University of Sioux Falls Announces 2020 Hall of Fame Class

This year has been one to remember for all the wrong reasons but 2020 will be a year to remember for a lot of good reasons for a few University of Sioux Falls alums.

Last week, the University of Sioux Falls announced their 2020 Hall of Fame class.

This year's inductees include pole vault champion Brigitte Gross Valentine, linebacker Bob Booth, wide receiver Jon Ryan, football standout Trevor Holleman, women's basketball star Amanda Spronk Petz, track and football standout Travis Dumke, special contributor Chuck Hey and the 2003-04 Men's Basketball Team.

Because of COVID-19 and the ongoing pandemic, the University of Sioux Falls will honor their 2020 Hall of Fame class in the Fall of 2021.

Here is the entire release from the USF Athletic Department.

SIOUX FALLS -- Seven individuals with ties to the University of Sioux Falls and the men's basketball NAIA Final Four Team from 2003-04 will be inducted as the Class of 2020 in the USF Athletics Hall of Fame, according to an announcement today by the USF Athletics Hall of Fame.

Due to the CoVID-19 pandemic, the USF Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2020 event has been rescheduled to the fall of 2021 to provide the inductees and their families proper recognition. USF will announce the date of the event as information becomes available.

The 2020 Hall of Fame Class includes:

~ Two-time national pole vault champion Brigitte Gross Valentine, originally of Alexandria, S.D., and now of Sioux Falls, S.D.
~ All-American linebacker Bob Booth, a native of Bozeman, Mont., and now of Snohomish, Wash., helped lead USF to its first-ever unbeaten regular season in 1988 and ranks among the career leaders in tackles.
~ Standout wide receiver Jon Ryan, a Watertown, S.D., native now living and working in Rochester, Minn., set receiving marks while leading USF to national titles in 2008 and 2009 and a runners-up finish in 2010.
~ Dr. Trevor Holleman, originally of New Holland, S.D., and now of Sioux Falls, S.D., was a defensive star on three NAIA national championship football teams at USF in 2006, 2008, and 2009.
~ Amanda Spronk Petz, originally of Edgerton, Minn., and now of Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., ranks among the top women's basketball players in school history as she sits in the top 15 all-time in both points and rebounds at USF.
~ Two-sport (track and football) standout Travis Dumke, a native of Yankton and now of Sioux Falls, S.D., was the defensive MVP of the 1996 USF NAIA championship game and also earned national track honors.
~ Special contributor Chuck Hey of Sioux Falls, S.D., who founded SBI and has a long-running connection to the USF campus.
~ USF will also honor the 2003-04 Men's Basketball Team, coached by Shane Murphy, which was the first-ever USF team to reach the NAIA Final Four.

A breakdown of each of the inductees and the honored team is listed here.

Bob Booth, Football, 1984-88
Originally of Bozeman, Montana, Booth was a two-time all-conference performer and second-team NAIA All-American linebacker. Booth, who now lives in Snohomish, Wash., with his wife of 24 years, Rita, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in public accounting and business administration from Sioux Falls in 1989. For the past 19 years, he has worked as a regional distribution manager for Rain Bird Corporation. He and his wife have a daughter, Sierra, who is enrolled at Washington State, and a son Carter, who played one year of baseball at Oregon State and is currently attending Jr. College on a baseball scholarship.  They also have a three-year-old grandson, Asher.

As a freshman in 1984, Booth was named the Freshman of the Year for the Cougars, which ranked ninth in the NAIA and won the SDIC Championship. After stepping away for a year, he returned to Sioux Falls and was honorable mention All-SDIC as a sophomore in 1986.

Booth earned SDIC All-Conference honors in 1987 as a junior on a 3-7 squad. In 1988, Booth and the Cougars had a memorable year. In earning second-team NAIA All-American honors as a linebacker, he was part of the Cougars' first unbeaten team, first to win 10 games and a first playoff team. In that 10-1 season under the direction of Head Coach Bob Young, Booth had 106 total tackles (65 solo stops). He was the SDIC Most Valuable Player of the Year and also a First Team selection to the NAIA All-District Team.  He helped the Cougars finish ranked third nationally in defense, was the NAIA Playoffs Defensive Player of the Game and was SDIC Player of the Week vs SD Tech with 12 tackles, a fumble recovery, and two interceptions. At Sioux Falls he started every game in four seasons and finished with a then-school mark 315 career stops (2^nd all-time at USF), 187 unassisted stops (2^nd all-time at USF) with six interceptions including three interceptions and eight sacks in the playoff season of 1988.

