Four people and one team were inducted into the Grand Island Senior HIgh School Athletic Hall of Fame. (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND – Four individuals and one team were inducted into the Grand Island Senior High School Athletic Hall of Fame during events on Jan. 23 and Jan. 24.
The inductees were: Beth (Oliver) Lemke, All-Around Athlete; Lynn Hall, Athlete Award, Boys Track and Field; Jeff Stern and coaches, Girls Track and Field; 2007 Girls State Championship Track and Field team; and Vic Nelson, Contributor Award.
The inductees were recognized at halftime of the high school’s boys basketball game on Jan. 23 and at a brunch on Jan. 24 where inductees gave comments about their athletic careers.
Lemke earned letters in volleyball, basketball and track in high school. Awards included: second team Super State and Class A All-State Volleyball Team, 1978; Grand Island Independent All-City and Big Ten All-Conference Volleyball Team, 1978, 1979; first team Super Stated and Class A first team All-State Volleyball Team selection in 1979 in Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star; Grand Island All-Area First-Team Basketball team, 1980; and first team All-State Basketball selection in Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha World-Herald, 1980. She was a Creighton University scholarship recipient in 1980. She played volleyball and basketball at Creighton University in 1980-81 and was a letter winner in both sports. She coached volleyball in Arizona for 35 years.
Hall holds the high school’s record in the mile run from 1970. The record was retired in 1980 when the Nebraska Schools Activities Association changed all track races to metric distances. He was the Trans-Nebraska Conference and District Mile Run Champion in 1970. He earned the mile run all-class gold medal at the state track meet in 1970 at Foster Field in Kearney in front of 7,000 fans. He edged out North Platte’s Dan Speck by a tenth of a second in a race considered the greatest prep mile battle in Nebraska history. He broke the state record in the mile run in 1970 with a time of 4:16. He earned a second-place medal in the 1969 state cross country championship in 1969 while leading the team to the team championship. He ran track and field at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1971-1974 and was a letterwinner all four years.
Stern’s track and field coach career spanned more than 39 years. He was the girls’ head coach for 31 years and upon retirement from teaching in 2018, continued as an assistant coach. During his tenure as head coach, the girls team has had 299 state qualifiers, earned 156 state track meet medals, finished in the Top 10 eight times, earned seven All-Class Gold Medals, and set school records in 12 events. Stern shared the award with assistant coaches for the 2007 state championship team: Dale Burch, Craig Burchess, Geoff Cyboron, Dave Jorgensen, Ed Kinne, and Kip Ramsey. Stern’s teams won five conference and district championships. The teams had runner-up finishes at the state meet in 2006 and 2008. He was named Grand Island Independent Coach of the Year in 2007. He was named Nebraska Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2007.
The 2007 girls track team finished either first or second in five invitational meets and were Heartland Athletic Conference and District champions. The team beat Omaha Marian by eight points (67-59) in the 2007 state meet. The victory was secured in a school record performance in the meet’s final event, the 1,600 meter relay. Participants were Ann Armes, Allison Jorgensen, Suzanne Higgins, and Alex Armes. Katie Harvey won a gold medal in the discus. A second record performance was set in the 400-meter relay by Suzanne Higgins, Allison Jorgensen, Ann Armes, and Jeri Walkowiak. The 2007 team included 15 state qualifiers, with eight athletes scoring points en route to a state title.
Members of the 2007 championship team were Alex Armes, Ann Armes, Angela Broers, Jami Ervans, Katie Harvey, Suzanne Higgins, Sarah Hinman, Laken Hormann, Allison Jorgensen, Michaela Knuth, Ariel Krolikowski, Amber Kunze, Tana O’Boyle, Jessica Ostermeier, and Jeri Walkowiak.
Vic Nelson started his coaching and teaching career at the high school in 1973. He coached distance runners on the boys track team and was the head boys cross country coach. He started the girls cross country team in 1981. He was a member of the Grand Island Coaches Association and Nebraska Coaches Association for 20 years. He was active in Hoops Mania, Best Seats in the House campaign, and the Grand Legacy Memorial Stadium Memorial Campaign. He has also served on the high school’s Football Hall of Fame committee and All-Sports Hall of Fame Committee.
During his 33 years at the high school, he was a scorekeeper at the state girls golf tournament in Grand Island, finish judge at cross country meets, timer at swim meets, scorekeeper at basketball games, clerk of the finish at track meets, and time keeper at wresting meets. Nelson represented the high school as a coach and contributor for more than 50 years.
