The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Athletics Hall of Fame will welcome its largest class of new members when 10 individuals are inducted Nov. 7.
The 2021 induction class features former student-athletes Blaine Felsman (football, wrestling); Ayla (Mitchell) Helland (cross country, track and field); Greg Henschel (soccer); Willy Kaul (cross country, track and field); Erin (LeRoy) Klump (swimming and diving); Terri (Schwamb) Kruse (track and field); Rich Schroeder (baseball); Rob Stoltz (football, baseball); current sports information director Kennan Timm; and former student-athlete and coach Ted Van Dellen (basketball).
This year’s honorees will join the 211 individuals who have been selected to the previous 46 induction classes.
The Nov. 7 ceremony for the new inductees will be held at the Culver Family Welcome Center on the Oshkosh campus. The event includes a social at 9:15 a.m., breakfast at 10 a.m. and program at 10:30 a.m. Michael Patton, the public address voice of the Titans, will emcee the event.
Tickets for the induction ceremony are $25 (aged 5 and older) and can be purchased at uwosh.universitytickets.com. Tickets will be sold until 10 a.m. Nov. 3. Tickets will not be available for purchase at the event.
This year’s induction class will also be recognized at halftime of UW Oshkosh’s football game against UW-Stevens Point Nov. 6 at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium. Kickoff for the contest is 1 p.m.
» Blaine Felsman was a multiple award winner in both football and wrestling at UWO from 1974 until 1978. He graduated in 1981 with a physical education degree.
On the football field, the Waupun High School graduate played center and received All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) First Team recognition when the Titans shared the league championship with UW-Platteville and UW-River Falls in 1976. He was named to the All-WIAC Second Team in 1977.
Felsman earned a pair of All-America citations and one conference title on the wrestling mat. He finished second in the heavyweight division at the 1976 WIAC Championship before winning the category at the league meet in 1977. Felsman obtained All-America honors with his fifth- and fourth-place finishes in the heavyweight division at the 1977 and 1978 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championships, respectively.
» Ayla (Mitchell) Helland, a 2010 elementary education graduate, transferred from the University of Minnesota and quickly became a standout performer at both the conference and national levels for the Titans women’s cross country and track & field programs from 2007-09.
The New Richmond High School graduate totaled three All-America awards and two conference titles in cross country while compiling two national titles, five All-America citations and six conference championships in track and field. Helland won NCAA Division III titles in 2009 for the indoor mile and outdoor 5,000-meter runs.
In cross country, Helland was named the 2008 and 2009 Division III Midwest Region Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The WIAC additionally selected Helland as both its Athlete and Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2009.
» Greg Henschel helped elevate the UWO men’s soccer program to national prominence during his four seasons as a Titan from 1991-94. He graduated in 1996 with a psychology degree.
Henschel earned a pair of NCAA Division III All-Midwest Region awards from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America as UWO compiled a 61-11-7 record while competing in three postseason tournaments and advancing to one Final Four.
Henschel concluded his career as the University’s leader in goals (55), points (143) and matches played (73). He currently ranks second of the Titans’ all-time career list in both goals and points.
» Willy Kaul achieved success as a member of the men’s cross country and track and field programs from 2004-09. He graduated in 2011 with a bachelor of fine arts.
Kaul earned a pair of All-America awards in cross country with his fourth- and second-place finishes at the NCAA Division III Championship in 2006 and 2008, respectively. He was the WIAC champion in 2008 and the league’s runner-up in 2006.
Outdoors, Kaul became the first person in UWO history to earn four All-America performances in the same running event when he won the 10,000-meter run at the 2009 Division III Championship. Kaul’s 2009 appearance at the national meet also included an All-America finish in the 5,000-meter run.
» Erin (LeRoy) Klump enjoyed a tremendous diving career as a member of the women’s swimming and diving program from 1999-2002. She studied English and graduated in 2003.
The Oshkosh North High School graduate accumulated five NCAA Division III All-America awards while diving to three WIAC titles.
Klump was a three-time Division III Championship participant in both the 1- and 3-meter diving. She finished 13th off the 3-meter board at the 2000 national meet, fourth in 2001 and third in 2002. Klump placed 10th off the 1-meter plank at the 2001 Division III Championship and second in 2002.
» Terri (Schwamb) Kruse enjoyed a highly celebrated career as a member of the women’s track and field program from 2004-08. She studied math education and earned a bachelor’s degree in 2008 and a master’s in 2016.
UWO won NCAA Division III indoor and outdoor titles during Schwamb’s first season at the school. The Titans then captured national indoor championships in 2005 and 2006 before winning the 2007 national outdoor championship at the Oshkosh Sports Complex.
Schwamb was named the USTFCCCA’s 2007 Division III Midwest Region Field Athlete of the Year after winning the 20-pound weight throw at both the conference and national championships. She also earned All-America honors in the 20-pound weight throw at the 2005 national indoor meet.
Outdoors, Schwamb had the joy of winning national hammer throw titles at the 2007 and 2008 Division III championships. Schwamb acquired the first of her three All-America awards in the hammer throw at the 2005 national outdoor meet.
» Rich Schroeder was an infielder for the UWO baseball team from 1968-70 and helped the Titans to a 63-24 record and a WIAC championship each year. He earned a physical education degree in 1972.
Schroeder compiled a .288 batting average during his three seasons in Oshkosh with nine doubles, six triples, four home runs, 54 runs scored and 28 runs batted in. The Waterloo High School graduate received All-WIAC First Team and NAIA All-America Honorable Mention recognition in both 1968 and 1969.
Following the University’s 1970 season Schroeder was selected in the 23rd round of Major League Baseball’s Amateur Draft by the San Francisco Giants. Schroeder, the second Titan to ever be drafted by an MLB team, played 62 games that summer in the Giants’ minor league system before retiring.
» Rob Stoltz’s name is near the top when considering UWO pass receivers in the 125-year history of its football program.
Stoltz appeared in 39 football games from 1992-95 and caught 155 passes for 2,691 yards and 24 touchdowns. He currently ranks second for the Titans in career receiving yards and third in both career receptions and career receiving touchdowns.
Stoltz earned a special education degree in 1999.
» Kennan Timm’s 37 years as sports information director have extended beyond the coordination of the publicity for the school’s 19-sport athletics program.
Timm has served as the host media relations director for the finals of 31 NCAA Division III Championships as well as over 50 Division III regional tournaments.
Since arriving on the Oshkosh campus for the 1985-86 academic year, Timm has been in charge of publicizing one of the most successful athletics programs in Division III history. UWO has captured 31 Division III titles during Timm’s tenure, including three during the 1995-96 academic year.
» When Ted Van Dellen accepted the challenge in May 1990 of leading a men’s basketball program that he played for, he immediately rolled up his sleeves and went to work.
Van Dellen definitely went to work as he restored the pride of Titan Nation by guiding a basketball program that won only 113 games in the 11 seasons before his appointment to 358 victories and five NCAA Division III postseason appearances in the 22 years (1991-2012) that followed.
Van Dellen, who owns the sixth-most coaching victories in WIAC history, compiled a 358-225 record (.614 winning percentage) while leading UWO to 17 winning seasons. He studied physical education at UWO, earning bachelor’s degree in 1979 and a master’s in 1990.
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