Travis Dumke, Football & Track and Field, 1993-96
A 6-4, 290-pound standout defensive lineman from Yankton, S.D., Dumke, was a two-time all-conference selection at USF. Of his many noteworthy accomplishments, Dumke was named defensive MVP at the 1996 NAIA National Championship game won by USF, 47-25, over Western Washington. In his career, Dumke collected 199.5 tackles with 128 solo stops. He had 21.5 sacks (sixth all-time at USF) and recovered three fumbles in leading USF to a 35-12 record in his four seasons at USF (1996, 14-0, national title; 11-1, 1995, 2^nd round of NAIA playoffs, 8-3, 1994; and 2-8, 1993).

Dumke, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration in 1997, helped lead USF, directed by head coach Bob Young, to a 14-0 record and the school's first-ever national title in 1996. In that special season, he collected 55.5 tackles, 7.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, and 36 solo stops. In the 1996 championship game, Dumke had six tackles and two tackles for loss as USF held Western Washington to 62 rushing yards. He was part of the 1995 team that finished 11-1 and advanced to the playoffs. On that team, Dumke was third on USF with 40.5 tackles, while registering 28 solo stops and 4.5 sacks as he earned NAIA DII Honorable Mention All-American honors. In 1995, USF opened the playoffs with a 41-23 win over Hastings College before falling to U-Mary, 42-17 in the second round. He was also part of 8-3 team in 1994, which was the first team to begin USF's current record streak of 26 straight winning seasons. In 1994, Dumke had a career-best 67.5 tackles, including 46 solo stops, with a career-best 8.5 sacks. In 1993, he had 36 tackles, including 18 solo stops with a sack.

Aside from his play in football, Dumke made an impact in track and field. Dumke was all-league and qualified for the NAIA Track and Field Outdoor Nationals where he placed eighth in the shot put with a school mark of 53-6 in 1995. In 1996, he placed eighth at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Nationals.  A two-time Eastern South Dakota Conference selection for head coach Max Hawk, Dumke was named all-state and to the Argus Leader Elite 45. Dumke was born Christmas Day in 1974 in Madison. Travis and his wife, Melissa live in Sioux Falls with five children (Caleb, Zachary, Ethan, Carly, and Samantha). He works in the IT department with Avera Health.

Dr. Trevor Holleman, Football, 2006-09
A native of New Holland, S.D., Holleman was a leader during one of the most extraordinary and successful football eras in USF school history. A two-time All-American and two-time NAIA Scholar-Athlete, Holleman was part of three national championship teams in 2006, 2008, and 2009 and also a member of the 2007 team which finished reached the NAIA title game before falling. Considered one of the best ever to play in the defensive backfield at USF, he helped the Cougars to a 56-1 record with three unbeaten seasons. During his time at USF, the Cougars posted a 15-1 postseason record. Holleman, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from USF in 2010, helped the Cougars win four conference titles. He had 16 career interceptions (third all-time at USF) for 282 yards (second all-time at USF) and a 17.6 return average. Holleman, who set a school record with six blocked kicks in his career, registered three defensive TDs including two by interception returns. He finished his career with 191 career tackles and 154 solo stops while accumulating 17.5 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, 39 passes defended, and 23 pass breakups.

In leading USF to a 15-0 record in 2009, Holleman had 62 tackles with 49 solo stops, eight tackles for loss, seven interceptions, 14 passes defended and seven pass breakups in earning first-team NAIA All-American honors. As a junior, he was All-American with 42 tackles, 34 solo stops, 5.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions, and 14 passes defended as USF finished 14-0 with the No. 1 ranked defense in the NAIA ranks. In 2008, he also had an interception in the 23-7 title game win over Carroll College. As a sophomore, he led USF to the title game in a season that included 71.5 tackles, 57 solo stops, 4.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions and 10 passes defended. In eight games as a freshman, he totaled 15.5 tackles and a pass breakup for USF's second-ever national championship team in 2006.

