EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) - Six athletes who achieved All-American recognition make up the UW-Eau Claire Blugold Hall of Fame Class of 2022. The group includes two individual national champions, a player on a national championship team, two individuals who were members of Final Four teams and two athletes who were members of the Blugolds' winningest team in their sport.
The new class includes pole vaulter Stephanie (Barnes) Bertoli, wrestling and football standout Derek Sikora, golfer Ryan Kuhl, basketball center Becca (Spaeth) Bestul, softball pitcher Mallory McKinney and soccer defender Becky (Westbrock) Dettmer.
This 33rd class of women's inductees and 46th class of men's inductees brings the number of athletes, coaches and administrators who have been honored to 253.
The class will be inducted during Homecoming weekend with a banquet on Friday, October 7 and introduction at the football game versus UW-Whitewater on Saturday, October 8. The group will also ride in the Homecoming parade Saturday morning.
The Blugold Hall of Fame was established 49 years ago in 1973 to pay tribute, to give deserved recognition and to enhance school tradition by honoring former athletic letterwinners, coaches or administrators who demonstrated distinctive, unique or exceptional ability while on the campus at Eau Claire and have distinguished themselves in their profession or personally since leaving the institution.
There must be a lapse of 15 years from their final season of eligibility before an athlete can be considered for induction.
The six athletes being recognized this year all competed between the fall of 1998 and the spring of 2007.
Stephanie Bertoli won two NCAA pole vault championships in addition to three conference titles. Derek Sikora was a NCAA national championship wrestler in addition to earning All-Conference first team honors twice in football. Ryan Kuhl was a member of the Blugolds' 2001 NCAA championship golf team. Becca Bestul was the starting center on the 2003 Blugold women's basketball team that finished third in the NCAA tournament and set a school record with 32 victories. Mallory McKinney was a two-time NFCA second-team All-American, a two-time conference pitcher of the year and played on the 2007 Blugold team that finished third in the NCAA tournament. Becky Dettmer was an NSCAA third-team All-American on the 2006 Blugold soccer team that won the conference, advanced to the NCAA tournament and set school records with 23 victories and 18 shutouts.
STEPHANIE BARNES BERTOLI
Stephanie Barnes Bertoli was a pioneer in girls pole vault in the state of Wisconsin. When she began as a sophomore, girls pole vault was not a recognized event by the WIAA. It wasn't until her junior and senior seasons that she was able to represent her high school at the State Meet. She was also a level 9 gymnast and a WIAA state champion on the uneven bars as a freshman. At UW-Eau Claire, Bertoli suffered a broken back from a fall during a pole vault competition her freshman year. After redshirting a season to recover, she went on to set the school indoor (12-9) and outdoor (12-11) records in the pole vault in addition to a conference record (12-8) her junior season. Bertoli won three conference pole vault titles with three runner-up finishes, a third and a fifth. She was a six-time NCAA All-American, adding a third, two fourths and an eighth to her two national titles. She was a member of the 2007 Blugold team that finished third in at the NCAA indoor nationals.
Bertoli competed one year on the Blugold gymnastics team where she lettered and received the team's Most Tenacious Award. She did not compete additional years in gymnastics due to the lengthy overlap with the collegiate indoor track season.
She accumulated a number of awards as a Blugold track athlete including team Most Dedicated (2006), team Field MVP (2005) and WIAC Indoor Scholar-Athlete for track (2007). She was a two-time Blugold Super Six Recipient and was recognized in 2007 as an NCAA Woman of the Year Honoree in Indianapolis, IN.
After graduating with a degree in Exercise Science in 2007, Bertoli spent seven years coaching track and field, as well as a few seasons of gymnastics, including at UWEC, Illinois State University and Wartburg College.
While at Illinois State University, she met her husband who was coaching within the same conference at the University of Northern Iowa. When they had their first daughter in 2015, it became evident that she was being called to the domestic front. She soon left the workforce to be a stay-at-home mom and home educator for their three children. She is currently self-employed as a fitness instructor in women's health.
