The University of St. Thomas Athletic Hall of Fame inducted 16 new members on Nov. 16. The Athletic Hall of Fame is co-sponsored by the Athletic Department and Alumni Association. Every three years the ceremony is held for a new class of inductees.

The new inductees are:

Ryan Collins ‘98 – Football
Drew Fernelius ‘93-Tennis
Tony Fisher ‘97- Baseball
Emily Foster ‘11 – Volleyball
Megan Pfeiffer Hansen ‘97 – Women’s Track and Field
Jeremy Heckman ‘01 – Men’s Track and Field/Football
Pete Mullee ‘11- Men’s Swimming and Diving
Tom Palkowski ‘87- Hockey (men’s player and women’s head coach)
Alise Riedel ‘14 -Women’s Hockey
Lonnie Robinson ‘08- Men’s Basketball/Baseball
Laura Heck Ryan ‘10- Women’s Golf
Taylor Young Sandeman ‘14 -Women’s Basketball
Ben Sathre ‘12 -Men’s Cross Country/Track and Field
Bryan Schnettler ‘08 – Men’s Basketball
Fritz Waldvogel ‘12 – Football
Shannon Moore Weber ‘03 -Softball

Thirteen different sports are represented in this year’s class.

The process on how the university selects the inductees is complex. There is a five year wait period after the athlete graduates before they can be eligible for the hall of fame.

“There are a combination of ways, we reach out through the alumni to invite them to nominate athletes. We work with current and former head coaches to get their feedback on which athletes they have in the hall of fame and which athletes are eligible to be in the hall of fame,” said Gene McGivern, Sports and Information Director at St. Thomas.

There is a selection committee that decides on the final inductee class. The committee consists of former student athletes, staff members, and administrators.

“You don’t want to have a bunch of one sport people…you try to have balance,” McGivern said.

“I’m tremendously honored… just to be in the same sentence with the best of the best is very honoring,” Drew Fernelius ‘93 said.

Fernelius played tennis for the Tommies from 1989-93. His experience at St. Thomas was filled with great teammates and incredible competition. Fernelius was very successful during his time at St. Thomas.

“I was an All-American a couple of times and was lucky enough to make it to nationals all four years and finished in the top 20 in the nation,” Fernelius said.

Women’s hockey coach Tom Palkowski ‘87 will be inducted in the Hall of Fame. Palkowski played hockey for three years at St. Thomas. He played his first year of college hockey at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

“Being a coach now and even back then, it’s about the team,” Palkowski said. “Individual accomplishments are great, but they are not accomplished without your teammates.”

Palkowski helped his team win two MIAC championships and two NCAA playoff berths. His junior year, Palkowski led the conference in scoring.

Emily Foster, a 2011 graduate, was a setter for the St. Thomas volleyball team. Foster helped lead the team to regionals all four years she played, and led the team to win regionals her senior year..

“I was lucky to play with a lot of talented people so I think it could have gone to any of us, but I’m honored to be the one chosen,” Foster said.

The Hall of Fame event started in 1974. This year’s event occurred at 10 a.m. on Nov. 16 in the Anderson Student Center’s Woulfe Alumni Hall. The inductees were honored during halftime of the football game against Bethel that same day.

Rae Beaner can be reached at rnbeaner696@stkate.edu.