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 1980's were an time of incredible growth for Saint Ben's athletics. This decade saw the addition of four more sports and many firsts -- the first conference championships, and first NCAA national championship appearances, the first All-Americans and the first student-athletes to receive national recognition. The 1980's all-decade team consists of eight student-athletes who earned All-Conference and All-American honors.
Diane Johnson McGrew (Softball '83) – Diana Johnson McGrew was a three-time team captain in softball who boasted a .521 batting average during her senior season in 1983. That year, the third baseman helped lead her team to a conference title while earning all-conference honors herself.
Ann Howard Heymans (Tennis '86) – The first CSB tennis player to be nationally ranked, Ann Howard Heymans was part of a team that won an MAIAW Division III state championship and went undefeated in conference play. Over her first two seasons at the school, she had a combined record of 32-8.
Jennifer Nash-Wright (Basketball '86) – Jennifer Nash-Wright was the first Saint Ben's athlete to earn All-American honors in any sport when the basketball standout did so following the 1984-85 season. She was the first 1,000-point scorer in school history and her 39 points scored and 18 field goals made against Viterbo in 1985 remain single-game program records. She was a three-time all-conference selection and a three-time team MVP.
Kim Krize Bohlke (Basketball '88) – A three-time All-MIAC pick in basketball, Kim Krize Bohlke still ranks third on CSB's all-time list with 799 career rebounds. She was a three-team team MVP who twice earned a spot on the Kodak all-region team. She began her basketball career by taking part in the "Little Dribblers" youth program in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Carol Oehrlein Potter (Volleyball '88) – Carol Oehrlein Potter and teammate Niki Denne were the first CSB players to earn a spot on the American Volleyball Coaches Association's All-Central Region team when they achieved that honor in 1987. Oehrlein was also an All-MIAC pick that season and was the team captain of a squad that finished 34-4 and earned the program's first MIAC title.
Marcy Erickson Johnson (Tennis '89) – Marcy Erickson Johnson was a five-time qualifier for the Division III national tennis meet – three times as a singles player and twice with doubles partner Tina Och. She earned All-American honors three times and was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America Player of the year. In all, she won three MIAC titles and was named her team's MVP all four of her seasons at Saint Ben's.
Patty Mayer (Basketball '89) – A two-time All-MIAC first-team pick, Patty Mayer still holds the CSB basketball career and single-season records for assists. In addition, Mayer, who also played softball, still holds the basketball program's career record for assists average.
Michelle Primus (Volleyball '89) – A two-time All-MIAC first-team selection, Michelle Primus finished her CSB career with more than 1,000 kills and still ranks fifth in program history in career solo blocks. She received the team's coaches' award in both 1987 and '88.
Check back tomorrow for details on the honorees from the 1990's.
