Simon Fraser University Athletics will induct six new athletes, a coach, a builder and a team into the SFU Clan Hall of Fame on March 12.
Clan legend and Canadian hero Terry Fox will be the first inductee in a new category named for him, the Terry Fox Honourary Inductee.
Fox was a Canadian humanitarian, athlete, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Fox was a distance runner and basketball player for his Port Coquitlam high school and at SFU.
Athletes entering the hall this year will be Carol Huynh (wrestling), Teresa (Kleindienst) Gabriele (basketball), Dr. Tim Bach (swimming), John McGrane (soccer), Alan Kristmanson (basketball) and Ted Warkentin (football).
Former Clan track and field coach Zenon Smiechowski will go in, as will Dr. Bob McCormack in the builder's category and the 1999 Clan softball team that won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics championship.
Hunyh led the Clan women's wrestling program to the first of six Canadian Interuniversity Sport Championships that SFU captured in seven years. She won multiple international medals at world championships, World University Games, Commonwealth Games, Pan Am Games and also captured Canada's first and only Olympic gold medal in women's wrestling in 2008. Hunyh returned to the Olympics in London in 2012 and captured a bronze medal.
Gabriele is also an Olympian, having competed for Canada at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and more recently at the 2012 Games in London. She started her Clan career in the NAIA and was an All-American and national tournament most valuable player in 1999 and 2000. For the 2000-01 season, Gabriele and the Clan joined Canadian Interuniversity Sport, where she continued her impressive play, being named an All-Canadian twice and leading SFU to a 35-0 record and a national championship in 2001-02.
Dr. Bach was part of three consecutive NAIA championship swim teams, including the first-ever for the program in 1972. He also won in seven different events. Internationally, he represented Canada at the Pan Am Games in 1971, the World University Games in 1973 and the Olympic Games in 1972.
McGrane achieved greatness on the soccer pitch for the Clan and is a member of the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame. He was an NAIA All-American in 1975 and again in 1976, when he was part of the first NAIA championship for the SFU men's soccer team. McGrane went on to play professional soccer from 1977 to 1985 in the North American Soccer League.
Kristmanson was a part of the Clan men's basketball program and led the team in points in his final season at SFU. He went on to play for the Canadian national team and represented Canada at the Olympic Games. In addition to his playing career, he served as a non-paid assistant coach at SFU for five years.
Rounding out the class of athletes is Warkentin, who was a pioneer of Clan athletics as a member of the school's first football and basketball teams. He showed the true meaning of the term student-athlete, holding the honour of being the first Rhodes Scholar candidate at SFU. Warkentin was also one of the first Clan football players to reach the Canadian Football League, playing several seasons for the B.C. Lions after graduating.
Smeichowski was SFU's track and field coach from 1982 to '99. He was the architect behind 10 NAIA championships for Clan teams and was named the coach of the year twice. As an athlete, he won a bronze medal in the decathlon at the 1979 Pan Am Games and was a four-time national champion from 1976 to 1979.
Being inducted as a builder is Dr. McCormack, who is the team doctor for SFU Athletics varsity sports teams. He also sits on the SFU Clan Advisory Council, donating both his time and financial support for the interest of SFU Clan Athletics. He has taken part in numerous international, multi-sport events, including several Olympic Games.
Finally, the 1999 SFU softball team will enter the hall in honour of their season that ended with an NAIA national championship. That team set a program record for most wins in a season (40) and fewest losses (7) - records that still stand today. The team went 17-3 in conference play that season, competing in a conference that combined NCAA Division II and NAIA schools. The Clan's only loss that season to an NAIA opponent was a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Eastern Oregon. At the NAIA National Championship, the team went 5-0.
Tickets for the luncheon are on sale now for $60.00 and can be purchased by emailing Steve Lewarne at [email protected] or calling 778-782-3613.
The event will begin with registration at 11:30 a.m. and will conclude by 2:00 p.m.
