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Health & Fitness

Alverno College Athletics Announces 2012 Hall of Fame Class

The Alverno College Department of Athletics continues to recognize outstanding student-athletes and supporters of the program with the Alverno College Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2012.

The Alverno College Department of Athletics continues to recognize outstanding student-athletes and supporters of the program with the Alverno College Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2012. The Alverno College Athletics Hall of Fame welcomes two outstanding student-athletes and a supporting Trailblazer in the second class of inductees, first since 2010.

Softball ace Jessica Goetz (Milwaukee/Martin Luther) and top cross country runner Sarah Olson (Oconomowoc, Wis.) -- both 2010 graduates of Alverno -- will join the Hall as student-athletes, and Gary Grunau will be inducted into the 'Trailblazers Club' of the Hall as a supporter of Inferno Athletics.

The three will be inducted on Friday, Oct. 5, at the Hall of Fame awards ceremony at Alverno College during Homecoming weekend, followed by recognition at the Inferno's home volleyball game that begins at 7 p.m. in Reiman Gymnasium.

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Jessica Goetz
Softball
Induction Class of 2012

Goetz is the most accomplished pitcher in Alverno history and is one of the top batters after her four-season career (2007-10). A three-time team MVP, she became the first Alverno softball athlete to be named all-conference in two seasons with an All-NAC Second Team nod in 2008 and an All-NAC First Team honor in 2010, her senior season.

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Goetz threw the only no-hitters in school history as her first came on March 20, 2008, versus the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in Cape Coral, Fla., and her second came on April 17, 2009, in a conference game against Maranatha Baptist at Alverno Field.

In addition to her pair of no-hitters, the right-hander still holds the Alverno career pitching records in strikeouts (561), strikeouts looking (162), victories (25), complete games (65) and shutouts (3). Her 237 total strikeouts in 2010 led the NAC at the end of the regular season and she also holds the Alverno single-game record with 17 punch-outs.

Offensively she ranks in the top 10 in slugging percentage (.406), on-base percentage (.388), runs scored (62), hits (106), doubles (23), triples (4), home runs (4), RBIs (74), total bases (149), stolen bases (8) and holds the top spot with 55 walks.

At the Alverno Athletics Banquet following her senior season, she was honored with the Faculty Scholar-Athlete Award and the Sister Margaret Mary Martin Award. She graduated in 2010 with a degree in Business and Management.

Sarah Olson
Cross Country
Induction Class of 2012

Olson is the record holder for top times in both the 5,000-meter and 6,000-meter distances in Alverno history. She set the 5K mark of 19 minutes, 38 seconds on Oct. 18, 2008, at the Wisconsin Private Colleges Championships with a runner-up finish, and set the 6K record of 23:09.26 later that season at the Northern Athletics Conference Championships with another runner-up finish.

Olson competed just three seasons with the Inferno due to injury her senior season, but was a three-time All-NAC honoree (2007-09). She was the NAC Rookie of the Year at the 2007 NAC Championships after a fourth-place finish at the event. Additionally she was honored as the NAC Student-Athlete of the Week five times, including an unprecedented four times in 2008.

During the 2008 season, Olson became the first and only Alverno runner to win a race, and did so on two occasions. She won the Beloit Olde English Classic 5K on Sept. 27, and the following week was the top runner at the WLC Warrior Invitational 6K on Oct. 4.

Olson was the cross country team's two-time Most Valuable Runner (2007-08) and was the Alverno Student-Athlete of the Year award winner the same years.

She graduated in 2010 with a degree in nursing.

Gary Grunau
Trailblazers Club
Induction Class of 2012

Gary Grunau has been a dedicated advocate and supporter of Alverno College for decades. He has served as a volunteer member of the Board of Trustees for nearly 30 years, including seven years as board chairman. During Gary's tenure as board chair, Alverno created and launched the Inferno Athletics program that is today a vibrant part of the Alverno experience. Recognizing how important an opportunity to participate in Athletics is for the women of Alverno, Gary has co-chaired the Alverno Athletics Golf Outing for two years, and will again be generously serving in this capacity for the 2012 event, ensuring important funding for Inferno teams.

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