RELEASED:  Friday, October 5, 2007

Eight Individuals Named to UW-Stevens Point Athletics Hall of Fame

Stevens Point, Wis.--Athletes from seven different sports and a longtime contributor to UW-Stevens Point athletics will be honored in this year’s UW-Stevens Point athletics hall of fame inductions as part of the university’s homecoming festivities on Oct. 13.
    
The honorees will be introduced at halftime of the Pointers’ football game against UW-Stout and will be inducted at a banquet at the Country Springs Hotel in Stevens Point that will begin at 6:30 p.m. with cocktails at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are still available by contacting the UW-Stevens Point alumni relations office at 715-346-3811.
    
Selections include wrestler Jere Hamel, field hockey player Karen Konopacki, baseball player Gary Kostuchowski, radio broadcaster Scott Krueger, swimmer Kevin Parham, track and field and cross country athlete Eric Parker, basketball player Mike Paynter and football player Craig Verhagen.
    
The UW-Stevens Point athletics hall of fame began in 1969 and this year’s induction brings the total number of individuals enshrined to 185.
    
Hamel (1992-96) was a three-time wrestling all-american, placing eighth at the national meet in 1994, fourth in 1995 and fifth in 1996. He won Wisconsin State University Conference titles at 134 pounds in 1995 and 1996. Hamel posted a career record of 117-37 and totaled 462 career takedowns and 22 pins. He was a member of four conference championship teams and was the team’s Most Valuable Wrestler in 1996. A Vesper native who wrestled at Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School, Hamel resides in his hometown and is employed by Johnson Timber Corporation as a timber buyer.
    
Konopacki (1979-82) earned team Most Valuable Player honors and first-team all-conference laurels as the field hockey squad’s top defender in 1981 and 1982. She helped the Pointers reach the NCAA Division III tournament three straight years from 1980-82 and was the team captain in 1982. A Menasha native and St. Mary Central High School graduate, Konopacki lives in Anchorage, Alaska and works as senior procurement specialist for ConocoPhillips. She regularly participates in numerous charity running, skiing and biking events in Alaska.
    
Kostuchowski (1994-97) was the school’s first baseball all-american, earning third-team honors in 1997 after leading the Pointers to their first NCAA Division III World Series appearance. Kostuchowski was a four-time all-conference first baseman and was the regional tournament Most Valuable Player in 1997. He had a career batting average of .394 with 188 hits, 145 RBI’s, 42 doubles and 24 home runs. A Stevens Point native, Kostuchowski teaches in the English as a Second Language program at Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School.
 
Krueger has broadcasted UW-Stevens Point sporting events since he was a student at the university from 1972-75. He has been behind the microphone for UW-Stevens Point’s NCAA Division III championship games in men’s basketball in 2004 and 2005 and women’s basketball in 1987 and 2002. He also covered the 1984 NAIA men’s basketball finals and 1987 NAIA football title game. Krueger was the recipient of the Tom Butler Award in 2002-03 for coverage of Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference athletics. A Fond du Lac native and Goodrich High School graduate, he has served as sports director at both WSPT and WIZD radio stations in Stevens Point.

Parham (1987-90) earned 17 NAIA all-american swimming awards and posted three honorable mention all-american swims from 1987-90. He helped the Pointers to four NAIA top 10 team finishes, including a national runner-up trophy in 1990. Parham left UW-Stevens Point with two individual school records and five relay records. He was the conference champion in the 50-yard freestyle in 1988 and swam on two conference champion relays. Parham attended Kenwood Academy in Chicago and currently resides in Kenosha.
    
Parker (1980-83) won the WSUC 600-yard outdoor track and field title three straight years and set a conference record in the event as a senior. He was a member of the fourth place 1660-yard relay at the 1983 NCAA Division III championships and ran on the third place two-mile relay team at the 1981 NAIA championships. Parker was also on the winning 3,200-meter relay team at the 1983 Drake Relays, beating several high-caliber Division I teams and still holding the school record. A Shorewood native, he lives in Waterford and works as a Senior Wetland Scientist/Principal at Graef, Anhalt, Schloemer and Associates.

Paynter (1993-97) was a two-time first-team all-conference basketball player in 1995-96 and 1996-97. He compiled career totals of 1,424 points, 603 rebounds and 193 blocked shots from 1993-97. Paynter led the Pointers to their first NCAA Division III tournament appearance and a berth in the “Elite Eight” in 1996-97. He was the conference’s freshman of the year in 1993. A Whitewater native, Paynter resides in Milwaukee works as a software developer.
    
Verhagen (1987-90) earned first-team all-conference laurels in 1989 and 1990 and second-team honors in 1988. He started at linebacker for four seasons and totaled 300 tackles and 23 sacks. Verhagen was the team’s Most Valuable Player in 1990 and was also a member of the 1987 squad that played in the NAIA championship game. Following college, he was a player/coach for the Swedish Super Bowl champions Uppsala 86’ers in 1991. A Little Chute native, Verhagen works in sales and training in the pharmaceutical industry and lives in Wrightstown.