South Dakota Inducts 1997 National Champions, Five Student-Athletes and Wagners into Hall of Fame

2007 Hall of Fame Class (except for 1997 Cross Country champions), l. to r., Doug VanderEsch, John Brenegan, Shelby Petersen-Mayer, Tunisia Evans-Billings, June Wagner, Lyle Wagner and Roger Larson.

2007 Hall of Fame Photo Gallery

VERMILLION, S.D. (Sept. 8, 2007)– Five former student-athletes, two special contributors along with the 1997 national champion cross country squad were inducted by The University of South Dakota into the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, Sept. 8. The induction of the Class of 2007 grows the Coyotes Sports Hall of Fame membership to 244.

Inductees were honored at the ceremony which was held at the Al Neuharth Media Center on the USD campus and at the football game on Saturday night at the DakotaDome. USD defeated Winona State, 49-28, in the Hall of Fame game.

The individuals inducted included special contributors Lyle and June Wagner of Vermillion, S.D.; former basketball standout John Brenegan of Menomonie, Wisc.; track and field standout Tunisia Evans Billings of Coralville, Iowa; football players Roger Larson of Mill Valley, Calif.; and Doug VanderEsch of San Jose, Calif.; and basketball player Shelby Peterson Mayer of Vermillion, S.D. In addition, USD inducted the 1997 cross country squad that won an NCAA Division II title in 1997.

1997 Men’s Cross Country Squad
The 1997 men’s cross country team ranks as one of the school’s greatest sports teams. In 1997, the USD men’s cross country team won the second-ever national title by a USD athletics team. After winning the 1997 NCAA Division II Cross Country title, the Coyotes followed up with a third-place national finish in 1998. Led by the performances of All-Americans Joel Fenske (now of Farmington, Minn.) and Matt Hoyt (now of Vermillion, S.D.), USD scored 78 team points to defeat Central Missouri State (83)and win the 1997 cross country NCAA Division II championship. That season, the Coyotes won the North Central Region meet with a then-school record of 30 points. USD scored 29 points to win the 1997 NCC title. Hoyt became USD’s fifth male conference champion. In all, USD had four All-Americans in 1997, including Fenske, who was seventh and earned his third All-American honor. Hoyt picked up his second All-American honor with a ninth-place finish. Chad Feeldy (now of Sioux Falls, S.D.) was 11th and Mike Gade (now of Beresford, S.D.) was 13th. The team coached by Scott Munsen (now of Pierre, S.D.), also included Jason Probasco (now of Papillion, Neb.) Mark Nelson (now of Shakopee, Minn.). A year later, USD was third at the national meet, which was its fifth consecutive top-10 finish at nationals. In 1998, USD won the NCC meet with 24 points and took the region title with a school record 23 points. USD had 81 points at nationals. Hoyt picked up his third All-American honor by placing sixth. Feeldy earned his second All-American honor with a seventh-place finish and Fenske picked up his fourth All-American honor with a 15th place finish. Fenske became USD’s first ever athlete to earn four All-American honors. Gade earned his second All-American honor with a 33rd-place finish while Probasco earned All-American honors with a 37th-place finish. Hoyt was named the NCAA National and Regional Athlete of the Year in 1998. He won the NCC title and North Central Region title for the second consecutive year, which was a first by a USD athlete. Hoyt's sixth-place finish in 1998 at nationals was the second-best individual finish in school history.

Special Contributor Category

Lyle and June Wagner, Vermillion, S.D.
Lyle Wagner and June Woodward were inducted as special contributors. Longtime boosters, the Wagners have created six different endowed scholarships at USD, including four in athletics and two in academics. They are both passionate about the Coyotes and regularly attend USD athletic events. The Wagners grew up in rural South Dakota with Lyle from Elk Point and Vermillion and June of Brentford, S.D. They both entered the U in the 1950s and graduated in the same decade. Lyle earned a business administration degree in 1954 and June received an education degree in 1957. Lyle fulfilled his Army ROTC obligation with military service in Germany from 1954 to 1956, then returned to South Dakota to actively support his family’s farming operation. He and June were married following her graduation and have since resided in Vermillion. They have one son and two grandsons. Lyle retired from active farming in 1975 and since then has been involved in farm management for nearly 30 years. The Wagners’ commitments to USD have been consistent and substantial over many years. A long-time trustee of the USD Foundation, Lyle became vice president of the organization in 1983 was Foundation president from 1984-1987. The Wagner’s exemplary giving record to the University shows a special interest in scholarship programs, including four scholarship endowments they have created. However, it was the Wagner's generous naming gift in 2000 that made possible the transformation of the Alumni and Foundation Center on Dakota Street in Vermillion. This commitment by the Wagners enabled the Foundation to double the size of its offices and increased its visibility. In recognition of their cumulative giving, the Wagners are members of the Foundation’s Ernest O. and John H. Lawrence Society.

