1983 Beaver Softball Team Earns Hall of Fame Induction
Team earned national tournament runner-up honors, two conference championships
The 1983 Buena Vista softball team was inducted into the BVU Athletics Hall of Fame during a banquet held in conjunction with Homecoming on Oct. 13.
The team joins the following five BVU teams inducted into the BVU Athletics Hall of Fame: 1984 softball, 1975 football, 1992 softball, 1986 wrestling, and the 1968 baseball team.
The 1983 softball Beavers, directed by Head Coach Marge Willadsen, won titles in both the Io-Kota Conference and the Iowa Conference, the first year the IIAC held league play for softball. After advancing through the NCAA Division III West Region, the team captured runner-up honors in the NCAA Division III National Softball Tournament, the highest finish for a Beaver team to that point. The unit helped set the stage for BV’s lone national team title, a crown won by the Beavers in the NCAA Division III National Softball Tournament one year later.
“I thank you for giving your heart and soul on the field. But most of all, I thank you for your gift of friendship. The older I get, the more I value our friendship. You have given me so many special memories that I wish I could go back and do it all over again.”
Head Coach Marge Willadsen
The 1983 team began its season with four games against NCAA Division I foes and split a doubleheader versus the University of Iowa. It would end the season with an overall record of 30-9, boasting eight all-conference selections, including league MVP Lori Stirn ’83, who also landed Second Team All-American laurels. Willadsen was named the conference coach of the year.
Other first-team All-Conference selections included Chanel Finzen ’84, Jacque Jerkovich ’84, Judy Sheirbon ’83, and Jill Walquist ’83. Second-team honors went to Joy (Johnson) Gross ’86, Libby Kestel ’85, and Susan Mingus ’85.
The team went an incredible 68 for 68 in stolen bases, a total that remained a school record for 38 years.
Willadsen hailed two players and a coach posthumously as all were integral in the program’s success. They included Sam (Meier) Larson ’86, Melissa (Landsness) Maynes ’86, and Assistant Coach Rusty Mohler.
Willadsen also provided her perspective on what drove this team to success. “These players had a love for the game that motivated them to work hard and play hard,” she said. “They were determined, confident and didn’t know the meaning of quit. They also had exceptional athletic talent.”
Eight players, she noted, still rank in the top 10 at BVU in 20 categories.
“I thank you for giving your heart and soul on the field,” Willadsen concluded. “But most of all, I thank you for your gift of friendship. The older I get, the more I value our friendship. You have given me so many special memories that I wish I could go back and do it all over again.”
Members of the 1983 Hall of Fame softball team include: Susan Mingus ’85, Pam (Nelson) Banwart ’86, Jill Petsel ’85, Chanel Finzen ’84, Jacque Jerkovich ’84, Jill Walquist ’83, Jo (Denney) Voga ’83, Anne (Vaske) Skellenger ’85, Libby Kestel ’85, Kelly Abbott ’85, Joy (Johnson) Gross ’86, Lisa (Henry) Dreier ’84, Melissa (Landsness) Maynes ’86, Sheryl Book ’86, Shelly (Barr) TerHark ’86, Cheryl (Peck) Rohrbeck ’84, Judy Sheirbon ’83, Sam (Meier) Larson ’86, Lori (Siggins) McMahon ’86, Lori Stirn ’83, and Denice Copple ’84, team manager.