Baseball | 8/28/2014 7:00:00 AM
August 27, 2014--Five individuals and a national runner-up women's basketball team will be inducted into the Emporia State Athletic Hall of Honor on Saturday, October 18 as part of Homecoming festivities at Emporia State. The inductees will join a group of 180 former student-athletes, coaches and administrators and 14 teams who have distinguished themselves, the University and their professions through their athletic achievement.
The group will be honored at the annual Hall of Honor Breakfast at 8 a.m. in the Memorial Union's Webb Hall. The public is invited to attend. The cost of the breakfast is $12. Reservations can be made online at emporia.edu/alumni/homecoming or by calling the Emporia State Alumni Relations Office at (620) 341-6476.
2014 ESU ATHLETIC HALL OF HONOR INDUCTEES
Rachel Goetz, Track & Field 2001-04.Goetz won the national championship in the outdoor shot put for the Hornets in 2004. A nine-time All-American, she set the school record in indoor weight throw with a toss of 58-03 at 2002 NCAA Championships. Her throw of 160-1 in the discus in 2004 ranks second all-time at Emporia State. Her shot put mark of 47-11.75 to win the national championship is ranked fourth all-time outdoors at Emporia State and she threw 48-11.75 in 2002 to rank third indoors at Emporia State.
Ted Hollembeak, Baseball 1961-65.Hollembeak earned NAIA All-American honors as a senior infielder for the Hornets. He came to then Kansas State Teachers College after a stint in the US Army that included being selected for the US Army Alaska All-Star baseball team. After his baseball career he took up tennis and is a national level competitor in masters events, with a silver medal in singles in 2011. He set World Record for marathon doubles in 1982. He was a teacher and coach for five years at Goddard HS before getting his law degree and returning to Emporia to practice. He is currently Municipal Court Judge for the City of Emporia.
Gonzalo Javier, Men's Track & Field/Cross Country 1957-60.Javier was the NAIA National Champion in the 1500m outdoors in 1960. He ran at the time the second fastest 1500m in Emporia State history with a 3:47.7 at the 1960 Meet of Champions in Texas. Over 50 years later, he still ranks fifth all-time in the 1500 for the Hornets. He was a member of the Hornets national championship cross country teams in 1958 and 1959. He retired as the supervising EEO investigator for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Tyler Paul, Football 2000-2003.Paul was named the Academic All-American of the Year for football and was the Ken B. Jones Award winner as top student-athlete in the MIAA following his senior year. He was a First-Team All-MIAA performer that led the MIAA in rushing as a junior and senior. He earned First-Team All-American honors by Football Gazette and second-team Daktronics All-American by CoSIDA. He was the Offensive MVP of the 2002 Mineral Water Bowl and led the Hornets to their first NCAA playoff appearance in 2003. He was a two-time first-team Academic All-American and is the third leading rusher in Emporia State history with 3,798 yards
John Rich, Faculty Athletics Representative 1990-2013.Dr. Rich served as the Faculty Athletics Representative for 23 years. He was President of the MIAA in 2001-03 and served as chair of the NCAA Division II Degree Completion Awards Committee from 2001-04. He was awarded the inaugural MIAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Mentor of the Year in 2010.
1997-98 NCAA Runner-up Women's Basketball TeamThe 1997-98 Lady Hornets were the first Emporia State athletic team to play for an NCAA Division II National Championship as they went 33-1 on the season. They were undefeated in the regular season and led the nation in scoring at 91.3 points per game and scoring margin at +29.3 points per game. The team had four players that would go on to earn first-team All-American honors and end their careers with at least 1,000 points.
