GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – In celebration of the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay's 50th Anniversary, Green Bay Phoenix Athletics will be counting down the top 50 moments in the program's history. The list was finalized by a focus group that works closely to Phoenix athletics.
The department will release the Top 50 moments throughout the year with the No. 1 moment being released in May 2016.
#1 – NCAA Grants the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Division I Status in 1980
As important as academic program development and student housing might have been to those inside the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, it was its move to Division I athletics that sparked the most excitement—and controversy—in the community beyond the campus.
Following the 1976-77 season, with a No. 1 ranking in NCAA Division II, the Phoenix men's basketball team compiled a 30-2 record, dropping only a contest with DePaul during the season and a tournament game to Cheyney State in the Division II National Championship.
It was after that game with DePaul, who was ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division I, which kindled the enthusiasm of Green Bay sports fans. Tony Walter, Press-Gazette sports editor, called the 55-49 loss in Chicago “the most significant event in the 10-year history of the UW-Green Bay athletic program.” Telecast by Green Bay's Channel 11, the game was watched by an estimated 90,000 to 110,000 viewers in Northeastern Wisconsin.
“The 1978 DePaul game was not the turning point for the basketball team, nor the turning point for the athletic department,” Walter wrote. “But the impact on the community increased sharply from that date.”
So did the prospects for a program that might eventually pay its way. From total receipts of $1,500 for men's basketball in 1973, income had climbed over $40,000 in 1978-79, when telecasts of post-season tournaments helped to spread Phoenix fever far and wide. Receipts for 1979-80 were expected to reach $80,000.
The string of winning seasons in NCAA Division II fed the fondest hopes of Weidner and a host of community supporters: that the Phoenix could garner success for themselves—and national visibility for the University—as a Division I team. But as of October 1979, when the Press-Gazette published its special report on UW-Green Bay, Weidner remained staunchly noncommittal on the subject. Such a move, he said, would depend on the results of a four-month study of the basketball program that was already in progress.
While University officials surveyed season ticket holders and interviewed community leaders, the Press-Gazette explored the issue in a series that dominated the sports pages seven days in a row.
One piece analyzed the risks of funding, scheduling and community support. The likelihood that UW-Green Bay would initially post losing records for several seasons. The need for the Phoenix to play many of its games on the road, far from a friendly hometown crowd. The slim chances of post-season tournament play, at least for a few years. The probable loss from the team of a number of “local kids”—players who had been standouts at area high schools, whose fortunes were eagerly followed by local fans.
A second article probed the “nightmare” of scheduling for a team just getting its foot in the Division I door. Another discussed the reactions of fans and financial backers. In the last segment, Weidner expressed his hope that a successful athletic program in Division I might have a positive effect both on the University's enrollment and academic quality. Tax monies would not be used for the program, he reassured the reporter. Nor would student segregated fees or Founders Association funds.
In late November, Weidner announced his decision—unanimously confirmed, he said, by key members of the athletic staff and the administration. The University would seek Division I status for the intercollegiate athletic program, beginning with the 1981-82 season. In May 1980, as the academic year ended, the University submitted a formal petition to the NCAA. It was approved a week later.
Positioning the young university in the company of institutions with “big-time” athletic programs—like UW-Madison and Marquette—was a major motivation for seeking Division I status, according to Weidner. Commenting years later on the decision, he pointed to a lesson he had learned at Michigan State and had never forgotten.
“I joined the faculty there soon after President John Hannah had taken Michigan State into the Big Ten,” Weidner recalled. “That move made a big difference. It put Michigan State on the map. It fostered a favorable public perception of just about everything the university did from that point on.”
In the same way, he reasoned, a Division I affiliation could help to establish and maintain a separate identity for UW-Green Bay among Wisconsin's public universities.
Weidner reaffirmed his commitment to a Division I program at a June 7 news conference announcing the NCAA action. The University had fulfilled the preliminary requirements, he said: to schedule 85 percent of Phoenix games against Division I opponents during the period 1981-83 and to obtain private funds to finance the program until it could become self-supporting.
“Efforts to secure private pledges to the support of the program have reached their first-year goal through commitments from significant community sources,” Weidner announced. But the Division I decision “was not made lightly,” he added.
#2 – Women's Basketball's Historic Run Reaches Sweet Sixteen in 2011
With a strong contingent of fans in attendance at the INTRUST Bank Arena, Kansas was almost like home for the Green Bay's women's basketball team as it took the floor against Michigan State in the second round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
A wire-to-wire victory helped the No. 13/11 Green Bay women's basketball team to a 34-1 record and its 25th-straight victory, but advancing to the program's first Sweet 16 certainly was not easy. Then-sophomore Adrian Ritchie came off the bench to score a game-high 20 points, as fifth-seeded Green Bay (34-1) led throughout the night, holding off fourth-seeded Michigan State (27-6) 65-56.
Ritchie combined with junior Julie Wojta to score 38 of the team's points, aiding the efforts of two senior Horizon League Players of the Year, Celeste Hoewisch (14 pts) and Kayla Tetschlag (10 pts/12 reb). Five days later, Green Bay's dream season would come to an end in the Sweet 16, as the record-setting Phoenix team fell to Brittney Griner and first-seeded Baylor at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, 86-76.
"We talk about walking away with a sense of achievement and a sense of pride, and to see what Kayla and Celeste did tonight, they can leave knowing they did that," said Green Bay head coach Matt Bollant."
The 2010-11 team set a program record with 34 wins, clinched the Horizon League regular season and tournament championships, and collected two NCAA Tournament wins and the program's first appearance in the Sweet 16.
"You always want more, and that is the type of players that we are, and I think that is what got us to where we are, having that hunger and desire to win," said an emotional Hoewisch, who played in her school-record 132nd game. "It is hard, but I am so proud of this team and what we have accomplished. You go into college not knowing what to expect. I was a part of a great team, something way bigger than myself, and it is something I will never forget."
