie of the Year recognition in 2000 after the Sabres went 30-6 with a perfect 12-0 conference record. She went on to earn LMC All-Conference recognition all four years of her career finishing with 1,457 kills, third on the all-time list. Respalje remains the only Sabre in program history with more than 500 kills in a single season after posting 541 in her senior campaign. She was also a force at the net and enters the Hall of Fame second all-time for blocks with 652. Her 271 blocks as a junior ranks second in the single-season records.
“I am truly honored by the nomination into the Marian University Athletic Hall of Fame,” said Respalje. “The members of the Hall of Fame represent significant achievements and recognition of many athletes that have had the privilege of putting on a Sabre jersey. While it is great to see that my carer stats remain at the top of the record books, I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize that I did not get there alone. Without teammates to make the pass or setters to give the perfect ball to hit, I wouldn’t have any kills. To the coaches throughout my career that pushed hard to grow me into something they saw, when I didn’t see it in myself. To my parents, who spent countless hours in gyms, not only for me, but for my four sisters as well who all played hundreds of games of volleyball. It’s easy to have the skill but excellence at a high level of requires a support team, and I sure had a great one. Thank you for this honor to be a part of a great class of people.”
Luke Scharf becomes the third Marian men’s golfer to enter the Hall of Fame after playing a role in three conference championships. The Sabres won 13 events during his tenure from 1999-2002. He earned all-conference recognition in his freshman and senior seasons and added a Third Team Academic All-American selection in his final year. Scharf was just the second Sabre to become an Academic All-American and enters the Hall of Fame one of just eight Sabres who earned the honor. In that senior season, Scharf set a single-season program record for stroke average at 76.3 to anchor a squad that averaged 79.8 strokes as a team, fifth-best in program history.
“I am appreciative and humbled to be inducted into the Marian Athletics Hall of Fame,” said Scharf. “This is a great honor and I am happy to represent Marian Athletics in the community with all my fellow alumni.”
Lee Zollner was one of the most utilized arms for Marian baseball in one of the winningest eras in program history. Zollner becomes the sixth member of the Sabre baseball program to earn induction into the Marian Hall of Fame after competing from 1998-2001. Marian won three conference championships during his tenure and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament in 2000, the only NCAA Tournament berth in program history. Zollner enters the Marian Hall of Fame the all-time leader for innings pitched (272.0) and complete games (28), along with ranking fourth all-time for wins (21) and fifth for strikeouts (172). Zollner was a two-time LMC All-Conference selection and in his junior season, also earned a First Team All-Midwest Region selection. That 2000 season saw Zollner earn nine victories, tied for the single-season program record, and toss three shutouts over 87.2 innings of work. It remains one of just four seasons where a Marian pitcher threw more than 80.0 innings.
“It’s an honor just to be considered for the Hall of Fame, let alone being inducted with all of the other great student-athletes before me,” said Zollner. “The four years I spent at Marian were among the best of my life and I’ll always treasure the time I spent there, the education I received, the friends I made, and all the hard-fought battles on the ball diamond. I truly thank Marian University form the bottom of my heart.”
Homecoming weekend kicks off Friday, September 26 with the 14th annual Korbie Classic to be held at Whispering Springs Golf Club. Registration for the event can be found at https://commerce.cashnet.com/marianustore?cname=KORBIE. Any questions, comments, or concerns can be directed to Dan Mueller at [email protected].
The following day, Saturday, September 27, begins with a soccer doubleheader as the Sabres welcome Rockford to Smith Field. The Marian Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025 will be recognized and honored at halftime of the women’s game.
The Hall of Fame Induction and Alumni Awards Presentation will be presented later that evening in the Sodexo Dining Room of the Stayer Center. The reception for the event begins at 5 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m. and the awards presentation beginning at 6:45 p.m. To register a full table for the event please visit https://commerce.cashnet.com/marianustore?itemcode=MAR-HOFTAB, while registration for one to seven seats can be found at https://commerce.cashnet.com/marianustore?itemcode=MAR-HOFDIN.
