UMKC Athletics Announces Inaugural Hall of Fame Class
9/30/2008 3:30:00 PM | General, Athletics
Kansas City, Mo. -- The UMKC Athletics Department announced the members of its inaugural Hall of Fame class at the UMKC Athletics Kick-Off Party on Saturday night at the Arrowhead Pavilion. The 10-person class consists of eight former student-athletes, one former coach/administrator and one friend of the program.
The first inductee for the Kangaroos is men's basketball player Bill Frerking. Frerking played for UMKC from the 1979 through the 1983 seasons. Frerking was an honorable mention all-America honoree during the 1982-83 campaign to go along with earning First Team all-District 16 accolades in 1981-82 and 1982-83. During his sophomore season, he was an NAIA honorable mention selection.
Former women's basketball student-athlete Katie Houlehan was selected to the first Hall of Fame class after earning First Team all-Mid-Con and Mid-Con all-Tournament team honors during the 2004-05 season. Houlehan, who is UMKC's all-time Division I career scoring leader and ranks second overall, led the Kangaroos to the Mid-Con Championship game as the No. 7 seed as a senior, which was the first ever UMKC squad to play for the tournament title.
Men's golfer Robert Russell earned honorable mention all-America honors in 1996, as he became UMKC's only golfer to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Russell, who tied for 24th place at the NCAA Midwest Regional that year, was also a two-time First Team all-Mid-Con honoree. The 1996 Mid-Con Newcomer of the Year was a two-time Mid-Con Championship runner-up during his time in Blue and Gold.
Former men's soccer student-athlete Larry Scheller was an honorable mention College Soccer News all-America, second team NSCAA all-Midwest Region, First Team all-Mid-Con and Mid-Con Player of the Year honoree during his senior season in 2001. Scheller helped the Kangaroos qualify for the NCAA Tournament, where they won their first round match-up over Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which is the only win for UMKC in NCAA competition in school history.
Men's basketball player Ronnie Schmitz earned the Hall of Fame nod, after finishing his career ranking in the top-10 in school history in virtually every category. Schmitz, who suited up for the Kangaroos from 1989-93, ranks second in three-point field goals (378) and third in career scoring (1,939), steals (148) and career field goals (641). During the 1990-91 campaign, Schmitz finished second in the nation with 116 three-pointers, and he is one of just two Kangaroo players to surpass the 50-point scoring plateau in a single game. In 1995, Schmitz became the first-ever UMKC student-athlete to have his No. 24 jersey retired.
Catalina Suarez-Moss was a first team all-Mideast Region and honorable mention all-America selection for the UMKC volleyball team during the 1989 season. Suarez-Moss, who is the only other Kangaroo student-athlete to have her number eight jersey retired, to this day still ranks among the top-20 in the all-time NCAA recordbooks in 18 different categories. Suarez-Moss' name is also littered throughout the UMKC recordbooks, which includes marks for single season kills (694), digs (644) and hitting percentage (.314).
Track and field's Matt Voelker was an NCAA Outdoor all-America selection in 2002 after placing sixth in the nation in the high jump. Voelker, who also was an outdoor qualifier in 2003, was a three-time Mid-Con Indoor Champion (2000, 2002, 2003) and a two-time Mid-Con Outdoor Champion (2002, 2003). The UMKC high jump recordholder, both indoors (6-10 1/2) and outdoors (7-3 1/4), is one of two Kangaroo student-athletes to win three Mid-Con Indoor titles in the same event.
Women's basketball player Stephanie Worthy was an NAIA First Team all-America selection and the NAIA District 16 Player of the Year during the 1985-86 season. Worthy also garnered NAIA Second Team all-America honors in 1984-85. Worthy, who holds six of the top-10 single game scoring outputs in school history, finished her career ranking first in steals (269) and scoring average (18.9) and second in rebounding (696) and field goals (540).
Lee Hunt, the first Division I Director of Athletics and head men's basketball coach, is the school recordholder in wins for the Kangaroos during the Division I era with 113 victories. Hunt was the head coach responsible for recruiting two of the top men's basketball players in school history in fellow Hall of Famer Ronnie Schmitz and Tony Dumas, who is the only UMKC player to ever be selected in the NBA Draft.
Longtime UMKC supporter Stan Durwood was selected to the Hall of Fame after playing a vital role in the transition of UMKC to Division I status. Durwood served as the first chairman of the Athletics Foundation Board, and each year the “Stanley Durwood Award” is given to the male and female student-athletes with the highest grade point averages. Last spring, the Stanley H. Durwood Foundation gave the biggest gift in the history of the Athletics Department. The gift will help in the construction of a new on-campus soccer stadium, which will be named in Durwood's honor.