#3 – Men's Basketball Upsets California in 1994 NCAA Tournament First Round
Ogden, Utah, and Jason Kidd and 16th-ranked California would be the draw for the Phoenix in the 1994 NCAA Tournament, which was given a No. 12 seed for its impressive 26-6 record entering the tournament.
Kidd and Lamond Murray, both NBA lottery picks that year, combined to go just 10-for-38 from the field and only 1-for-14 from three-point range against the stifling Phoenix defense highlighted by lockdown defender Gary Grzesk, who drew the roll of guarding Kidd and played a team-high 37 minutes. Senior John Martinez, a current Phoenix Hall of Fame member, recorded a career-high six steals, dished out seven assists and knocked down three three-pointers, while Nordgaard led the scoring efforts with 24 points for former head coach Dick Bennett.
Green Bay would go on to win the game 61-57 on St. Patrick's Day, giving the program it's first and only win in the NCAA Tournament. The win is regarded by many as the best in the program's storied history and helped put Green Bay Basketball on the national map.
In February 2015, the most successful men's basketball team in the institution's proud 50-year history, the 1993-94 team, became the first Phoenix team to be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame.
#4 – Green Bay and adidas Join for Major Partnership in 2015
In the fall of 2015, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and adidas entered into a seven-year partnership in which the Portland, Ore., based company became the official athletic footwear, apparel and accessory brand of the Phoenix through the 2021-22 season.
The highly-recognized international brand will be the preferred apparel line for each of Green Bay's 16 varsity sports. The department will begin a transition into adidas apparel and equipment beginning this season and will be fully outfitted in adidas beginning with the 2016-17 season.
UW-Green Bay alumnus Mark King '81 was instrumental in making the deal a reality. The department and university are both grateful and appreciative of King's passion and dedication to Green Bay Athletics and the campus community. The former Phoenix golfer serves as the current President of adidas Group North America and previously served as the CEO of TaylorMade-adidas Golf.
“As a former student-athlete and with my current involvement in the Council of Trustees, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is very close to my heart,” said King. “I'm really looking forward to working with UW-Green Bay in this new capacity and seeing Phoenix athletes in adidas' world class sports gear.”
#5 – Phoenix Fund Raises Record Total Over One Million
The 2014-15 fiscal year ended with the Green Bay Athletic Department enjoying a record-setting year for the Phoenix Fund with a total of $1,127,485 raised for student-athlete scholarships and program support. The total marked a 33 percent increase from the 2013-14 fiscal year.
The Phoenix Fund is a critical component of Green Bay Athletics, providing resources for scholarships, team travel, equipment, academic support and many other components of a successful Division I athletics program. These dollars directly impact the development of Phoenix student-athletes, putting them in a position to succeed both academically and athletically and ultimately graduate with a degree in the field of their choice. The Phoenix Fund includes all gifts to Athletics, excluding facility gifts.
#6 – Women's Basketball Captures 18th-Straight Conference Championship
On Feb. 25, 2016, the Green Bay women's basketball team secured its 18th straight regular season conference championship when it welcomed then-second place Wright State to the Kress Events Center. The Phoenix outscored the Raiders by 13 points in the second half— holding the visitors to just four points in the fourth quarter— to increase its unprecedented conference title streak, 70-55.
Junior guard Mehryn Kraker led the Phoenix with 16 points, one of five Green Bay players to reach double figures in scoring in the game. Defensively, senior guard Kaili Lukan and the rest of the Phoenix's effort on the Horizon League's all-time leading scorer Kim Demmings proved to be a vital factor. Green Bay limited Demmings to just 2-of-11 from the field and 1-of-9 from beyond the arc on the game, holding Wright State to just 6-of-21 (28.6 percent) from the field after halftime.
#7 – Green Bay Student-Athletes Post 3.0 GPA for 32nd-Straight Semester
In the fall of 2015, student-athletes at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay combined to achieve a department-wide grade point average of 3.33, marking the 32nd-consecutive semester above a 3.0 GPA. The 3.33 GPA was the highest ever recorded during the fall semester in that span.
Additionally, in the fall 2015 semester, 14 of the 16 sport programs at Green Bay achieved a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, while 10 of the 14 achieved a 3.40 or higher. The mark of 3.33 finishes second behind Green Bay's 2015 spring semester (3.36), meaning Phoenix teams posted its two highest GPAs in consecutive semesters during the current streak.
#8 – Green Bay Opens the Kress Events Center in 2007
The Kress Events Center, a $33 million state-of-the-art facility, was completed in November 2007. A crown jewel for the UW-Green Bay campus, the KEC not only services a continually growing body at UW-Green Bay, but houses Green Bay Athletics in a first-class home.
The $33 million project was constructed through a partnership led by students, who committed $15 million through higher fees. The state of Wisconsin provided $7.5 million in taxpayer support contingent upon the University realizing more than $11 million in community donations, with The George F. Kress Foundation of Green Bay providing the lead private gift.
In November of 2015, eight years after opening, the Kress Events Center welcomed its one millionth visitor. Since its grand opening, student fitness and recreation facilities at UW-Green Bay have taken a giant leap forward. In addition, the facility is the home arena to women's basketball and volleyball and serves as a central training hub for virtually all other programs.
In its short history, the Kress has already played host to a number of events, including its first on Nov. 2, 2007— a women's volleyball match against UW-Milwaukee. Later that month, the building hosted its first concert featuring two nationally known bands, Switchfoot and Relient K, and has since held rallies for two presidential candidates: Barack Obama in 2008 and Bernie Sanders in 2016.