Her coaching career has included a number of school record holders, national qualifiers and numerous conference champions. She has her Master of Science in Sport Management from Illinois State University. She is a certified USTFCCCA Track and Field Technical Coach, a Certified Pre/Postnatal Fitness Specialist, as well as a certified Core Confidence Specialist. In 2021, she was a TEDx speaker for the Indiana State University Women's Event, addressing the topic of pelvic floor health in the United States.
She and her husband Anthony, a track and field coach at Indiana State University, are the parents of three children: Bianca, age 6½; Cecelia, age 5; and Matteo, age 2. They reside in Terre Haute, Indiana.
DEREK SIKORA
After winning a WIAA state championship at Neillsville High School, Derek Sikora continued his wrestling success at UW-Eau Claire, capped by an NCAA championship at 165 pounds his senior year when he compiled at 31-2 record. That followed a third-place national finish as a sophomore and a fifth as a junior.
Sikora won two conference individual titles and was runner-up twice. He posted a 111-23 career record with 21 pins. He was the WIAC Wrestler of the Year in 2006 and served three years as a team captain.
Sikora was a four-year starter at cornerback for Todd Hoffner's Blugold football teams which produced a 26-14 overall record and 18-10 conference mark with three runner-up finishes during his career. Sikora finished second on the team in tackles twice. His career stats include 270 total tackles with 188 solos, 10 tackles for loss, one sack, eight interceptions, 28 pass defenses, seven fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles and a blocked kick. He was named to the All-Conference first team as a cornerback his junior season. In addition, he was All-Conference first team as an all-purpose back his senior season when he averaged 11.2 yards on 24 punt returns and 20.9 yards on 13 kick returns. For his career, he averaged 9.2 yards for 71 punts returns, including one for 75 yards, and 18.4 yards for 50 kick returns including one for 50 yards.
Sikora was a team captain as a senior in addition to being named the defensive MVP as a junior and special teams MVP as a senior. Twice, he was named to the All-Region third team.
After graduating in 2007 with a degree in kinesiology, Sikora spent time as a Blugold assistant wrestling and football coach before taking a position as assistant wrestling coach at UW-Oshkosh. He returned to Eau Claire to serve as a paraeducator and substitute teacher in the Eau Claire Area School district for two years. He became the head Blugold wrestling coach for the 2009-10 season, then went to St. Cloud State as the head assistant wrestling coach for the 2010-11 campaign. That year, he also became coordinator of state services for USA Wrestling and since 2011 has been Manager of State Services for USA Wrestling. For four years, he was also involved as an assistant wrestling coach with the Wisconsin Cadet/Junior National Team.
Sikora and his wife Keely, a registered nurse, are parents of three children: Kendall, age 12; Sawyer, age 9; and Brynley, age 7. They reside in Waconia, Minnesota.
RYAN KUHL
Ryan Kuhl was a member of Lake Mills High School's 1997 WIAA state championship team, then repeated that success at UW-Eau Claire as a member of the 2001 NCAA Division III national championship team.
A four-year Blugold letterman, Kuhl played on Blugold teams that placed 12th, 4th, 5th and 1st in the NCAA championships. As a senior, he was 12th individually at the national meet with a 72-hole total of 292 on rounds of 74, 75, 71 and 72. He was also 19th individually as a sophomore. He averaged 76.9 strokes for his 73 career rounds as a Blugold including a 74.8 average the spring campaign of his senior year. He was a teammate of Blugold Hall of Famers Josh Dirks and Ryan Quinn.
Kuhl earned GCAA second team All-American honors as a senior after receiving honorable mention as a sophomore. He was both a GCAA All-America Scholar and a Blugold Super Six recipient.
