ELLENSBURG, Wash. (June 4) – Central Washington University athletics held its Wildcat Gala and Athletics Hall of Fame on May 18, where two individuals and one team were entered into the Hall of Fame and over $75,000 was raised for student-athlete scholarships and support.
The event marked the 36
thinduction ceremony in history, bringing the current roster of Hall of Fame inductees to 196. This year's event also offered an inaugural live auction and other philanthropic opportunities to raise funds for student-athlete support.
2019 Hall of Fame Class
Russell Ferguson – Ferguson won 23 All-American certificates as a swimmer for the Wildcats. He won the 100-yard breaststroke at the 1977 NAIA National Championship, Ferguson also twice finished second in the 200-yard breaststroke. He earned at least three All-America certificates each year from 1976-1979.
Krissy Tandle-Richerson–Tandle-Richerson was the Wildcats first-ever NCAA DII national champion, winning the 2009 indoor shot put at the NCAA Division II Winter Sports Festival in Houston, Texas with a throw of 14.87m (48-0.50). She was a four-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference shot put champion. Tandle-Richerson's throw was nearly a foot better than the second-place finisher. The Wenatchee native was named to the Track and Field All-Decade Team by CWU head coach
Kevin Adkissonin 2010.
1986 Men's Swimming Team – The 1986 NAIA National Champion men's swimming team finished with 381 points and eight individual titles. The Wildcats won the 400-yard freestyle relay with John Dieckman, Stan Vela, Tom Harn, and Tom Edwards with a time of 3:05.04. They also won the 400-yard medley relay behind Vela, Jeff Hillis, Tamera Myers, and Walter Flury with a time of 3:26.70. The third relay in which the Wildcats claimed first was the 800-yard freestyle relay where Dieckman, Harn, Edwards, and Vela finished with a time of 6:55.09.
Vela was named the 1986 Outstanding Swimmer. Along with his role in the relays, Vela won the 500-yard freestyle (4:36.92), the 100-yard backstroke (52.55), and the 200-yard backstroke (1:53.78).
Hillis won a pair of events as well. He claimed the 100-yard breaststroke (57.88) and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:06.26).
GALA HIGHLIGHTS
-A live auction hosted by auctioneer and former CWU student-athlete, Ryan Sawyer.
-Cole Zarcone received the Hall of Fame Scholarship for 2019-20.
-Proceeds totaled over $75,000 for student-athlete scholarships and support.
-$2,800 raised for the Officer Ryan Thompson Memorial scholarship endowment.