#9 –Dick Bennett succeeds Dick Lien as Head Men's Basketball Coach
In March 1985, Green Bay hired head coach Dick Bennett as its new men's basketball coach. Formerly of UW-Stevens Point, Bennett was two years removed from a second-place finish in the NAIA tournament, and his success, philosophy and work ethic were deemed as a great fit to lead the Phoenix by Dan Spielmann, the chair of the search committee.
After a forgettable 5-23 season in his first year, Bennett won 15 and 18 games over the next two seasons, respectively, and local sports writers began to take notice. Soon, Green Bay was drawing an average of 2,800 fans —double the average crowd in 1985-86.
In his fifth season, 1989-90, Bennett and his son, Tony, led the Phoenix to a 24-8 mark, its most wins in over 10 years, while clinching its first-ever Division I postseason bid in the NIT.
Over his final five years, Dick guided Green Bay into the NCAA Tournament three separate times, while defeating Cal, 61-57, on March 17, 1994, marking its first and only win in the Big Dance. Bennett compiled a 187-109 (.632) career record in 10 seasons at the helm, the most ever by a Phoenix head coach in its D-I era. Widely regarding as one of the best coaches in Wisconsin basketball history, Bennett was inducted into the Green Bay Phoenix Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002.
#10 – Green Bay changes its nickname from "Bay Badgers" to "Phoenix"
In May 1970, UW-Green Bay embraced the “Phoenix” as its replacement nickname for the “Bay Badgers,” when students voted in a pick-the-mascot contest run by the school newspaper, the Fourth Estate.
The change came as Green Bay prepared to graduate its first class of seniors and conclude its first year of intercollegiate competition. According to records, students felt it was time to cut the cord with the flagship parent campus in Madison and send the school's first-year sports emblem — a water-skiing Bucky Badger — on permanent vacation.
More than 40 choices were suggested, and due to a fraud vote, “Tomatoes” actually finished first. However, then-editor of the paper Patrick Madden declared the entry had not met the requirements for a “reproducible drawing.” According to a 1992 interview, that spared Madden the agony of having to tell Founding Chancellor Edward Weidner that his beloved institution would have a Fighting Tomato as its mascot, its teams would have tomato-red jerseys, and its fans would rally players with shouts of “C'mon Tomatoes, ketch up!”
Instead, “Phoenix was accepted right away,” says Madden, who went on to a distinguished law career as a Wisconsin circuit court judge. “And there's been no question it has been a great nickname.”
#11 – Tony Bennett has No. 25 retired during halftime ceremony, proposes
On Feb. 18, 1995, Green Bay retired former standout guard Tony Bennett's No. 25 during a halftime ceremony of its 76-56 win over Loyola. The backup point guard for the Charlotte Hornets was able to attend after being ruled out for the season with a foot injury. During the event, the native of New London, Wis., proposed to his girlfriend, Laurel.
The current head coach at the University of Virginia is the Phoenix's all-time leader in points (2,285), assists (601) and three-pointers made (290), while his career 3-point percentage of 49.7 percent from 1988-92 is still a NCAA Division I record.
To this day, Bennett's No. 25 remains the only retired number in Green Bay men's basketball history.
#12 – Green Bay Women's Swimming and Diving wins 1984 NAIA National Championship
Led by NAIA coach of the year Roger Harriman, the Green Bay women's swimming and diving team won the 1984 NAIA national championship held in Arkadelphia, Ark., from March 1-3. The Phoenix had a total of 11 All-Americans and took first in four events, setting then-national records in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays and the 200 and 400 medley relays.
Despite falling to UW-Eau Claire in that season's conference tournament, the Green Bay women edged the second-place Blugolds at nationals, followed by Pacific Lutheran and Simon Fraser. The Phoenix won the title after finishing in sixth place a year earlier in 1983, its first full-season competing at the NAIA level.
#13 – Green Bay downs Wisconsin for the first time in school history
Bryquis Perine scored a career-high 22 points as Green Bay beat No. 20-ranked Wisconsin in overtime, 88-84, on Dec. 9, 2009, in front of a sellout crowd at the Resch Center. It marked the Phoenix's second-straight victory against a top-25 team (No. 11 Butler on Feb. 2, 2009) and just the fourth ever for the Green Bay program.
Green Bay came into the game 0-15 all-time against the Badgers and just 2-32 against Big Ten. However, the Phoenix outplayed the Badgers throughout the evening, as Wisconsin had just four leads during the contest and never had more than a two-point advantage.
Five Phoenix players scored in double figures, as Rahmon Fletcher tallied 18 points, while Randy Berry registered his fifth career double-double, adding 13 points and 12 rebounds. Fellow seniors Troy Cotton and Cordero Barkley chipped in with 15 points and 11 points, respectively.
#14 – Keifer Sykes eclipses 2,000 career points in final game in hometown
Playing his final collegiate game in his hometown, senior Keifer Sykes scored a career-high 36 points on Feb. 26, 2015, in Green Bay's 72-67 win over UIC, becoming the second player in Green Bay men's basketball history to surpass the 2,000-point plateau in his career.
Sykes joined Tony Bennett (1989-92) as the only other Phoenix in the 2,000-point club, while ending his decorated career in sixth place on the Horizon League's all-time scoring list. Additionally, the accomplishment made him the first player in conference history to amass 2,000 points, 400 rebounds and 500 assists.
Sykes went on to earn a spot on the Cleveland Cavaliers' 2015 Summer League roster, averaging 9.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in five games. As of March 2016, he is playing for the Austin Spurs, the NBA D-League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs.
#15 – Kevin Borseth is hired as the head women's basketball coach
Prior to the 1998-99 season, storied Green Bay head coach Carol Hammerle accepted the head position at Northern Illinois University. Her replacement was none other than Kevin Borseth.