The Wagners have received an Alumni Achievement Award and the Inman Award. Lyle has also been earned the School of Business' Distinguished Service Award and received a Phi Delta fraternity national award.

Athletes Category

John Brenegan, Men’s Basketball (1989-93)
Brenegan, who played at USD from 1989-93, was the leader of the 1992-93 Coyote men’s basketball squad that advanced to the Elite Eight Championships in Springfield, Mass. Brenegan was named All-NCC in 1992-93 and Academic All-NCC in both 1991-92, 1992-93. He also received CoSIDA District VII academic honors in 1991-92 and 1992-93. A starter in the final 92 games of his career, he was the point guard on the 1992-93 team coached by Dave Boots that recorded a 25-5 record, including 16-2 in NCC play. The Coyotes lost in the quarterfinals of the national tournament to New Hampshire, 100-96, in triple overtime. A co-captain in 1992-93, he led USD with 101 assists. He averaged 9.9 points and 10.2 in league play. Brenegan connected on 52-of-104 three-point field goals for 50 percent. He also knocked down 90-of-103 free throws for 87.4 percent. Brenegan led USD to a four-year record of 86-34, including 47-25 in the NCC. Aside from the 1992-93 season, he was part of the 1989-90 team that advanced to the regional tournament, finishing with a 22-10 overall record and 10-8 in the NCC. In 1989-90, he played in 25 games while accumulating 79 points and 45 assists. Brenegan helped USD to a 20-10 mark in 1990-91 when the Coyotes finished 9-9 in league play. He started all 30 games and averaged 7.8 points per game, including hitting 85 percent (84-of-99) from the foul line. He made two free throws with 12 seconds left to seal the victory over league champion (66-61) in the semifinals of the NCC Final Four Tournament. During that season, he dished out a career-best 151 assists, a total which ranked sixth on the all-time season chart (to that point).

He also led USD to a 19-9 record in 1991-92 when USD finished 12-6 and second in the NCC standings. During that season, he averaged 10.1 points per game, including converting 91-of-167 field goals for a team-high 54.5 percent. He hit 40-of-80 three point field goals for 50 percent. Brenegan dished out 98 assists and also hit 61-of74 free throws for 82.4 percent. In the 1990-91 season, he scored a career-best 27 points in a win over Augustana. During his final five games of that season, he averaged nearly 18 points per game. Brenegan still ranks eighth on USD’s career assist chart with 395, which ranked fifth all-time when he left USD. In his final two years, Brenegan hit 92-of-184 three-point field goals for a torrid 50 percent. In his career, he was 104-of-220 (47.2 percent) on three-point field goals. Overall he was 263-of-554 from the field for 47.4 percent. He also made 261-of-309 free throws for 84.4 percent. In his career, he totaled 891 points (7.8 ppg). He received a Rube Hoy Award for Athletic Excellence as a senior at USD. Brenegan, who lives in Menomonie, Wisc., received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from USD in 1993.

Tunisia Evans-Billings, Women’s Track and Field (1991-95)
Tunisia Evans-Billings, originally of Sioux City, Iowa, was an outstanding sprint standout for the Coyotes' women’s track and field team. A two-time All-American, she broke school and state records in the 100 meters outdoor (11.92), 55 meters indoors (7.08) and ran lead-off on two school and state record relays team (4x100, 4x200 meters) in 1993. She was a member of the 4x100-meter relay that finished eighth at the NCAA Division II nationals with a clocking of 47.07 in 1993. Evans-Billings 200-meters clocking of 25.66 in 1992 was the second best all-time to that point. Evans, who was a prep star at Sioux City North High, is now coaching and teaching at Sioux City West. She has also coached at Iowa City West in 2006 while living in Coralville, Iowa. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in education in 1998 from USD.