After graduating from USF, Holleman graduated summa cum laude from the University of Nebraska Medical Center's College of Dentistry. He completed his Portal and Maxillofacial Residency Program at Virginian Commonwealth University in the spring of 2018. Dr. Holleman is board certified and a Diplomate in the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He also performs surgery at Avera and Sanford hospitals in Sioux Falls. He and his wife, Beth, have two sons, Landry and Lawson, and a daughter, Adley.

Brigitte Gross Valentine, Track and Field, 2010-14
Brigitte Gross Valentine, originally of Alexandria, S.D., ranks as one of the premier pole vault standouts in the history of the University of Sioux Falls. In fact, she ranks among the best-ever pole vaulters in the state of South Dakota. In her career, Gross Valentine earned seven All-American honors, which included four at NCAA DII and three more at the NAIA level. She is the only student-athlete in USF history to win individual national track and field titles in two different divisions and the school's first individual national champion in track and field at both the NAIA and NCAA DII levels. Additionally, Gross Valentine, who is USF's only two-time Female Student-Athlete of the Year, was a member of the first USF GPAC Conference championship team.

Gross Valentine won the NCAA DII Indoor pole vault title by going 12-11.5 on March 15, 2014, in Winston-Salem, N.D., to become USF's first-ever NCAA champion in the pole vault or any event. Also in 2014, she was runner-up at the DII nationals with a vault of 13-5 ¼. At the Howard Wood Dakota Relays that season, she set a school record in the pole vault by winning the event in 13-5.75. In that same season, she finished fifth in the 60-meter hurdles with a school record of 8.79 and had the school's fourth-fastest 100-meter dash at the time of 12.4. Additionally, she was on the USF 4x100 meter relay that registered the second-fastest time in school history of 47.83 at the Drake Relays. She was third in the pole vault at the NSIC Outdoor Championships.

In 2013, Gross Valentine was fourth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and earned first-team All-American honors. At the 2013 NSIC Indoor Championships, she led a 1-2 finish with Kayla Friesen Coffee at the NSIC Championships. In 2011, she was an NAIA national champion indoors and outdoors and set a PR of 13-7 indoors for another school record. Gross-Valentine also won the 2011 NSIC Indoor pole vault title and was third in the hurdles.

At USF, Gross-Valentine earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education/Communication Studies/Theatre, in 2014.

As a standout at Hanson High School, she was a standout in track and field, tennis, volleyball, gymnastics, and basketball. She won both the 300 hurdles and pole vault state titles while leading her team to a pair of state high school track and field titles. Brigitte is married to Tim Valentine and they have a son, Timothy.

Jon Ryan, Football, 2007-10
Jon Ryan helped lead USF Football during one of its most successful eras from 2007-10. He was part of two NAIA national championship teams in 2008, and 2009 and national NAIA runner-up squads in 2007 and 2010. Ryan, who earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from USF, is now living in Rochester, Minn. Jon is in the real estate and construction arena and owns Dwell Realty Group, The Flooring Collective, and TLC Surfaces (stone countertops).

From 2007 to 2010, Ryan helped lead USF to a 55-2 record and captured four conference titles. During that span, USF's only losses occurred in the NAIA national title games of 2007 and 2010.

Ryan ranks second all-time in three major receiving categories which includes receptions with 199, yardage with 3,462, and receiving touchdowns with 52. In 2010, he was named the fourth USF player ever to be named NAIA Player of the Year after leading the Cougars to the national championship game (10-7 loss to Carroll College). During his career, Ryan had seven games of 100 yards or more receiving and nine times accumulated 90 yards or more. Ryan had a game career-high of 175 yards with three TDs against Morningside. He also had three TDs in a game three times.

In his career, Ryan accumulated 54 catches of 10 or more yards, 24 of 20 or more yards, 15 receptions of 30 yards or more with six of 40 yards or more and five over 50 yards. He also had three catches of over 60 yards with a long of 76 yards. Ryan caught nine TDs of 27 yards or more.  In 2010, the Watertown native was first-team NAIA All-American, the GPAC Offensive Player of the Year, and set an NAIA record with 24 TDs. Ryan's 2010 reception total of 81 ranks third all-time with his 1,430 receiving yards an all-time mark.