In his first stint with the Phoenix from 1998-2007, Green Bay advanced to the postseason in all nine seasons under Borseth's leadership, compiling a 216-62 record including seven trips to the NCAA Tournament. The Phoenix won the regular season conference championship in each of his nine seasons at the helm, beginning a stretch that currently stands at 18.
On April 5, 2012, Green Bay Athletics Director Ken Bothof re-introduced Borseth as the face of the program. The Bessemer, Mich., native returned to the Phoenix after spending the past five seasons as the head coach at the University of Michigan.
On Feb. 19, 2015, Borseth won his 600th game as a head coach after a 87-45 rout over Valparaiso, becoming the 51st coach in women's basketball to reach the milestone. As of March 7, 2016, he has posted 633 in his career.
Borseth has coached some of the most legendary players in program history, including the top two all-time leading scorers, Chari Nordgaard and Nicole Soulis. He also recruited recent standouts Celeste Hoewisch, Kayla Tetschlag and Julie Wojta to Green Bay and coached Hoewisch during her redshirt campaign in 2006-07.
Borseth graduated from Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in business administration.
#16 – Janelle Tomlinson sets Division I record for service aces in three-set match
On Sept. 23, 2001, Green Bay sophomore Janelle Tomlinson (2000-03) recorded 15 service aces against Chicago State, setting the Division I record for most service aces in a three-set match. The following week, she was featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" for her accomplishment. Two other players have since tied the mark.
In 2008-2009, the native of Stratford, Wis., was inducted into the Phoenix Hall of Fame as arguably the most successful volleyball player in Phoenix history. The three-time first-team all-conference performer ranks as the Horizon League's all-time leader in kills (1,954) and aces (260), while topping the school's record books in numerous categories, including career kills per game (4.22) and attack attempts (4850).
In 2003, she earned Horizon League Co-Player of the Year, Horizon League Tournament MVP, AVCA First-Team All-Midwest Region and AVCA honorable mention All-America plaudits, leading the Phoenix to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance against Minnesota.
#17 – Men's Soccer team receives its first bid to NCAA Division I Tournament in 1983
Competing in its third season at the Division I level, the 1983 Green bay men's soccer team finished 15-4-2 under the direction of storied head coach Aldo Santaga. The Phoenix's regular season featured a clean sweep over its fellow in-state rivals, as it took down both the Wisconsin Badgers (W, 2-1) and Milwaukee Panthers (W, 2-0) on the road, while also defeating the Marquette Warriors (W, 2-1) on its home turf. In its third game of the season, Green Bay tied the UCLA Bruins, 1-1, as part of the Great Lakes Classic.
The Phoenix ended on a six-game winning streak, outscoring opponents 24-4 during that span, qualifying for its first NCAA Tournament at the DI level in program history. Despite its ensuing loss to Akron, 7-0, the achievement was historic, as Green Bay has returned just one other time since when it lost 2-1 to No. 19-ranked Notre Dame in 2009.
#18 – Women's Basketball beats first ranked opponent with win over No. 4 Georgia
On Nov. 25, 1991, the Green Bay women's basketball team hosted then-ranked No. 4 Georgia in the second game of the season, pulling off a convincing upset of the Bulldogs, 81-57, at the Phoenix Sports Center. It marked the program's first ever win against a ranked opponent.
The Phoenix were led by Sandra Baerwald who scored a team-high 27 points, while Lisa Wegner added 25 points and 16 rebounds in 33 minutes. Green Bay shot 45.3 percent (29-of-64) as a team, holding Georgia to just 35.4 percent (23-of-65) from the field.
The Phoenix finished the 1991-92 season with a 24-7 record under Carol Hammerle, going a perfect 12-0 in the North Star Conference. It later qualified for the NWIT Tournament in Amarillo, Tex., where it went on to defeat Florida International to win the consolation championship, 72-70.
#19 – Women's Swimming and Diving wins seventh-straight Conference Title
On Feb. 26, 2011, the Green Bay women's swimming and diving team secured its seventh-consecutive Horizon League championship in Cleveland, Ohio, racking up 788.5 points over the four-day meet at the Busbey Natatorium on the campus of Cleveland State.
The Phoenix women finished 103.5 points ahead of second-place Milwaukee to take home their ninth conference title in the last 14 years. In addition to the league title, long-time Green Bay head coach Jim Merner was named Horizon League Women's Swimming Coach the Year, marking his 11th career Coach of the Year award and seventh in as many years.
Current diving coach Tom Stover was named Men's and Women's Diving Coach of the Year for the fifth and sixth times in his career, respectively.
#20 – Ray Willis scores men's basketball record 45 points vs. UW-Parkside
On Feb. 9, 1971, former Phoenix men's basketball star Ray Willis scored 45 points on 21-of-28 shooting from the field against UW-Parkside, which still stands as the highest single-game scoring performance in program history. According to a Press-Gazette clipping, Willis left the game with five minutes remaining telling coach Dave Buss, “it was too easy to score.”
Since then, guard Tony Bennett has come the closest to eclipsing the mark when he put up 44 against Cleveland State on Feb. 11, 1989.
Willis' name still appears in numerous places across the Green Bay record books, most notably for the highest career scoring average (26.8) and fourth in career field-goal percentage (58.3 percent). Following his 1970-71 season, he was named a fifth-team NAIA All-American.
#21 – Green Bay's Alma Mater introduced by three faculty members in 1980-81
In the fall of 1980, Lovell Ives and Robert Bauer of the Music faculty arranged a hymn-like melody — simple to sing and dignified, which eventually became the official Green Bay alma mater. Poet Peter Stambler of the Humanistic Studies faculty provided the words, alluding to the mythical Phoenix bird, the Green Bay mascot. The alma mater was later introduced at May 1981 commencement in a solo performance by choral Prof. Trinidad Chavez.
Click below to hear the entire song performed by Green Bay graduate Greg Muller, who performed it during the mid-year commencement ceremonies on Dec. 14, 2013.
