MADISON, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – Numerous Blugolds were honored on August 4 at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Centennial Banquet at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, an event attended by over 1,400 individuals. The banquet represented just one of a number of activities and events associated with the WIAC Centennial Celebration, many of which will take place during the 2012-13 academic year in recognition of the conference’s 100th year.
At the banquet, student-athletes and coaches were recognized for being selected to the conference’s All-Time Teams, which were announced throughout the 2011-12 academic year. A total of 85 different student-athletes and six different coaches from UW-Eau Claire were named to All-Time Teams, representing 94 total selections. A complete list of those selected can be found at http://blugolds.com/sports/general/2011-12/releases/wiacalltime
Along with recognizing All-Time Teams, the WIAC announced its inaugural class of the WIAC Hall of Fame. Inducted for UW-Eau Claire were Tim Petermann, Lisa Stone and Frank Wrigglesworth. Additionally, Judy Kruckman, who was an administrator and coach at UW-Eau Claire, was inducted as a representative of the conference office.
WIAC Hall of Fame Inductees
Tim Petermann
Tim Petermann has been recording Blugold and conference athletics history since he stepped onto the UW-Eau Claire campus as a freshman in 1967.
Petermann became the school’s first fulltime sports information director when he graduated in 1971 and remained in that position until his retirement in 2007. In 1977, he became assistant to the athletics director with administrative duties including compliance, event management, fund-raising and the Blugold Hall of Fame. He even spent two years as the interim athletics director (2002-04) and continues to serve as a department consultant.
He organized the state SIDs in 1977 and served as an officer in the NAIA SID organization from 1979-89, including a term as president. He spent 10 years as the NAIA District 14 information director, promoting WIAC schools that dominated district competition.
Petermann has been involved in hosting 168 post-season events over the past 45 years, including 11 national championships, 81 conference, district, regional, sectional or area tournaments and 76 conference or district playoff games. He was part of the SID evolution from utilizing slide rules, ditto machines and typewriters to computers, the internet and live stats. He has served as a mentor to many in the SID profession and been inducted into a number of halls of fame.
Petermann earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from UW-Eau Claire. He resides in Eau Claire, Wis.
Lisa Stone
Lisa Stone took the UW-Eau Claire women’s basketball program to a level of national prominence during a record-setting 12-year career at the institution (1989-2000).
For a program that had never won more than 17 games in a season or finished higher than third in the conference, Stone raised the bar in her first year and never let it slip. She guided the Blugolds to 20-win seasons and first or second place conference finishes in 11 of her 12 campaigns.
She also took her team to the NCAA playoffs 11 times. Six of her teams advanced to the Elite Eight, including a runner-up finish in 1997 and third place in 1994. Her 1999-2000 team won its first 28 games before losing to eventual national champion Washington University (Mo.) in the second round of the NCAA tourney. She had an overall winning percentage of .824 (277-59), and her teams were nearly unbeatable in Zorn Arena where they won 90 percent of their games.
Stone was named the WIAC Coach of the Year five times and earned the WBCA Division III National Coach of the Year honor in 1997. In 2012, she was selected as the WIAC All-Time Co-Coach in women’s basketball in conjunction with the WIAC Centennial Celebration.
Following her stint at UW-Eau Claire, Stone served as head women’s basketball coach at Drake University (Iowa) (2001-03), UW-Madison (2004-11) and is currently the head coach at Saint Louis University (Mo.).
A member of the women’s basketball team, Stone earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education and master’s degree in athletic administration from the University of Iowa.
Frank Wrigglesworth
Frank Wrigglesworth developed the UW-Eau Claire men’s golf program into a conference power and regular national tournament participant during a 22-year period from 1975-97. During the final 18 years in which golf was played as a conference championship, the Blugolds won eight titles with four runner-up finishes. He took 10 teams to the NAIA or NCAA national championships. Despite competing against scholarship programs in the NAIA, the Blugolds had five top-14 finishes.
Wrigglesworth was a standout Blugold athlete in football, basketball and baseball. He earned All-Conference honors in football and played on two conference championship teams in basketball as well as the first Blugold team to qualify for the NAIA championships in Kansas City.
“Wrig” spent 11 years as an assistant football coach, one year as an assistant basketball coach and nine years as head and assistant baseball coach before taking over the golf program, which he handled until his retirement at age 80. In 2012, he was selected as the WIAC All-Time Coach in men’s golf in conjunction with the WIAC Centennial Celebration.
After 23 years of service in the U.S. Air Force, Wrigglesworth retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from UW-Eau Claire and master’s degree in physical education from UW-Madison. Wrigglesworth passed away in November 2004.
Judy Kruckman
Judy Kruckman served as commissioner of the Wisconsin Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WWIAC) from 1984-96 and assistant commissioner of the WIAC from 1996-98.
She served as the women’s athletics director at UW-Eau Claire from 1974-84. Kruckman also coached the Blugold women’s tennis team and women’s swimming squad. In 1983, the Blugold women captured the NAIA All-Sports Championship with Kruckman as athletics director.
Kruckman was one of the original representatives to the WWIAC when it formed in 1971 and served as its president from 1974-76. She was beginning another term as president when she was appointed WWIAC Acting Commissioner for the 1984-85 academic year. Kruckman was selected as the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators District 6 Administrator of the Year in 1991 and received the Women’s Sports Advocates of Wisconsin, Inc. Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.
She was inducted into the UW-Eau Claire Hall of Fame in 1988 and the NAIA District 14 Hall of Fame in 1992. The WIAC Women’s Scholar-Athlete Award is named in her honor.
Kruckman earned a bachelor’s degree in history from UW-Eau Claire and master’s degree in physical education from UW-Madison. She resides in Madison, Wis.
