Gerald Stelter, '54

RIPON, Wis. - This weekend's 2008 Ripon College Alumni Weekend will be highlighted by an awards banquet Friday night, in which three former Ripon athletes and one former coach will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The four inductees include Gerald Stelter '54, who starred in both football and basketball, William Schultz '97, who participated in football and track, Paula Hageman-Dingle '93, who was an outstanding track performer, and Coach Gordie Gillespie, who served as the head coach of Ripon baseball for 10 seasons.

Stelter earned letters in football and basketball for his athletic excellence and dedication. In football, he was named Second-Team All-Conference in 1952 as a defensive back. He was equally impressive on the hardwood, earning Second-Team All-Conference honors in 1954 as a center. During the 1953-54 season, Stelter scored 414 points, which was the third-highest total in the conference that year. He was named the Ripon College men's basketball team Most Valuable Player that season.

Paula Hageman-Dingle, '93

Hageman-Dingle accumulated many prestigious awards for her dominance on the

track during her time at Ripon. She was an NCAA Division-III National Qualifier for the Red Hawks in the long jump for two consecutive years and the triple jump for one year. During her senior season in 1993, she earned several awards, including All-American, Midwest Conference Most Valuable Performer during the outdoor season, as well as the S.N. Pickard Award recipient. In her two seasons as a Red Hawk, Hageman-Dingle set the MWC indoor long jump and outdoor long and triple jump records, while also setting numerous Ripon College records. Her indoor long jump (18-5), and outdoor long (19-6) and triple jump (37-4) records still stand today.

Bill Schultz, '97

Schultz had equally impressive careers in both football and track and field. On the gridiron, Schultz set the Ripon College scoring record with 43 career touchdowns, while leading the Red Hawks to a conference championship during his senior season in 1996. That scoring record is currently 25th best in NCAA History and 11th best in NCAA Division-III history. Schultz was named team MVP and First Team All-Conference in 1994, 1995, and 1996. In track and field, Schultz was named Indoor Team MVP during each of his four seasons, while earning Outdoor MVP honors from 1994-96. Schultz set college records in the indoor long jump and outdoor 4x200 meter relay. He is Ripon's all-time leading scorer in track and field with 581 career points. For his outstanding athleticism in both sports, Bill was the S.N. Pickard recipient in 1997.

Gordie Gillespie Coach, 1995-2005

Gordie Gillespie was Ripon's head baseball coach from 1996-2005 and is credited with getting the baseball program to its current level. During his time at Ripon, Gillespie went 236-129 (.646 winning percentage), celebrated six division titles, five conference championships, and was named conference coach of the year four times. Gillespie is currently college baseball's all-time winningest coach with 1,741 career victories in 55 seasons at Ripon, Lewis University, and the University of St. Francis (IL). He was named the NAIA "Coach of the Century" by Collegiate Baseball Magazine in 1998. Gillespie, who has been inducted into 13 Halls of Fame is currently the head baseball coach at the University of St. Francis (IL).

The Hall of Fame banquet will begin at 5 p.m. Friday at Pickard Commons on the Ripon College campus. With these four new inductees, Ripon's Hall of Fame will be expanded to 113 members.