#22 – Mike Kline becomes a player-coach for the men's cross country team, heads the women's team
Mike Kline is currently in his 28th year as the head coach of Green Bay men's and women's cross country teams, but how he landed the job was extremely unique. A native of Luxemburg, Wis., Kline was hired to the coaching position while still a cross country student-athlete in 1987—at 29 years old. From 1988-93, he also served as the girls distance and triple jump coach at Green Bay Southwest High School.
In 1999, Kline was named academic coordinator for the Green Bay athletics program, responsible for conducting grade checks and supervising study tables. Under his direction, student-athlete grades have consistently been on the rise. In the spring of 2003, Green Bay student-athletes posted an athletics department-best 3.25 grade point average, and in 2006 both the men's and women's teams were honored by their respective coaches associations for their efforts in the classroom, as both teams posted cumulative GPAs over 3.30.
One of the university's longest current tenured employees, Kline received special recognition on commencement day of the 2013-14 year, as Chancellor Thomas K. Harden selected him to receive UW-Green Bay's highest community honor – the Chancellor's Award. He became the first active employee in school history to ever receive the award.
#23 – Eric Valentin breaks Guinness World record for half court shots in one minute
On Jan. 14, 2011, Green Bay's 5-foot-4 junior guard Eric Valentin (Oviedo, Fla.) broke the Guinness World Record for most half-court shots made in one minute, draining an unprecedented eight half-courters in 60 seconds. The previous record of seven was held by Charlie Vernon. See below for the complete video of Valentin's record-breaking performance.
Valentin's story doesn't end there, however. Nine months later, on the first day of his senior year, he had a moment that topped them all. After the team's first conditioning session of the fall, then- head coach Brian Wardle surprised Valentin in front of his teammates by offering him the team's last scholarship for the 2011-12 season.
#24 – Green Bay Men's Soccer team defeats No. 1 St. Louis University, 1-0
On October 6, 1973, the Green Bay men's soccer team led by third-year head coach Tom Griffith defeated the No. 1 ranked Saint Louis Billikens, 1-0. Junior forward Rod Czerwonka scored the only goal with 14:52 left in the second half on a header over goalie Chuck Zorumski. The win subsequently vaulted the Phoenix to No. 5 overall in the national rankings.
"The kids did a fantastic job," said Griffith after the game. "Every one of them."
Green Bay would end its season 9-3, falling in the NAIA Area III Championship to Quincy (Ill.) on Nov. 17. Despite not finishing its season with a victory, the Phoenix's success that season helped aid its move to NCAA Division II, where it played at for the next five seasons before its jump to D-I.
Green Bay was led by goalie John Hummel, who recorded a total of seven shutouts that year and whose 0.58 goals-against average still tops the program charts for a single season today. Through 12 games played, the Phoenix allowed just seven goals, while Erich Dietrich led the squad with 23 points and Chris Akiwowo was named an All-American and a part of the Midwest All-Region team.
#25 – Green Bay applies to join NAIA, establishing Athletic Department
In November of 1969, the University applied for membership in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), officially establishing Green Bay's Athletic Department. The men's basketball team trounced Milton College a month later, 99-70, in its first intercollegiate contest. The following April, Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr spoke at the first UW-Green Bay Sports Night honoring men's intercollegiate athletics teams.
#26 – Green Bay Sailing Club Earns No. 1 ranking in the Midwest
In March of 1979, the Green Bay Sailing Club was awarded the No.1 ranking in the Midwest on the basis of its performance during the spring regatta season of the Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association. The group includes member teams from 31 public and private colleges and universities.
After much success as a club, in 1980, the team had its inaugural season and made great strides despite its short existence. The team worked its way up to a national ranking of 15th – ahead of both Harvard and Yale. The team's existence spanned into the 90s, with its final year as an official team coming in the 1991-92 season.
#27– Julie Wojta Named 2nd Team All-American, Drafted by Minnesota Lynx
Appearing in her final season in a Green Bay uniform in 2011-12, senior guard Julie Wojta (Francis Creek, Wis.) saved her best for last, averaging 19.5 points and 9.9 rebounds while leading the Phoenix to a 31-2 record before it fell 65-62 to Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament's Round of 32.
"Green Bay never quits. We fight," said Wojta after her team rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. "We give everything for a full 40 minutes." The senior ended her final collegiate game with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 10 steals in 40 minutes.
At the conclusion of the season, Wojta was named to the second team AP All American Team as well as a member of the John R. Wooden All-American Team, and later went on to be drafted 18th overall in the second round of the WNBA draft by the Minnesota Lynx. She remains the only Phoenix woman ever to be drafted.
#28–Men's Basketball Defeats No. 20 DePaul for First Win over Ranked Team
Amidst his fourth season as the first-ever Green Bay men's basketball coach, Dave Buss led the Phoenix to a 28-4 record. But it was a season-defining game on Feb. 19, 1973, at No. 20 DePaul that helped put Green Bay on the map and helped jump start its tradition.
Jim Bardney scored 18 points on 9-of-17 from the field and Dennis Woelffer added 16 points as Green Bay defeated the Blue Devils, 63-62, marking the program's first-ever win over a ranked opponent and established major college. Although the Phoenix's season would end less than a month later in the NAIA Tournament to Slippery Rock (L, 60-58) the foundation for its future men's basketball programs had already been laid.
#29– Keifer Sykes Named Back-to-Back Horizon League Player of the Year
After averaging a league-best 18.6 points per game, including 19.7 ppg in conference play– Green Bay senior guard Keifer Sykes was named the Horizon League Player of the Year for the second-straight season by the league office on March 2, 2015.