Student-athletes can be considered for induction into the Hall of Fame a minimum of two years after their last date of enrollment. Only student-athletes who have earned an undergraduate degree and all-America, all-conference, all-district or all-region status will be considered. Coaches, administrators, and friends of the program will be judged based on their overall impact on their programs and the entire athletics department.
The first inductee for the Kangaroos is men's basketball player Bill Frerking. Frerking played for UMKC from the 1979 through the 1983 seasons. Frerking was an honorable mention all-America honoree during the 1982-83 campaign to go along with earning First Team all-District 16 accolades in 1981-82 and 1982-83. During his sophomore season, he was an NAIA honorable mention selection.
Former women's basketball student-athlete Katie Houlehan was selected to the first Hall of Fame class after earning First Team all-Mid-Con and Mid-Con all-Tournament team honors during the 2004-05 season. Houlehan, who is UMKC's all-time Division I career scoring leader and ranks second overall, led the Kangaroos to the Mid-Con Championship game as the No. 7 seed as a senior, which was the first ever UMKC squad to play for the tournament title.
Men's golfer Robert Russell earned honorable mention all-America honors in 1996, as he became UMKC's only golfer to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Russell, who tied for 24th place at the NCAA Midwest Regional that year, was also a two-time First Team all-Mid-Con honoree. The 1996 Mid-Con Newcomer of the Year was a two-time Mid-Con Championship runner-up during his time in Blue and Gold.
Former men's soccer student-athlete Larry Scheller was an honorable mention College Soccer News all-America, second team NSCAA all-Midwest Region, First Team all-Mid-Con and Mid-Con Player of the Year honoree during his senior season in 2001. Scheller helped the Kangaroos qualify for the NCAA Tournament, where they won their first round match-up over Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which is the only win for UMKC in NCAA competition in school history.
Men's basketball player Ronnie Schmitz earned the Hall of Fame nod, after finishing his career ranking in the top-10 in school history in virtually every category. Schmitz, who suited up for the Kangaroos from 1989-93, ranks second in three-point field goals (378) and third in career scoring (1,939), steals (148) and career field goals (641). During the 1990-91 campaign, Schmitz finished second in the nation with 116 three-pointers, and he is one of just two Kangaroo players to surpass the 50-point scoring plateau in a single game. In 1995, Schmitz became the first-ever UMKC student-athlete to have his No. 24 jersey retired.
Catalina Suarez-Moss was a first team all-Mideast Region and honorable mention all-America selection for the UMKC volleyball team during the 1989 season. Suarez-Moss, who is the only other Kangaroo student-athlete to have her number eight jersey retired, to this day still ranks among the top-20 in the all-time NCAA recordbooks in 18 different categories. Suarez-Moss' name is also littered throughout the UMKC recordbooks, which includes marks for single season kills (694), digs (644) and hitting percentage (.314).
Track and field's Matt Voelker was an NCAA Outdoor all-America selection in 2002 after placing sixth in the nation in the high jump. Voelker, who also was an outdoor qualifier in 2003, was a three-time Mid-Con Indoor Champion (2000, 2002, 2003) and a two-time Mid-Con Outdoor Champion (2002, 2003). The UMKC high jump recordholder, both indoors (6-10 1/2) and outdoors (7-3 1/4), is one of two Kangaroo student-athletes to win three Mid-Con Indoor titles in the same event.
Women's basketball player Stephanie Worthy was an NAIA First Team all-America selection and the NAIA District 16 Player of the Year during the 1985-86 season. Worthy also garnered NAIA Second Team all-America honors in 1984-85. Worthy, who holds six of the top-10 single game scoring outputs in school history, finished her career ranking first in steals (269) and scoring average (18.9) and second in rebounding (696) and field goals (540).
Lee Hunt, the first Division I Director of Athletics and head men's basketball coach, is the school recordholder in wins for the Kangaroos during the Division I era with 113 victories. Hunt was the head coach responsible for recruiting two of the top men's basketball players in school history in fellow Hall of Famer Ronnie Schmitz and Tony Dumas, who is the only UMKC player to ever be selected in the NBA Draft.
Longtime UMKC supporter Stan Durwood was selected to the Hall of Fame after playing a vital role in the transition of UMKC to Division I status. Durwood served as the first chairman of the Athletics Foundation Board, and each year the “Stanley Durwood Award” is given to the male and female student-athletes with the highest grade point averages. Last spring, the Stanley H. Durwood Foundation gave the biggest gift in the history of the Athletics Department. The gift will help in the construction of a new on-campus soccer stadium, which will be named in Durwood's honor.
Student-athletes can be considered for induction into the Hall of Fame a minimum of two years after their last date of enrollment. Only student-athletes who have earned an undergraduate degree and all-America, all-conference, all-district or all-region status will be considered. Coaches, administrators, and friends of the program will be judged based on their overall impact on their programs and the entire athletics department.
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