Kuhl graduated from UWEC in 2001 with a Business Administration degree with an emphasis in marketing. He was employed by DexYP (formerly YP Marketing Solutions) from the time of his graduation until January, 2018 when he took a position as an Advanced Advertising Sales Manager with Spectrum Reach, the marketing division of Charter. Since then he has been promoted to Local Sales Manager where he now leads both the Madison and Janesville sales offices.
At DexYP, he was a 2009 CEO Diamond Club Winner, a national award for sales, and was the recipient of "Playing to Win-Best Team" leadership award in 2013. At Spectrum, he won the "2018 and 2019 Star Award" for beating his budget and for his contributions to the team/company.
Kuhl also co-founded Lake Mills Indoor Golf in November, 2017. The facility runs leagues and tournaments, works with local high school golf teams, sells golf equipment and sets up work banquets and outings.
A former Lake Mills High School basketball team MVP and All-Capitol Conference pick when he averaged 19.7 points per game, Kuhl is still active in sports. Besides playing in an indoor golf league and competing in golf tournaments, he has maintained the high average for more than a decade in a bowling league. He also plays on a tournament softball team and in volleyball leagues and helps coach both of his kids' baseball and softball teams.
Kuhl and his wife Samantha, a professional recruiter, are parents of two children: Gavyn, age 8, and Dezi, age 6. They reside in Lake Mills, Wisconsin.
BECKY WESTBROCK DETTMER
As an NSCAA third team All-American, Becky Westbrock Dettmer keyed a 2006 Blugold defense that allowed just 10 goals during a 26-game campaign. The Blugolds' 23 victories and 18 shutouts that season still stand as both school and WIAC records.
Dettmer earned her second of three All-Conference first team selections in 2005 when the Blugolds won the first conference championship in school history with a 6-0-2 record and also became the first Blugold team to advance to the NCAA championships where they lost in the second round. During Dettmer's senior season, the Blugolds went 8-0 in WIAC play and reached the third round of the NCAA playoffs which still represents the best effort ever by a Blugold team in post-season play.
Dettmer, who grew up in Oakdale, Minnesota and graduated from North St. Paul High School, earned a Healthcare Administration degree from UWEC in 2008. As an undergraduate, Dettmer was the department lead on healthcare related research. She also served a 2,000-hour accredited internship at St. Therese Care Center in New Hope, Minnesota.
Following her graduation, Dettmer served as the Household Coordinator for Presbyterian Homes in Arden Hills, Minnesota. She then became the Director of Independent Living/Personal Care at The Gatesworth in St. Louis, Missouri. She was employed as Director of resident experience at Bridgemark Healthcare in Oak Park, Illinois before returning to her home state for positions with Presbyterian Homes and Services in Roseville. Since January of 2021, she has been responsible for Client Success with MAX Services Inc., a company her husband Jacob founded in Chaska, Minnesota.
Dettmer and her husband Jake, a Blugold football alum, are parents of two children: Maddox, age 8, and Paxton, age 6. They reside in Chaska, Minnesota.
MALLORY MCKINNEY
Mallory McKinney holds most of the major school pitching records and was a two-time WIAC pitcher of the year, but the Champlin Park High School graduate also ranks fourth in Blugold career home runs and RBI and finished with a .340 career batting average.
McKinney still holds the conference record for career wins with 77. She also holds the school single season wins record with 26. In addition, she holds the school single season and career records for games pitched (39/127), strikeouts (183/590), shutouts (13/33), saves (3/7) and low ERA (0.72/1.14)
Besides being named an NFCA second team All-American in both her freshman and junior seasons, she was an NFCA All-Great Lakes Region first, second or third team pick all four seasons as a Blugold. She was a three-time All-WIAC first team pick and three-time team MVP in addition to serving as team captain as a senior.
During McKinney's career, the Blugolds won three regular season conference titles and two conference tournament crowns. The Blugolds advanced to the NCAA championships twice with McKinney, finishing as regional runner-up in 2006 and third place at nationals in 2007. The Blugolds were 134-48 overall and 49-13 in conference play during McKinney's career.
