by Cassie Florido
The STA athletic department is creating a Hall of Fame to honor the successes of past athletes. According to athletic director Mark Hough, standard requirements to be inducted into the Hall of Fame includes standout accomplishments as a high school, college, or professional athlete. This includes past athletes who achieved All-District or All-State honors during their time in high school.
“Hall of Fames can be found at nearly all high schools as a way to recognize the achievements of standout student athletes,” Hough said. “We certainly have many deserving of this honor at St. Teresa’s.”
According to Hough, the athletic department plans to start inducting a few members into the Hall of Fame each year. The plan is to induct more recent graduates alongs with a few older graduates each year. The Hall of Fame will be located in Verheyen and will begin to take shape in the summer.
As of now, only one member, Becca Lueke, has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Lueke was inducted into the Hall of Fame Feb 27. on basketball senior night, where her jersey number was retired as well.
“[The athletic department] will continue to add members through each season from here on out,” Hough said.
Hough states that the next inductees into the Hall of Fame will include professional athletes and athletes that have lettered in college.
Title IX, passed in 1972, states that males and females must receive the same amount of federal funding in certain aspects of life, including athletics. The passing of Title IX has allowed more female athletes to pursue sports in college and as a professional career. The success of Title IX is shown in the number of eligible inductees for the STA Hall of Fame.
Through the decades of the STA Hall of Fame, the number of students eligible to be inducted into the Hall of Fame increases in recent year. From athletes who played in the 1990s only 3 members are eligible to be inducted, compared to 39 eligible inductees who attended STA in the 2000s to present.
“One of the great results of Title IX has been the development of additional opportunities for female athletes to participate in college and professional athletics in a variety of sports,” Hough said.
Cross country coach Karen Moran is an eligible inductee from the class of 1996. Moran was part of the 1994 cross country State champion team and ran for Rockhurst University. Moran has coached cross country at STA for 15 years. She also earned All-District honors her sophomore and junior year.
Moran said that being inducted into the Hall of Fame would be an honor.
“There have been so many incredible athletes that wore an STA uniform and there are many deserving alumnae that deserve recognition for excellence in athletics during their high school years,” Moran said.
STA graduate Anna Woolery is an eligible inductee from the class of 2013 and is currently playing softball at the University of Chicago. Woolery was a member of the varsity softball team all four years for the Stars. She received All-District honors every year except for her senior year due to injury.
“It’s such an honor to be [eligible] to be inducted into the Hall of Fame,” Woolery said. “It means a lot to be recognized alongside some of STA’s best athletes.”
Woolery and Moran both agree that it is important to acknowledge the excellence of athletes at STA.
“STA promotes excellence in academics and in extracurriculars as well,” Moran said. “Sports are a large component of many students’ lives while in high school and the hard work and discipline they demonstrate in the classroom carries over into their athletics endeavors.”
[nggallery id=784]