The accomplishment made the 6-foot Chicago native the conference's first back-to-back award winner since Detroit's Rashad Phillips in 2000-01 and just the fifth player in the league's history to win player of the year two or more times. Sykes joined fellow Phoenix great Tony Bennett (1990-91, 1991-92) as the only players in the school's Division I history to be named the Conference Player of the Year multiple times, while taking home Horizon League Player of the Week honors a record 13 times in his career.
Over his four years of eligibility, Sykes tallied 2,038 total points, which ranks second in program history only to Bennett (2,285) and is tied for the sixth most in Horizon League history. With 519 assists and 453 rebounds to his credit, Sykes graduated as the only player in conference history to accumulate 2,000 points, 500-plus assists and 400-plus rebounds.
#30– Volleyball Clinches First-Ever NCAA Tournament Appearance Against Minnesota
The Green Bay volleyball team made history during its 2003 campaign, finishing 23-11 and 10-4 in the Horizon League en route to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in school history, after defeating Milwaukee in five sets, 3-2. Under the direction of head coach Debbie Kirch, the Phoenix went on to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the first round, before falling in straight sets, 3-0.
Green Bay was led by AVCA All-America Honorable Mention honoree Janelle Tomlinson (Stratford, Wis.) and Jessie Theys (Luxemburg, Wis.), who both ended up playing all 133 sets of the season. Over the course of the year Tomlinson set a program record for the most kills in a single season with 620, while Theys ended with the fourth-most at 475. As a result, Leslie Kuhn (Juneau, Wis.) had the most prolific season by a Phoenix setter in program history with 1,702 assists, a mark that has still not come close to being challenged.
#31– Tony Bennett Named Back-to-Back Mid-Continental Player of the Year
As the leading returning scorer for the Phoenix entering 1991-92, senior Tony Bennett led the Phoenix to a 25-5 overall record, including a 14-2 record in the Mid-Con Conference. The six-foot guard averaged 20.2 points per game, shooting 53.4 percentage from the field and 51.1 percent from downtown, capping off his career as most accurate 3-point shooter in Division I history at 49.7 percent, a record that still stands to this day.
The New London native was named the conference Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, and a few months later he was drafted 35th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the second round of the 1992 NBA Draft. Throughout his four-year career in Green Bay, Bennett started 114 out of 118 games played, while helping the Phoenix to an 87-34 overall record (.719) under his father, Dick.
#32– Men's Tennis Clinches Fourth Consecutive Regular-Season Title
The Green Bay men's tennis team clinched the 2015 Horizon League regular season title outright with a 6-1 win over Wright State on April 19, 2015, finishing the season as the only team undefeated in conference play. It marked the Phoenix's fourth consecutive regular-season title.
A week later, Green Bay would go on to defeat No. 2 seed Valparaiso (4-0) at the Horizon League Championship tournament on the campus of Purdue University to earn its eighth-straight match win and a berth to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.
#33– Nicole Soulis Named Back-to-Back Horizon Year Player of the Year
For the sixth time in nine seasons, and the third straight year, the Horizon League Women's Basketball Player of the Year hailed from Green Bay as senior forward Nicole Soulis became the first player in 17 seasons to earn back-to-back league Player of the Year honors.
Playing under current Green Bay head coach Kevin Borseth, Soulis helped the 2007 Phoenix dominate in Horizon League play, as it became the first team in 18 years to go unbeaten in league action and the first in 17 seasons to win the league title by a five-game margin. In 16 league games, Soulis averaged team-bests of 17.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Her blocking and rebounding numbers also aided her inclusion on the Horizon League all-defensive team.
Soulis ended her career as one of the most decorated players in program history, and ranks tied for first with Jeanne Barta in field goals made (740), second all-time in scoring (1,921 points) and scoring average (15.4 ppg), second in blocked shots (166) and third in free throws made (367). She remains the only Green Bay women's player in program annals to win multiple Player of the Year Awards.
#34– Men's Basketball Team Reaches Sweet Sixteen in NIT
Under the direction of head coach Dick Bennett, the 1989-90 Green Bay men's basketball team– then a member of the Mid-Con conference– finished its 24-8 season by clinching a berth in the NIT, where it went on to defeat Southern Illinois in the first round on March 15, 1990, 73-60, marking the program's first and only win in the NIT to this day. The Phoenix were led by Tony Bennett, who averaged a team-high 16.6 points and 5.0 assists per game, while Dean Vander Plas contributed 10.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest.
Although Green Bay would fall in the Sweet Sixteen five days later to Saint Louis, 58-54, the victory began a stretch of six NCAA Tournament appearances in seven years for the Phoenix, which included four NCAA and two NITs from 1989-96 with Bennett and Mike Heideman at the helm.
#35– Men's Basketball begins 1977-78 season on 23-game win streak
Green Bay returned a senior-laden squad and added junior Ron Ripley to begin the 1977-78 season, and proceeded to reel off 23 consecutive wins under head coach Dave Buss, which still stands as the best start in program history, before falling to No. 8-ranked DePaul, 55-49.
The Phoenix led the nation in opponent field-goal percentage, scoring defense, shooting percentage, winning percentage and scoring margin, holding the unanimous No. 1 ranking in Division II all season long. After the season, guard Tom Anderson became the first Green Bay player named a First Team All-American as well as the first player to be drafted into the NBA, after being picked in the 10th round (196th overall) by the Milwaukee Bucks. Buss summed it up by stating it was “the end of an era.”
#36– Lou LeCalsey becomes the first men's soccer coach at Green Bay
After leading his UW-Marinette team in 1968 to the national junior-college soccer championship tournament, Lou LeCalsey was offered the opportunity to be Green Bay's first head soccer coach in 1969.
His team finished 11-2-1, with its losses only to Air Force and UW-Madison. One of his star recruits, Horst Stemke, went on to play for the 1972 U.S. Olympic Team and Ken Hess, a student from New Jersey, became UW-Green Bay's first athlete to receive All-American recognition in soccer.
