Athletics consultant and longtime selection committee member Tim Petermann is the man who sends out the letters notifying former student athletes that they have been inducted into the Blugold Hall of Fame.

Petermann said the induction, which will be Oct. 13, is important for everyone involved in the process. One of the first things Petermann needs to know is whether or not they can attend the induction.

Lately, that hasn’t been an issue.

“The last few years, people are so excited, they don’t even check their schedule,” Petermann said. “They say, ‘We’ll clear it, and we’ll be there.’”

That includes Allison Larson, a co-captain of the 1998-99 women’s basketball team. Larson said she was surprised to be included on the list of finalists, much less being invited to join the nearly 200 other individuals in
the Hall.

“I was really happy that I guess  my accomplishments were getting recognized,” Larson said. “It was really a    nice moment.”

A member of the 1997 national runner-up squad, Larson said she is looking forward to reliving her college basketball days with her parents.

“They came to every single game,” Larson said. “They traveled during the week, and the minimum was three hours. It’s fun to kind of relive this with them, and think back to all the fun memories that I had,

because it’s been a long time.

This year’s inductees, in addition to Larson, include:

— Lisa Herb, who led the Blugolds to two conference titles and nine NCAA Tournament appearances in her 22 years as head volleyball coach.

— John Jahnke, a member of the last Blugold baseball team, holds the all-time record holder with a .392 career batting average.

— Russ Knutson, who unofficially holds the Blugold career record for rushing yards per attempt. Knutson played football in 1954, then returned to the university from 1959-1961 after spending four years in the Air Force.

— Roxi Tucker holds the single-game and single-season record for assists, and ranks second in career assists. Tucker played under Herb in the       early 1990’s.

— Randy Wade, a defensive force who transferred from Marquette University, was a key part in two co-conference championship basketball teams in
the 1970s.

-Roxi Tucker, much like Larson, is also looking forward to visiting old teammates as well as fellow inductee Herb, who she called “a                              wonderful lady.”

Tucker said she had never traveled before her time on the volleyball team, visiting Kentucky, St. Louis and Hawaii, among other places.

“It was an amazing experience to play collegiate ball because it was faster than high school,” Tucker said. “And my last year we got to go to the Sweet 16 tournament … I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

Herb called Tucker a leader on the floor and said she played with a lot of determination. Herb said one of the fondest memories she has from her tenure as coach was watching her players develop their skills over the four years they were on the team.

“I was surrounded by a lot of fun players that it didn’t seem like a job,” Herb said. “Volleyball has changed tremendously over the years. I had an opportunity to grow with the sport as well. Volleyball is a fun sport to coach, and it was fun for me.”

Petermann said one of the deciding factors on who gets included into the Hall of Fame is what the athletes have done in their communities after finishing their career. Each person inducted this year has been involved in teaching or coaching. Several have also been active in volunteering with their respective churches.

And it’s because of this, Petermann said, that he always feels comfortable with the new members the committee inducts to the Hall.