A two-time all-conference selection, Ryan had 57 catches for 992 yards with 16 TDs in 2009 in helping the Cougars to a 15-0 record and a national title. In 2008, USF also won an NAIA championship as he had 25 receptions for 407 yards and seven TDs. In his freshman season, Ryan helped USF reach the NAIA title game. In that freshman campaign, Ryan had 36 receptions for 633 yards and five TDs. He also was a USF standout in track and field. Seven times he was named All-GPAC in the jumps for the Cougars.

Amanda Spronk Petz, Women's Basketball, 1998-2001
During a stellar women's basketball career with the Cougars, Amanda Spronk Petz of Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., accumulated 1,224 points, which ranks 13^th all-time at USF, and 853 rebounds for fourth on the career chart. Originally of Edgerton, Minn., she attended Southwest Christian High School and later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education in 2001 from USF.

Spronk Petz was named to the All-Greater Plains Conference selection in 2000-01, she averaged 11.0 points (15^th all-time at USF) and 7.68 rebounds per game during her career.

As a senior at USF in 2000-01, she set a school record with 313 rebounds when she averaged nearly a double with a career-high of 16.2 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game. Petz's 313 boards that season set a record at the time and still ranks second only to Courtney Farrell's 341 in 2004-05. She is just one of three individuals in school history with 300 rebounds in a season.  As a senior, she scored 536 points which ranks ninth all-time at USF and was the fourth-best total in the program history at the time. In that senior campaign, she was an All-GPAC Player of the Week and had double-digit rebounds 14 times with a career-best 18 rebounds three times. She accumulated 21 double-digit scoring games with 11 career double-doubles. Eleven times she registered 20 points or more with a career-high of 32 points in a double (10 rebounds) against Morningside on Dec. 15, 2000.  As a junior, she averaged 12.1 ppg (326) and 8.3 rebounds (225). Eight times as a junior she had double-digit rebounds with a high of 14 twice.

Spronk Petz also surpassed 20 points three times with a high of 24 against Buena Vista on Nov. 23, 1999. In her sophomore season of 1998-99, she averaged 7.4 points (193) and 6.5 rebounds (148). As a freshman in 1997-98, she averaged 6.7 points (169) and 5.8 rebounds (147) and was named to the All-Tournament team at the Augie Holiday Tournament. In her career, she had 60 blocked shots, 36 double-digit scoring games, 13 double-doubles, 14 games of 20 points or more, and 24 games of double-digit rebounds.

Chuck Hey, Special Contributor
Chuck Hey, a native of Chester, S.D., has had a long association with the University of Sioux Falls. Aside from USF's connection with School Bus, Inc., for the past 15 years, Hey, his wife Marjory, and his family honored his mother, the late Gladys Holm Hey with a generous gift that reshaped the welcome area of the Stewart Center on the USF campus in 2017. The corridor area was renamed the Gladys Holm Hey Lobby. As part of the gift, the upgraded area was named the Gladys Holm Hey Lobby and included a new ticket area, rebranded lobby with student-athlete photos and logos, office space, and more. His mother Gladys, was active at USF in basketball and soccer as well as mixed chorus and served as an officer for the Women's Athletic Association and the Pep Club before earning her degree in teaching in 1932.

Hey, who graduated from Jasper, Minn., High School, attended the Minnesota School of Business before making his impact in business.  After five years of working at his father's implementation, Chuck took over the local school's bus service. He expanded their business in 1972 to include the bus service contract for Willmar (Minn.) schools. In 1974, Hey also took over the busing needs for Marshall (MN) Schools. In 1979, Hey acquired the busing contract from the Sioux Falls School District and created School Bus, Inc. Following that, he connected with USF to provide team busing needs and has been a sponsor of USF Athletics for many years.

