The rich and storied tradition of USF Athletics will come alive on Friday, February 23 with the induction of six new members into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.  That evening, we will also honor the 2003 women's volleyball team for being the first to appear in the NCAA Tournament.
 
USF's Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2018, which will comprise the 44th group of inductees, includes Hans Friessen '72 (men's soccer), Stefan Gartrell '06 (baseball), Andrea Kagie '97 (women's basketball), Jessica Potter '08 (women's golf), Huey Thomas '65 (men's basketball), and Fr. Joe Eagan, who will be inducted in the special service category.
 
With the inclusion of the new members, USF's Athletic Hall of Fame now includes 272 individuals and 21 teams.
 
Formal induction ceremonies are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 23 at the Father Hubert "Hub" Flynn Hall of Fame Dinner in the McLaren Center on the USF campus. The festivities will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by the dinner program at 7:30 p.m. The inductees will also be honored at halftime of the USF-San Diego basketball game on Feb. 24.
                                                                                                                                        
Individual reservations for the Father Hubert "Hub" Flynn Hall of Fame Dinner are priced at $75 while a table of 10 may be purchased for $725.
 
One of a select few to earn All-American Honors three times or more at USF, Hans Friessen is one of the most decorated players in Dons history.  Friessen was named to the NSCAA All-American Honorable Mention team three times, in 1969, '70, and '71.  He also earned all-conference honors all four years as well. A prolific scorer, Friessen sent 25 shots to the back of the net in the 1969 season, the second-best individual season tally in USF history.  He was a member of the squad that won the 1971 West Coast Intercollegiate Soccer Conference Championships, and in his four seasons on the Hilltop the Dons advanced to the NCAA Tournament all four years. Away from the pitch, he was offered a contract by the San Francisco 49ers in the late 60's to replace Tommy Davis as the 49ers place kicker, but Friessen turned it down. Later he would play for his native Mexico in the 1968 Olympics, and following his collegiate days he signed a contract to play professional soccer in Mexico for three teams, earning the nickname "El Güerito."
 
A cornerstone of the Dons baseball team that won the program's first ever WCC Championship in 2006, Stefan Gartrell was one of the most impactful players on that talented Dons squad.  Gartrell, a local who prepped at Sacred Heart Cathedral here in San Francisco, was a four-time letter winner for the Diamond Dons, earning All-WCC honors in his junior and senior season. Stefan played in 171 games, including 140 starts, and led the Dons in RBI in 2005 and 2006 and is fourth all-time in RBI with 141.  In his senior campaign, he earned First Team All-WCC honors after hitting .335 with 62 runs batted in (in 61 games) and six home runs, helping guide the Dons to the programs inaugural bid to the NCAA Regionals.  That year he was named to Baseball America's Top-50 Seniors List and was eventually drafted in the 31^st round by the Chicago White Sox.  Over nine seasons in professional ball, he hit .269 with 159 home runs and 590 RBI.  When his playing days concluded, Stefan committed to his true passion, mentoring the youth of his hometown community.  He founded Ripple Effect 22, a faith-based program that strives to reach the disaffected youth of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Mateo.
 
During the Don's phenomenal run in the mid-90's, Andrea Kagie was one of the key players for an electric USF squad.  She played in 115 games, making 41 starts in her brilliant career.  She earned All-WCC honors three times, and was twice named to the WCC All-Tournament Team.  Kagie ranks in the top 10 in four categories for the Dons.  She's fourth all-time in blocked shots (115) and steals (212), she's sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (.381), and ninth in 3-point field goals made (111).  Andrea scored 1,158 points, pulling down 519 rebounds.  She was a member of three WCC Championship teams and helped USF to regular season conference titles in 1996 and '97.  As a member of USF's Sweet 16 team in 1996, she made four 3-point field goals in the opening round upset over Florida.  In her senior season, she tied a USF single-game record by making seven 3-point field goals against San Diego on Feb. 8, 1997.  That season she earned All-WCC First Team honors.  Off the court she was just as special.  She was a three-time WCC All-Academic Team honoree, and earned a NCAA post graduate scholarship.  The forward joins fellow teammates Renee Demirdjian, Valerie Gillon, Brittany Lindhe, and Jamie Shadian in the Dons Hall of Fame. 
 