“We made certain our soccer players were positive role models and ambassadors for UW-Green Bay and for Wisconsin,” recalled LeCalsey. “We only experienced four losses those two years and received a national tournament (NAIA) bid. We introduced the game of soccer to Northeast Wisconsin. We played our 1970 homecoming game against Air Force at an improvised field at Bay Beach. Fans were 7 to 9 people deep, lining the entire field perimeter.”
#37– Resch Center re-establishes attendance record against Wisconsin
Junior Keifer Sykes scored 16 points in both halves en route to a career-high 32 on Nov. 16, 2013, at the Resch Center, however No. 20 Wisconsin (3-0) rallied past Green Bay (1-1) for a 69-66 non-conference victory. With 9,906 fans in attendance, it established a new Resch Center attendance record, which was previously set against the Badgers in 2009 (9,759).
Sparking a 10-1 run out of halftime, Sykes scored eight points to put the Phoenix in front 39-35 just three minutes into the second half. Green Bay's lead increased to seven points at 50-43 when junior Greg Mays converted a three-point play with 11:30 remaining, but Wisconsin would answer on a 17-4 run over the next six minutes to grab a 60-54 lead and hold on for the win.
#38– Women's basketball beats Washington for first-ever NCAA Tournament win
Appleton native Tiffany Mor scored a team-high 15 points in just 16 minutes, and Green Bay had five players score in double figures as it defeated Washington 78-65 in Eugene, Ore., to clinch its first-ever NCAA Tournament win in program history on March 22, 2003.
Led by fifth-year head coach Kevin Borseth, the Phoenix took a seven-point into the break, 36-29, and shot 58.3 percent from the field in the second half to outscore the Huskies over the final 20 minutes, 42-36. Green Bay's defense held Washington to just 38.1 percent shooting on the night, while sinking 22-of-24 from the free-throw line to seal the historic win. Chandra Johnson (13 points), Elizabeth Dudley (12 points), Kristy Loiselle (12 points) and Natalie Yudt (11 points) all eclipsed double figures for the Phoenix in the game.
#39– Kevin Borseth wins his 600th career game
With little resistance throughout the night, Green Bay head women's basketball coach Kevin Borseth led his team past Valparaiso 87-45 on February 19, 2014, to register his 600th career coaching victory in convincing fashion.
With the win, Borseth became just the 51st coach in the history of NCAA women's basketball to reach the 600 win milestone. The Horizon League's all-time winningest coach would later go on to lead the Phoenix to its 17th-straight Horizon League regular season championship. He enters the 2015-16 season with a 169-17 record against conference opponents, good for a .909 winning percentage.
#40– Kayla Tetschlag and Celeste Howeisch share the Horizon League Player of the Year
On the heels of completing its perfect 18-0 conference season for the second time in three years, including a 29-1 record overall, seniors Celeste Hoewisch (Hortonville, Wis.) and Kayla Tetschlag (Sheboygan, Wis.) were named Co-Players of the Year in March 2011.
In addition to being the sixth and seventh Green Bay players named conference Player of the Year, Hoewisch was also named Co-Defensive Player of the Year, a first in program history, while Tetschlag made the All-Defensive Team for the first time in her career.
Against Horizon League opponents in regular-season play, Tetschlag finished averaging 15.9 points and 8.0 rebounds on 57.5 percent shooting, including an 85.5 percent clip from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, Hoewisch averaged 14.2 points and 3.7 assists while shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 78.5 percent from the line.
#41– Sarah Oligney and Quinn Ross named women's soccer first-ever Horizon Year Player and Coach of the Year, respectively
Sarah Oligney was named the Co-Horizon League Player of the Year in 2003, the first such award in Green Bay women's soccer history, after she led the team with 21 points. On top of receiving the league's top player award, Phoenix coach Quinn Ross was named the Coach of the Year that season, which remains a program first.
Oligney went on to win her second Horizon League Player of the Year award outright in 2005, and to this day she is the only Green Bay soccer player ever to win multiple such awards. Tim Dunne (1992), JC Banks (2009) and Tony Walls (2011) were all single Player of the Year winners at one point on the men's side.
#42– Vince Lombardi helps establish men's soccer as school's premiere fall sport
On the advice of the late Vince Lombardi, UW-Green Bay played soccer as its primary fall sport in 1967-68. The legendary Packers coach was an athletics adviser to Chancellor Edward Weidner at the time when the university was charting its athletics future.
Lombardi advised against college football because of its relatively high cost and the likelihood that the university's team would be overshadowed by the Packers, who had repeated as NFL Champions in Super Bowls I and II in 1966 and 1967. Lombardi also believed in soccer's long-term growth potential and the prospects for UWGB success at the highest level of NCAA competition (which proved true).
In the Phoenix's first year of competition in 1969, the team went 11-2-1 under head coach, Lou LeCalsey.
#43 – Green Bay Men's Basketball reaches NCAA Division II National Championship, Finishes 30-2
Green Bay returned a senior-laden squad and added junior Ron Ripley to begin the 1977-78 season, and proceeded to reel off 23 consecutive wins under head coach Dave Buss, which still stands as the best start in program history. All five Phoenix starters led the team in scoring in at least one game during the year, as guards Tom Anderson and Jerry Blackwell teamed up to form one of the most successful backcourt tandems in the country.
Green Bay swept the North Central Regional in the Division II National Tournament and survived the quarterfinal against Lincoln (Mo.) 63-61, as “Phoenix Fever,” a popularly coined phrase at the time, raged across campus and the surrounding area. The team advanced following a 58-43 win over Eastern Illinois in the Final Four, before ultimately bowing out to Cheyney State in the title game, 47-40. The Phoenix led the nation in opponent field-goal percentage, scoring defense, shooting percentage, winning percentage and scoring margin, holding the unanimous No. 1 ranking in Division II all season long.
