Northern Colorado Athletics Announces 2022 Hall of Fame Class

GREELEY, Colo. - Two outstanding student-athletes, two former head coaches, a groundbreaking administrator and the department's first Division I conference championship team make up the 24^th class of the Northern Colorado Athletics Hall of Fame announced today. The class is comprised of Tad Boyle, Scott Hewitt, Marisa Hughes, Jani Malkiewicz, Jaime White and the 2009 Volleyball team.

The group will be recognized at a date to be determined in January 2023 along with a 50^th anniversary celebration of Title IX. Further information about the Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be announced on UNCBears.com.

Tad Boyle | Men's Basketball Head Coach | 2006-10
Tad Boyle's tenure as Men's Basketball coach was not lengthy, but it was pivotal in laying the foundation for where the program is today. He took the program from one of the worst in the nation as they entered the Division I ranks to the cusp of a Big Sky title in just four short years.

The Greeley native led the program to its first 20-win season since the 1980s in 2009-10 when Northern Colorado went 25-8. UNC qualified for two Big Sky Tournaments under Boyle in 2008-09 and 09-10. In 2009-10 he also helped the Bears earn a berth to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they advanced to the second round.

Boyle recruited and helped develop future UNC Hall of Famer and Big Sky MVP Devon Beitzel, along with three All-Big Sky honorees and the 2009-10 Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year in Yahosh Bonner.

His impact on the program went beyond the basketball court by helping establish the Roundball Club to fundraise for not only the UNC Men's Basketball program but help the department initiate the fundraising efforts necessary to compete at the Division I level.

Boyle now has over 300 career wins between his UNC tenure and the last 12 years at Colorado leading the Buffs to five NCAA Tournament appearances and four NIT berths.

Scott Hewit | Wrestling | 1996-99
Scott Hewit wrestled for UNC and head coach Jack Maughan from 1996-99, after attending Adams City High School in Colorado. Hewit was a four-time All-American at UNC and had 72 career victories. He won the 1999 DII Championship at the 157 lb weight class and finished with a 25-8 record that season.

Hewit placed fifth in the DII Championships in both 1996 and 1998. In 1997 he placed seventh in the DII Championships.

Prior to attending UNC Hewit placed third and fifth at the Fargo Nationals in Greco. He also wrestled in Norway for team USA Greco Wrestling.

After his collegiate wrestling career concluded, he served as an assistant coach for Maughan during the 1999-00 season. Hewit was a two-time Colorado Wrestling Champion (1992-135 lbs, 1993-152 lbs) and had 112 varsity victories. He is a second-generation State Champion. During his high school career, he finished third and fifth in Greco Roman at the Fargo Nationals. His performance helped him earn a spot on Team USA to compete in Greco style in Norway one summer.

Marissa Hughes | Volleyball | 2009-12
Marissa Hughes set the way for Northern Colorado from 2009-12, stepping into the starting lineup right away and helping UNC to three conference tournament titles and two regular season titles.

She racked up 4,877 assists, a DI program record and third all-time. She also ranks eighth in the DI record book with 84 serving aces. Hughes set the program single-season DI record for assists in a season with 1,384 during her freshman year a record that stood until 2019.

Hughes earned second team All-Big Sky honors her freshman through junior year and first team her senior season. She was also named to the Big Sky's All-Academic team all four seasons.

Jani Malkiewicz | Contributor | 1979-84
Jani Malkiewicz served as the first female Assistant Sports Information Director at Northern Colorado. At a time where many athletic departments still separated men's and women's sports, she helped establish a formal process for collecting and recording statistical information on UNC women's intercollegiate sports in addition to assisting the media coverage of the men's collegiate programs. Malkiewicz designed and produced media guides and news releases for all aspects of UNC's women's sports, while traveling with many women's teams, an unusual practice at the time.

Some of the teams she promoted while at UNC include the 1981 volleyball team that finished third in the nation, the nationally ranked softball team and the 1983 women's tennis team that finished fourth in the nation, while hosting the AIAW National Championship at UNC.   Two of those teams are a part of the UNC Athletics Hall of Fame.

Malkiewicz's contribution to the department is paramount to this day helping tell the story of UNC Athletics, particularly its women's sports, and keeping their historical data.

She returned to UNC in 2001 teaching in the College of Natural and Health Sciences and the School of Sport and Exercise Science for 15 years.

Jaime White | Women's Basketball Head Coach | 2006-14
Jaime White is the Northern Colorado Women's Basketball all-time leader in wins with 117. She did this while leading the program through the Division II to DI transition, elevating it from a new member to a consistent challenger for the Big Sky title.

White earned the Big Sky's Coach of the Year honor in the 2010-11 season when UNC was Co-Big Sky Champions and finished 12-4 in conference play. The Bears reached the Big Sky Tournament championship game twice under White's leadership and played in three postseason tournaments.

She coached 15 All-Big Sky honorees including the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year three times in Courtney Stoermer in 2010-11 and twice with D'shara Strange in 2011-12 and 12-13. Strange was also named the Big Sky Freshman of the Year in 2010-11. White also coached the Big Sky Newcomer of the Year in 2007-08 in Jamie Schroeder. Two of White's former student-athletes in D'shara Strange and Whitley Cox are now in the UNC Hall of Fame.

On court success was not the only thing White had at Northern Colorado, she also had five teams earn a spot on the WBCA Academic Top 25.

Following her time at UNC, White took over as the head coach at Fresno State where she remains.

2009 Volleyball Team
The 2009 Northern Colorado volleyball team was UNC's first team to qualify for a Division I NCAA postseason tournament. The Bears went 21-12 overall and 12-4 in Big Sky play to earn the No. 3 seed in the Big Sky Tournament.

UNC defeated second seed and host Eastern Washington in the semifinals of the Big Sky Tournament 3-2 and then defeated top seed Portland State 3-1 in the championship.

The Bears went on to face No. 6 national seed Washington which they took a set off in the first round.

The team captured numerous conference awards Head Coach Lyndsey Oates earned the Big Sky Coach of the Year honor. Allison Raguse was a first team All-Big Sky member while teammates Kenzie Shreeve and Marissa Hughes earned second team and Taylor Smith was an honorable mention. Shreeve earned Big Sky Tournament MVP honors with Raguse and Hughes joining her on the All-Tournament team.

To stay up to date on all things UNC Athletics, visit UNCBears.com and follow the department on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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