On the links, there were few better than Jessica Potter.  The 2008 graduate was a three time First Team All-WCC honoree.  She posted three top-five finishes at the WCC Championships, finishing tied for third in 2006 and 2008.  Jessica helped guide the Dons to three-straight second place finishes in the WCC.  In 2006, she was named the WCC Golfer of the Month in March. That same year she was the medalist at the 2006 Oregon Duck Invitational, and also finished second at the 2006 Peg Barnard Invitational, and third in the San Jose State Invitational.  Potter was an honorable mention selection to the West Coast Conference's 25^th Anniversary Team. The native of Coquitlam, British Columbia turned down an opportunity to earn her LPGA tour card, and is now a podiatric surgeon living in Portland, Ore.
 
A three-year starter for Dons in the mid-60's, Huey Thomas was brought to the Hilltop not to be a key offensive threat, but to act as a team catalyst and lead the vaunted Dons offense.  In his three seasons, the Dons went 64-18, winning the WCAC three-straight seasons, while making three-straight trips to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.  Huey's combination of speed, quickness, intelligence, and jumping ability gave head coach Pete Peletta the perfect weapon to slow down All-Americans Terry Baker (Oregon State), Gail Goodrich (UCLA) and two-time WCAC Player of the Year Steve Gray (Saint Mary's.)  With teammates Jim Brovelli, Ollie Johnson, Joe Ellis, Erwin Mueller, Ed Thomas and Russ Gumina (all USF Hall of Famers), Thomas wasn't asked to be a scorer, even so, he still finished his career with 482 points, averaging 7.3 points per contest.  Had records been kept for steals and assists Huey would be near the top of the lists at USF.  He's affectionately nicknamed "The Doctor," because when the team needed a big play, he always "had a cure" to get it done.  A true renaissance man, Thomas played professionally in the Philippines for two seasons, played professional baseball with the Los Angeles Dodgers rookie team and has been a US Tennis Professional since 1984 and a certified tennis instructor. In the community, he has over 35 years of volunteer service working with Bay Area youth, as a teacher, coach and mentor.
 
Teacher, campus minister, parish priest, author – these are just some of the titles that Fr. Joe Eagan has worn on his time on the Hilltop, but to the athletics department, he is just a Don.  Fr. Eagan entered the Society of Jesus in September, 1940, and has spent 77 years as a Jesuit priest.  An avid sports fan, Fr. Eagan wrote "Dynasty, The Story of USF Soccer, 1931-1997," telling the glorious story of soccer at USF.  It was Fr. Eagan who was in charge of the Negoesco Stadium project.  The idea for a new stadium began on a plane ride home from the 1978 National Championships with a discussion between Fr. Eagan and legendary head coach Steve Negoesco.  The total cost of the stadium was $175,000, Fr. Eagan rallied USF alumni and boosters for $150,000 in donations for the project.  Four years later, September 17, 1982, Negoesco Stadium opened before a crowd of 3,000 rabid supporters.  Following his time at USF, Fr. Eagan continues to be active.  In 2013 at the age of 91, he wrote the book "Vatican II Renewal, Path to the Future of the Church." In writing about Father Joe, noted National Catholic Reporter Thomas C. Fox said, "He has the ability to infuse the spiritual seamlessly into our ordinary lives."
 
The 2003 women's volleyball team was a truly special one.  Dubbed "the team of firsts," the '03 squad was the first women's volleyball team to win 20 seasons in a game, first to earn a top-25 National ranking, the first team in Dons' history to go undefeated in non-conference (16-0), best record turnaround in WCC history (+17), and was selected as one of the top-16 teams in USF School history by Legends of the Hilltop.  Under first year head coach Jeff Nelson, USF set 15 program records, including wins (234), winning percentage (.767), kills (1,862), hitting percentage (.240) and assists (1,642).  USF placed four players on the All-WCC squad: Brittanie Budinger, Theresa Hart, Teresa Russell, and Caroline Skacel.  Budinger earned All-Pacific Region Honorable Mention and was inducted into the USF Dons Hall of Fame.  That season, the Dons finished fourth in a tightly contested West Coast Conference that saw six teams earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.  None of the Dons' eight losses came against a team outside of the top-25.