Following its winningest season in school history, Anderson became the first Green Bay player named to a First Team All-American as well as the first player to be drafted into the NBA, after being picked in the 10th round (196th overall) by the Milwaukee Bucks. Buss summed it up by stating it was “the end of an era.”
#44 – Bayfest introduced to Green Bay community
Founded by longtime university employee Tim Quigley to help raise money for Phoenix athletics, “Bayfest” was introduced to the community for the very first time on the Green Bay campus in June of 1981. It became known as “Northeastern Wisconsin's Largest Food and Music Festival” for 25 years, featuring five entertainment stages, traditional carnival rides, 25 international and local food tents, a Sports Arena featuring bocce ball, cricket, rugby and volleyball and even a “Tot Spot,” which taught the art of balloon sculpting, comedy juggling and stilt walking just to name a few.
In 2005, the festival was discontinued due to declining revenues. “In retrospect, it's a sad occasion,” Quigley told the Press-Gazette. “I've always said that Bayfest (was) to Green Bay what Summerfest is to Milwaukee. It's a great festival. It's a community festival. I'm really proud of it.”
#45 – Green Bay Softball Captures First Regular Season Championship, Garners NCAA Berth
In the 2014 season, the Green Bay softball team captured the first regular season Horizon League championship in program history, finishing the season with an overall record of 27-14 paired with an 11-5 mark in its conference slate. The 27 wins on the season also tied the program record for most victories in one year's time.
During the Horizon League tournament, Green Bay dominated its way to the second tournament title in program history and subsequent NCAA Tournament appearance. The Phoenix hit .451 while holding opponents to an average of just .117. Senior Ashley Nannemann went a perfect 3-0, tossing three complete games with a 0.41 ERA en route to earning all-tournament, all-tournament pitcher and tournament MVP honors. On the other side, opposing pitchers posted a 7.50 ERA against the Phoenix.
#46 – Green Bay Receives First National Ranking in Sailing
Interest in sailing began in 1972 for the newly founded university, as 80-plus students registered to be a member of the Green Bay sailing club. After much success as a club, in 1980, the Green Bay sailing team had its inaugural season and made great strides despite its short existence. The team worked its way up to a national ranking of 15th – ahead of both Harvard and Yale. The team's existence spanned into the 90s, with its final year as an official team coming in the 1991-92 season.
#47 - Santiago Ocariz Named CCSA's Male Athlete of the Year, Collects All-American Honors
On April 5th, 2010, after an impressive 10th-place finish in his fourth NCAA National Skiing Championship, Santiago Ocariz (Spooner, Wis.) was named the Central Collegiate Ski Association's Male Athlete of the Year. Ocariz was the top skier in the CCSA finishing the regular season with 221 points; 69 points ahead of the second skier.
Ocariz earned a spot on the All-American team at the NCAA National Competition, finishing higher than any skier in the history of the Green Bay program. Ocariz was the top collegiate skier at U.S. Nationals in January and finished the season as the top point-getter on the All-CCSA team.
Stats and information courtesy of Ryan Hartwig, former Director of Multimedia Services for Green Bay Athletics
#48 – Men's Soccer Finishes Fourth in all of NCAA Division II
After a 3-6-2 disappointing 1974 season, the Phoenix, led by Hank Eichin, powered to a record of 15-5-0. Green Bay would qualify for the NCAA Division II National Finals held in Seattle after defeating Missouri-St. Louis, 2-1, in the Midwest Region Tournament Championship game.
The 1975 Phoenix squad was led by Nezih Hasanoglu who scored 25 goals and added 15 assists in all 20 games played. Green Bay outscored its opponents 90-40 on the season, highlighted by victories over in-state-rivals Marquette (10-0), Milwaukee (2-1) and Wisconsin (4-1). This marked the first time that a Phoenix program qualified for the NCAA National Finals.
Stats and information courtesy of Tim Quigley, former Sports Information Director for Green Bay Athletics
#49 – Joe Du Chateau Sets 18-Hole Program Record, Posts Back-to-Back Victories
From Sept. 20 to Sept. 28 of 2015, current Green Bay men's golf senior, Joe Du Chateau, won back-to-back tournaments at the UNO Invitational in Nebraska City, Neb., and the Coyote Classic in Dakota Dunes, S.D. Du Chateau won the individual title at the UNO Invitational after posting a total score of four-under par. In Du Chateau's opening round of the UNO Invitational, the native of Fond du Lac, Wis., tied the Green Bay program record for the lowest 18-hole score with a seven-under par 65.
On the final day of the Coyote Classic six days later, Du Chateau sunk a 20-foot birdie putt to force a playoff in the final round. Once in the playoff, it didn't take long for Du Chateau to garner his second tournament title, as the senior sunk another birdie putt on the first playoff hole to clinch the victory.
Stats and information courtesy of Jake Timm, Director of Multimedia Services for Green Bay Athletics
#50 – Aldo Santaga Stadium Named in Honor of Legendary Coach
On Sept. 3, 2005, the home of both Green Bay soccer programs was officially named Aldo Santaga Stadium during alumni weekend. A Phoenix Hall of Fame and Wisconsin Soccer Hall of Fame member, Santaga posted a 148-102-21 record all-time as the skipper of the Green Bay men's soccer program from 1978-91.
Santaga led the Phoenix to NCAA Tournament appearances in 1978 and 1983, while holding four of the top eight winning seasons (in terms of total wins) all-time. The Italian was born in Tripoli, Libya, and came to the United States when he was 22 years old, a move that would eventual lay the foundation to the rise of Green Bay soccer.
Stats and information courtesy of Shelia Blackman, former Assistant Sports Information Director for Green Bay Athletics
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