McKinney graduated from UWEC with a degree in early childhood special education. She received a teaching license in emotional and behavioral disorders and a master's degree in special education from Bethel University.
McKinney began her career as a paraprofessional in a charter school for students with autism. She was promoted to a teacher for four years. In 2018, she moved to the Anoka Hennepin School District where she became a special education lead teacher. She has also been a site lead for one of the extended school year sites in the district for five years.
McKinney and her partner David Schmidt have one son Maverick, age 2 1/2. They reside in Circle Pines, Minnesota.
BECCA SPAETH BESTUL
Becca Spaeth Bestul, a 6-1 center who was a two-time All-Conference volleyball and basketball player at Chippewa Falls High School, started 61 consecutive games for the Blugolds and was a two-time All-Conference center. The four-year letterwinner played on two conference championship teams including the Blugolds' unbeaten 2002-03 squad which set a school record with 32 victories.
Bestul averaged 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as the Blugolds captured third place in the NCAA championship tournament in 2003. As a senior, she averaged 15.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per outing and was a Josten's Trophy finalist for D3 Player of the Year. She was also a third team CoSIDA Academic All-American, WBCA honorable mention All-American, conference Scholar-Athlete for basketball and a Blugold Super Six recipient.
Bestul finished with 983 career points (10.9 ppg) and 518 rebounds (5.7 rpg) in addition to 112 assists and 71 blocked shots. She probably would have topped the 1,000-point mark had an injury in the season opener of her sophomore year not cost her 11 games that year. Pegged as a starter that season by Tonja Englund, Bestul partially tore her ACL and meniscus. She had surgery to repair the meniscus and returned halfway through the season but played the rest of her career with a brace due to the partially torn ACL.
The Blugolds were 95-21 during her career including 50-14 in conference play with two league titles, two conference tournament titles and two NCAA appearances.
Bestul graduated summa cum laude from UWEC in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology education and broadfield science with a coaching minor. She has a master's degree in natural resources (environmental education). She spent 11 years as a science teacher at Eau Claire North High School before returning to her alma mater as a science teacher in 2016 and became the science academic chair in 2018. She also took over the girls basketball head coaching duties at Chi-Hi in 2016. Her teams have won three Big Rivers Conference titles and she has had two conference players of the year.
Bestul has been coaching since she completed her Blugold basketball eligibility, serving first as a student basketball assistant while she completed her undergraduate degree. She was a North JV basketball coach from 2005-08, but then joined Tonja Englund's Blugold staff from 2008-12 and again from 2013-16. She returned to North as a JV2 coach in 2012-13. She also coached North JV volleyball for five years and was an assistant track coach at North for five years.
Bestul has been named a Chippewa Falls Chamber of Commerce Excellence in Education Most Influential Educator Award recipient three times. She was a presenter at the National Science Teaching Association National Conference in St. Louis in 2019. She has been a UWEC Cooperating Teacher for student teachers since 2008. She is a member of the Friends of Beaver Creek Reserve and served on its Board of Directors from 2013-18, including three years as vice-president. She was also the recipient of UW-Eau Claire's Ade & Margaret Olson Coaching Award in 2013.
Bestul and her husband Mike, a former Blugold football All-American and a physical education teacher in the Chippewa Falls School District, have two children: Zachary, age 7; and Rose, age 5. They reside in Chippewa Falls.
Acronyms
WIAC = Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
(current conference for men's and women's sports)
NCAA = National Collegiate Athletic Association (current national organization which UWEC joined provisionally in 1986-87)
WIAA = Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association
NSCAA = National Soccer Coaches Association of America
GCAA = Golf Coaches Association of America
NFCA = National Fastpitch Coaches Association
USTFCCCA = United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association
WBCA = Women's Basketball Coaches Association
CoSIDA = College Sports Information Directors of American
D3 = Division III of the NCAA to which UWEC is a member
Blugold Super Six Award – highest award given to a Blugold student athlete, based on athletics and academics, three men and three women selected annually.
