Eleven inducted to the IC Sports Hall of Fame

group image HoF inductees
Illinois College inducted 11 individuals into the Sports Hall of Fame during a ceremony held on campus on Feb. 7.

Former athletic director and men’s basketball coach Bill Merris ’56 hosted the evening and Jim Green’61 served as master
of ceremonies. The Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1984; induction is based on the individual’s contribution as a student-athlete and their lifelong accomplishments after leaving the Hilltop. Members of the Illinois College Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2020 are:

Michael Bates ’15
The quarterback at the helm of IC football’s best four-year stretch in program history, Bates had a record of 30-8 as a starter and led the Blueboys to its only Division III playoff appearance in 2011. He was named All-MWC during his final three seasons, and as a senior was a finalist for the 2014 Gagliardi Trophy and the Capital One Academic All-American of the Year for Division III Football. He holds or is tied for five single-game, season on career records at Illinois College, including most career completions (836), most career passing yards (10,787) and most career passing touchdowns (107).

Cecil Brimmage ’14
The Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2013 and the William J. Downer Award winner in 2014 as top Illinois College male athlete for the year, Brimmage graduated from the football program as one of the best running backs in school history. Twice a First Team All-MWCselection in his career, he set school records for single-game rushing (341 yards in 2012) and single-season rushing (1,574 yards in 2013), while finishing second all-time in career rushing yards (4,020) and rushing touchdowns (39). Teamed with Bates for three seasons, Brimmage helped form the most high-powered backfield the Blueboys have ever had.

Jody Collins ’84
The greatest pitcher of her era at Illinois College, Collins was a four-year starting pitcher and two-time team MVP for IC softball. As an All-Conference selection, she recorded the first no-hitter in school history in 1984, striking out 17 hitters in that game, the third-most in conference history. Her name appears throughout school record book for the third-most strikeouts in a season (105 in 1983) and the fourth-best ERA in a single season (1.77 in 1981). Though records from that time are incomplete, Collins would likely rank second all-time in career strikeouts and among the top five in career victories for the Lady Blues.

Dominick Dalfonso ’15
A two-time All-Midwest Conference selection, Dalfonso graduated as one of the most decorated baseball players in Illinois College history. He wrapped up his four-year career with the Blueboys as the program’s all-time leader in runs (124), walks (76) and triples (8), as well as both the school’s and the Midwest Conference’s all-time leader in stolen bases (97). In addition to his many walks, he also was second all-time in program history in hits (146), leading to an on-base percentage of nearly .450 for his career.

Rodney Flowers ’95
A four-year letterwinner in baseball and football, Flowers was the 1994 Downer Award winner as IC’s top male student-athlete. As a football player, he earned All-MWC honors in three seasons and graduated as the top tackler in program history. While he has since dropped to third in that category, he remains the all-time leader in fumble recoveries. As a baseball player, he was a three-time All-MWC award winner and is tied for seventh all-time in school history with 13 career home runs. After graduation,
he has led a 25-year coaching career that includes IC, Jacksonville High School and Carrollton High School.

Dan Keller ’94
A four-year starter in both men’s soccer and baseball, Keller earned All-MWC honors in both sports twice in his career. As a two-time All-MWC midfielder, Keller was part of the MWC championship men’s soccer team in 1990. On the diamond, he was a two-time All-MWC second baseman and utility infielder. He also captained both teams in his senior season. After graduation, he served as longtime head coach of boys’ soccer at Jacksonville High School and is currently an assistant coach with the IC men’s soccer program.

Hannah McGinnis Wallace ’15
A two-time Midwest Conference Player of the Year, Wallace graduated as perhaps the best women’s basketball player in
Illinois College history. Nearly unstoppable in the low post, she ended her career with the Lady Blues ranked second in career points (1,390) and first in career rebounds (1,008). She is the only player in the history of MWC women’s basketball to reach 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in their career. In her senior season, McGinnis Wallace was Illinois College’s Doris B. Hopper Award winner, the MWC Woman of the Year, a Jostens Trophy finalist as top Division III women’s basketball player, and a Capital One
Academic All-American.

Dr. Don Mundinger
(Awarded posthumously.)
A past president of Illinois College, Mundinger oversaw countless improvements to the College during his tenure from 1973 to 1993. His achievements in athletics include spearheading the move from NAIA to NCAA Division III and moving IC Athletics from the now-defunct College Athletic Conference into its current affiliation with the Midwest Conference. He led the charge to support an up-and-coming women’s athletic program at Illinois College and oversaw improvements to numerous athletic facilities. In 1983, he and a team of campus leaders established the Illinois College Sports Hall of Fame.

Melissa Norville ’13
Norville is by far the most decorated track & field athlete in school history. She was a nine-time national champion at the NCAA Division III level and a 19-time All-American. During her storied IC career, she led the Lady Blues to a national runner-up finish at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships in 2013 and became one of three women ever to win three or more national titles at the same meet in Division III history. She was a three-time winner of the Hopper Award at Illinois College and earned 29 All-MWC honors. She holds seven Illinois College and MWC Championship records. Her record for indoor long jump ranked 41st in the world in 2013. She was also a four-year member and two-year captain of the volleyball team and spent one year on the women’s basketball team at IC.

Kathy Roberts Rohrer ’91
A three-time Midwest Conference champion and two-time national qualifier in the discus, Roberts Rohrer set an Illinois College school record in the discus (138-1) in 1989, which still stands 30 years later. She won discus titles in the MWC in 1988, 1989 and 1990 and qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships in 1988 and 1989. At the 1989 national championships, she finished 10th in the event. The 1990 winner of the Doris B. Hopper Award, Roberts Rohrer was also a four-year letter winner for the Lady Blues in women’s basketball.

Dr. Megan Stringer Gyrion ’13
The Illinois College women’s record holder in both the pentathlon and heptathlon, Stringer Gyrion earned All-MWC honors eight times in her track & field career and was a four-time qualifier for the NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2011, Stringer Gyrion learned how to throw the javelin and shot put left-handed and was still able to qualify for NCAA Outdoor Championships. Twice an All-American, Stringer Gyrion finished seventh nationally in the
pentathlon and third nationally in the heptathlon in her senior season. She earned her Ph.D. in addiction neuroscience from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.