Hey's son, Steven, has served as president of SBI for the past 19 years. Steven and his wife, Donna, have six grown children (Andrew, Laura, Alexander, April, Andrea, and Rachael). Chuck's eldest daughter, Mali was a special education teacher, stay-at-home mom, and now a paraprofessional for the Moundsview School District in Shoreview, Minn. Mali, who was named after her great grandmother, has two children (Zachary and Katherine). Hey's other daughter, Mary, lives in Waconia, Minn., where she is also a stay-at-home mom after serving time as a middle school counselor. She and her husband, Dan, have three children (twin daughters Abby and Eva and son Logan).

2003-04 Men's Basketball  Team
Directed by Head Coach Shane Murphy, USF's 2003-04 Men's Basketball Team finished 26-12 and was the first in school history to advance to a Final Four at the NAIA level. USF, which set a school mark for wins in a season with 26, finished the season with a GPAC Tournament title and won three games against nationally-ranked opponents at the NAIA Tourney before falling to No. 2 Bellevue (Neb.), 70-62, in the NAIA Final Four semifinals. The Cougars won 10 of their final 12 games to reach the NAIA semifinals.

Along with Murphy, now of Spearfish, S.D., the coaching staff included current NBA Portland Assistant Coach Nate Tibbetts; Midco Sports Analyst Brad Newitt of Sioux Falls, and current Dakota Wesleyan Head Men's Basketball Coach Matt Wilbur.  Team members included: Chad Van Hill, Jermaine Byrd, Steve Esselink, Matt Begeman, Beau Fitts, Ryan Millsap, Brett Moody, Jeremy Van Roekel, Dylan Kvaale, Paul McVey, Troy Giegling, Jacob Shaw, Eric Depue, and J.D. Roberts.

The Cougars, which was ranked No. 17 in the NAIA preseason poll, opened 3-0. After dropping to 4-2, the Cougars won 7-of-8 and moved to 11-3 overall. USF, which was ranked as high as No. 17 in the regular season on Jan. 13, 2004 and but was only receiving votes in the final ranking on Feb. 24, closed the regular season with four wins in five games before winning the GPAC Tournament title. USF opened with a 66-60 win over No. 6 seed Concordia and then took a 73-68 decision over No. 2 seeded Morningside (ranked No. 22 nationally). In the finals, USF defeated fourth-seeded Doane, 80-63. At the NAIA National Tourney, USF opened with an upset by defeating No. 16 ranked Dickinson State, 85-67. In round two, USF pulled off another shocker by stopping No. 7 ranked Flagler College, 78-67. In the quarterfinals, USF took out its third straight ranked opponent by upsetting No. 21 Daemen College, 74-62. In the semifinals, USF fell to No. 2 ranked Bellevue (33-5). At halftime, USF was down 29-25 and was outscored, 41-37, in the second half. During the regular season, USF was 12-6 in the GPAC for third place. USF had a 14-6 nonconference mark and a 14-3 home mark.  In the pre-conference slate of games, the Cougars, ranked No. 22 in NAIA DII, dropped an 88-77 decision to SDSU which was ranked No. 3 in NCAA DII, although USF led 37-35 at halftime.

In 2003-04, USF was led in scoring by Minnesota transfer Steve Esselink with 19.9 points (716 points), who ranked second in the GPAC and 22nd in NAIA, and 4.1 rebounds. Esselink, who was named to the NAIA DII First Team All-American Team and first-team All-GPAC, scored 27 or more points seven times and twice surpassed 30 points. He reached double digits in 36 straight games. USF, which averaged 73.2 points and allowed 67.4 points per game, also had 12.3 points (466 points) and 8.8 (252) rebounds from JD Roberts, who twice had 16 or more rebounds in a game with four blocked shots in a game five times. He led the GPAC in rebounding (23rd nationally), defensive rebounds (ninth nationally), and blocks per game. Roberts, who was named to the NAIA All-Tournament Team, was second-team All-GPAC with senior forward Brett Moody, who averaged 10.8 points and 6.6 rebounds while knocking in 36.9 percent from three-point range. Sophomore forward Chad Hill was honorable mention All-GPAC. Also scoring in double digits was Jermaine Byrd at 10.9 points and 6.1 assists per game.

As a team, USF hit 48.6 percent from the floor and 35 percent from three-point range with 234 made triples. USF averaged 35.8 rebounds per game and averaged 6.0 steals and 4.2 blocks per game.

For more information on the University of Sioux Falls and their athletic department, you can visit their website.