Oct. 7, 2009
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State Department of Athletics will honor a group of five outstanding individuals with induction into its Athletics Hall of Fame during Homecoming Weekend.
The 2009 class of the ISU Athletics Hall of Fame includes former student-athletes Kendra Haselhorst-Bull (volleyball), Dan Muller (men's basketball), Chris Quigley (wrestling), Melanie Ward (women's basketball), Priscilla Welch-Delaere (softball), as well as WMBD-TV sports director Kurt Pegler, who will receive the Campbell "Stretch" Miller award.
The official induction ceremony will take place Saturday, Oct. 17, in the Brown Ballroom of the Bone Student Center on the Illinois State University campus. The event will begin at 8 a.m. The five inductees and the Stretch Miller award winner will also be recognized during halftime of the Illinois State-Indiana State football game later that day. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The class is the 36th in the history of the ISU Athletics Hall of Fame, which began with the charter class in 1972. Tickets for the Hall of Fame ceremony are $25 per person and can be purchased through The Redbird Club office by calling Marianne Riddell at 309/438-3639. Tickets for the event must be ordered by Monday, Oct. 12.
Illinois State Athletics Hall of Fame - Class of 2009
Kendra Haselhorst-Bull
Volleyball (1997-2000)
One of only four, four-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selections in league history ... the 2000 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year ... a four-time first-team AVCA All-Central District honoree ... finished her career No. 1 in the Valley for career hitting percentage (.322), No. 2 in the Valley for career block assists (482) and No. 5 in the Valley for career kills (1,677) ... ranks No. 1 at Illinois State for career hitting percentage, block assists and total blocks (597) ... No. 2 at ISU in career kills ... one of three players in Valley history to post 1,600 kills and 500 blocks in a career ... three-time first-team selection on the Valley Scholar-Athlete Team ... a member of the Valley All-Centennial Volleyball Team.
Dan Muller
Men's Basketball (1995-98)
Two-time Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year (1996 and 1997) ... the 1998 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament's Most Outstanding Player ... the 1995 Valley Freshman of the Year ... named to the 1998 All-Valley Second Team ... three-time Valley Scholar-Athlete Team selection (1996, 1997 and 1998) ... three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District V selection (1996, 1997 and 1998) ... two-time CoSIDA Second-Team Academic All-America selection (1997 and 1998) ... a 1998 NCAA postgraduate scholarship winner ... first ISU student-athlete to receive the athlete of the year and scholar-athlete of the year awards in the same year (1997) ... ranks No. 9 in career points (1,445) and No. 4 in career double-digit scoring games (81) and career three-point field goals (204) ... started 128-consecutive games; every game of his career ... a member of two NCAA Tournament teams (1997 and 1998) and two NIT teams (1995 and 1996) ... in his four years, the Redbirds were 91-37 (.711) ... scored the game-winning layup in the 82-81 overtime win over Tennessee in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament.
Chris Quigley
Wrestling (1969-72)
Placed second at the NCAA National Championships in 1972 (Illinois State's highest national finisher in wrestling) ... at the 1972 championship, he defeated two-time national champion Chris Black ... wrestled in three NCAA National Championships ... three-year letterwinner ... team's co-captain as a junior ... won the United States Federation World Freestyle Tournament in 1970, 1972 and 1974 ... won the United States Federation world take down (open division), defeating Rick Sanders, a two-time Olympic silver medalist ... competed in Greco Roman wrestling in the 1972 Olympic Trials ... as a senior, wrestled at 126 pounds and posted a 22-12 overall record ... during his junior year, finished with a 10-10 mark, while wrestling at 126 pounds ... wrestled at 134 pounds as a sophomore and finished with a 16-9 mark.
Melanie Ward
Women's Basketball (1992-96)
Two-time first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection (1995 and 1996) ... during her junior season, led the Redbirds in points (421), field goal percentage (.542), free throw percentage (.793), blocks (16) and steals (45) ... was the fifth player in Redbird history to reach 1,000 career points as a junior ... finished with 1,453 career points, which ranks No. 8 all-time ... the team's most valuable player in 1994 ... owns the ISU record for single-season freshman field goal percentage (.574) ... played just five games during the 1992-93 season and missed the rest of the year with a heel injury, but was granted a medical hardship waiver by the NCAA ... two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District V selection (1994 and 1996) ... member of the 1996 Missouri Valley Conference All-Tournament Team ... two-time member of the Valley Scholar-Athlete Team (1995 and 1996) ... ranks No. 4 in ISU history with 18-career double-doubles ... ranks No. 5 in career field goals made (589) and No. 4 in career field goal percentage (.534) ... also No. 5 in career rebounds (724), including No. 2 in career defensive boards (526).
Priscilla Welch-Delaere
Softball (1994-97)
Named to the Valley All-Centennial Softball Team ... a 1997 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Third-Team All-American ... four-time first-team all-region honoree ... three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference First-Team selection (1995, 1996 and 1997) ... named the 1994 Missouri Valley Conference Rookie of the Year ... member of the 1997 Missouri Valley Conference All-Tournament Team ... an All-Valley Second-Team honoree in 1994 ... ISU's career leader in hits with 247 ... holds the No. 2 spot in the Redbird record books for career runs scored (119) ... ranks No. 4 in school history in career batting average (.373) and is No. 3 in career doubles (40) and career RBI (102) ... her 247 career hits ranks No. 4 all-time in Missouri Valley Conference history ... she was the league-leader with nine triples in 1994 ... she batted a league-best .532 in conference games during the 1997 season.
Kurt Pegler
2009 Stretch Miller Award Winner
Originally from suburban Chicago, Kurt Pegler joined the WMBD 31 news team as a college intern from Illinois State University in 1987. Three years later, he was hired as a full-time reporter. He was named the Illinois State outstanding broadcast communication student in 1987 and an ISU outstanding communication graduate in 1996. Pegler has served as the television voice for Illinois State men's basketball since 1993 and the television football voice for the Redbirds since 1999. He's been a finalist for the best downstate sportscast award presented by the Illinois Broadcasters Association every year since 1993, winning the honor in 1994, 2003 and 2004. Active in the community, Pegler serves on the Greater Peoria YMCA board, the Peoria Leadership Prayer Breakfast committee, and the area Operation Christmas Child committee. He has co-hosted the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Easter Seals telethons for WMBD 31. Pegler is a regular emcee for the Illinois State Senior Awards Banquet and also hosts several local charity golf events and awards luncheons. He also speaks to scores of civic and church groups, and frequently reads to elementary school students in area classrooms.
