On Oct. 22, the College of Saint Benedict will celebrate 50 years of Title IX by honoring 50 of our greatest and most influential student-athletes in a ceremony at 7 p.m. in the Benedicta Arts Center (BAC) on campus. The event is free and open to the public. Please join us!
 
The week leading up to the event, we will spotlight one of the all-decade teams each day -- the 1970's on Monday, the 1980's on Tuesday, the 1990's on Wednesday, the 2000's on Thursday, and the 2010's on Friday.

SAINT JOSEPH, Minn. -- The 1970's were a time of laying the foundation for the beginning of the modern era of Saint Ben's athletics. During this decade five intercollegiate sports were added and the Blazer name became official. The 1970's all-decade team consists of one CSB student-athlete who competed at Saint Johln's and six Saint Ben's student-athletes who were pioneers in their respective sports.

Nancy Frost Bellmont (Basketball '74) – Nancy Frost Bellmont helped lay the foundation for the CSB basketball program. She was a key part of the school's first team to compete at the intercollegiate level during the 1972-73 season, and led the program to a berth in the women's state tournament the following year. But her advocacy for women's athletics went beyond that.  She was one of two CSB student representatives who attended a state-wide meeting, helping plot a future direction for women's athletics as a whole.
 
Linda Davis (Basketball/Volleyball '76) – A two-sport standout in volleyball and basketball, Linda Davis served as captain in both sports during her junior and senior seasons. This at a time when CSB teams competed against larger schools that now play at the Division I and II levels. Away from the court, she was involved in the International Students Association, a group for which she served as president for one year.
  
Toni St. Pierre (SJU Cross Country '77) –  As a junior at Hopkins Eisenhower High School in early 1972, true trailblazer Toni St. Pierre did not have options to compete as an athlete. So she sued the Minnesota State High School League, requesting she be able to train and compete in cross country running and Nordic skiing, which at the time were boys-only interscholastic sports. Her case was combined with that of Peggy Brenden, a tennis player at St. Cloud Tech who had filed a similar lawsuit. The court ruled in their favor and St. Pierre - who passed away in 2013 - joined the cross country, Nordic ski and track and field teams as a senior. She continued competing in cross country at CSB, running as part of the Saint John's University team because a varsity program did not yet exist at Saint Ben's.

Terri Ginder Richter (Basketball/Softball '77) – A four-year member of the CSB softball team, Terri Ginder Richter was twice named team MVP and twice elected as team captain. She was a three-year member of the basketball team and also played intramural volleyball while umpiring softball games and officiating volleyball matches. In addition, she played a key role in selecting the Blazer nickname and logo for the school's athletic teams.
 
Kathy Robinson McClellan (Basketball/Softball '77) – Kathy Robinson McClellan was a three-year member of the CSB basketball team and served as a captain while also being named team MVP. She played two seasons of softball, serving as a captain in that sport as well. One of the first Saint Ben's athletes to receive a coaching certificate, she was also instrumental in pushing for acceptance of arranging class schedules so CSB student-athletes could participate in intercollegiate athletics.

Laurie Dineen (Swimming and diving '78) – Laurie Dineen was a two-time women's state diving champion during her time at Saint Ben's and twice qualified for the national meet. Her top score in the 3-meter, 11-dive format still ranks second-best in program history.

Barb Hallberg Kruse (Volleyball/Basketball '78) – A pioneer in the early days of CSB athletics, Barb Hallberg-Kruse played four seasons of volleyball and three seasons of basketball, earning team MVP honors and serving as a co-captain in both sports.  The Forest Lake High School graduate did not play a fourth season of basketball because she was finishing her course work in dietetics at the University of Minnesota.

Check back tomorrow for details on the honorees from the 1980's.