Roger Larson, Football (1967-69)
One of the outstanding receivers in USD football school history, Roger Larson, originally of Yankton, S.D., left USD with seven school records. A two-year starter at split end, Larson’s mark of 16 career TD receptions was a school record until broken in 2005 by Derek Gearman (18). When Larson left USD, he held the records for receptions in a game (9, NDSU, 1968); career receptions (69); yards receiving in a game (145, Nebraska-Omaha, 1967); yards receiving in a season (501, 1969, 10 games); career receiving yards (1,269, 30 games); TD passes caught in a game (3, vs. SDSU, 1968) and career TD receptions (16, 30 games). He had 17 overall career TDs. As a senior, Larson totaled 27 receptions for 501 yards and five TDs. He also had 11 punt returns for 73 yards and 13 kickoff returns for 249 yards. He rushed five times for 78 yards and a TD, including a long of 59 yards. He was named honorable mention All-NCC as both a junior and senior. Larson, who had 30 receptions for 486 yards and six TDs as a junior, was utilized as a punt and kickoff return specialist as a sophomore. Larson was a starter on the 1968 team that ranks among the best all-time at USD, finishing 9-1 and with a No. 8 ranking in the Associated Press poll. Larson was twice all-state at Yankton High when he was a Little All-America honorable mention selection. Larson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education in 1970.

Shelby Petersen-Mayer, Women’s Basketball (1990-94)
Shelby Petersen-Mayer is one of the greatest players in Coyote women’s basketball history. Originally of Graettinger, Iowa, Petersen-Mayer was a first-team All-American in 1992. Named Academic All-NCC in 1992-93 and All-NCC in 1992-93, Petersen averaged 13.9 points during a career that spanned 107 games and included four school records. She had five career 30-point games, which ranks second all-time at USD. She had a career-high of 35 points against Morningside on March 5, 1994. She also had 33 points twice (St. Cloud State, March 7, 1992; Minnesota State, Mankato, Jan. 9, 1993). In 1992-93, Peterson won the NCC title in three-point field goal shooting (47-of-114, 41.2 percent), which included league games only. Petersen ranks fourth in career points at USD with 1,487. She ranks fifth at USD in career assists with 380 and 10th in steals with 157. Petersen-Mayer is USD’s all-time leader in three-point field goals with 271, which is 91 more than the next closest player on the list. She has the best all-time mark of 89 three-pointers in a season in 1991-92 and has the sixth best total of 71 in 1992-93. Peterson-Mayer’s 508 points in 1992-93 ranks fifth all-time on the Coyotes' single season points chart. Peterson-Mayer is second in the NCC record book for made three-pointers in league play at 174. Petersen-Mayer's 461 three-point attempts is also second all-time in the NCC. Twice named the NCC Player of the Week, Peterson-Mayer's 57 three-pointers in 1991-92 is a sophomore record. In her career, she hit 271 of 702 three-point field goals for 38.6 percent. Petersen-Mayer owns the career record at USD for free throw shooting, making 278-of-345 for 80.6 percent. She also owns the school mark for free throws in a season by converting 113-of-135 for 83.7 percent in 1992-93. Petersen-Mayer earned a B.S. degree in recreation in 1994 from USD. She is now living in Vermillion, S.D., with her husband Steve and two children.

Doug VanderEsch, Football (1984-89)
If one could describe the prototypical linebacker, Doug VanderEsch, originally of Hawarden, Iowa, filled the bill for the Coyotes. VanderEsch, now living in San Jose, Calif., ranks as perhaps the best at his position in school and league history. VanderEsch was named to the All-NCC squad in both 1987 and 1988. VanderEsch was one of 30 individuals nominated for the Harlon Hill Award (Division II College Player of the Year) in 1988. VanderEsch was named the NCC MVP (linebacker) in 1988 and also was a first team Associated Press All-America selection. At USD, he accumulated 431 tackles, four interceptions, five fumble recoveries, 13 tackles for loss and seven quarterback sacks during a stellar career at USD. VanderEsch's 431 tackles ranks second all-time at USD (Tim Seevers, 438). He was the NCC Defensive Player of the Week and Division II Regional Player of the Week by the Football Gazette on Sept. 3 in 1988. VanderEsch, whose cousin Darrell also played at USD, made at least 10 tackles in 17 consecutive games to end his career. As a senior, he had 142 tackles and had 153 as a junior. Twice, he had 17 tackles in a game during the 1988 season. VanderEsch owns USD’s single season record of 153 tackles. A three-year starter for USD, he helped the Coyotes compile a 34-15 record while he starred for the Coyotes. In 1986, he was a starter on the Coyote squad that advanced to the NCAA Division II championship game for the only time in school history (27-7 loss to NDSU, Muscle Shoals, Ala.). VanderEsch earned a Bachelor of Science degree criminal justice in 1989 from USD.

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