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Hall of Fame Registration Form and Information

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is proud to announce the Hall of Fame Class of 2014. This year, nine individuals will be inducted as part of the 50th anniversary of UW-Whitewater Athletics' Hall of Fame celebration.

Athlete representatives include John Damato, Laura (Hering) Granger, Valerie (Kerkman) Auseth, Andreas Klotz, Todd Lamberty, Lynn (Olsen) Krueger and Rich Straub. Additionally, Bob Berezowitz will be honored under the category of athletic department personnel, and Dennis Salverson will receive the Distinguished Service Award.

Hall of Fame Day Schedule Information: A tailgate, open to all interested in attending (food not included), will take place beginning at 11 a.m. at the Coulthart Pavilion. At halftime of the football game, the 2014 Hall of Fame Class will be introduced on the field. The annual Hall of Fame reception will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the James R. Connor University Center Concourse followed by dinner served at 5:45 p.m. in the Hamilton Center. Reservations must be made by September 22 to attend the event. Banquet tickets cost $25 per person. Please contact Joyce Follis at 262-473-2360 or follisj@charter.net to reserve your seat today!

The nine inductees will be honored at halftime of UW-Whitewater's football game against UW-La Crosse on Oct. 4 and will be recognized at the annual Hall of Fame banquet following the game. More information regarding the halftime celebration and banquet is available at the link above.

John Damato played football for the Warhawks from 1995-1997. The running back helped the team to a Wisconsin State University Conference title in 1997 after writing his name into the Warhawks' record book over the course of a three-year career. A two-time first team All-WSUC honoree (1996 and 1997), Damato was also named First Team All-West Region by the Football Gazette and team MVP his senior season. In 1997, the Warhawks led the league averaging 6.11 yards per rush, led by Damato's 1,474 yards on 195 carries for an average of 7.76 yards per rush, a mark that holds third in the Warhawks' record book for rushing average in a season. He remains second in the UW-Whitewater career record book with an average of 6.35 yards per carry and his career total of 2,852 rushing yards is eighth best in the history of the program. Damato earned a degree in health and physical education and currently teaches fitness and health education at Sussex Hamilton High School in Sussex, Wis., where he is also the head football coach and strength and conditioning coordinator.



Laura (Hering) Granger was a member of the UW-Whitewater softball team from 1996-1999. The four-year letterwinner and ace on the mound compiled the most wins in the history of the league when she graduated with a record of 67-18. That mark still ranks sixth in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference record book and is second in the UW-Whitewater records. She led the Warhawks to two conference titles (1996 and 1999) and three NCAA tournament berths (1996, 1998 and 1999). Granger earned first team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 1998 and 1999 to go along with numerous athletic awards. She was named first team All-Region in 1998, second team All-Region in 1999 and third team All-Region in 1997, and added All-Tournament Team accolades in the 1999 regional. Granger was selected to the All-WIAC teams four times, with first team honors in 1998 and 1999 and honorable mention recognition in 1996 and 1997. She was a team captain in 1998 and 1999 and was also named the team's Pitcher of the Year three seasons (1996, 1997, 1998). When she graduated, Granger held the top marks in the UW-Whitewater record book in season win-loss record (20-4 in 1998), strikeouts in a season (72 in 1998), career wins (67) and career strikeouts (229). Her name can still be found under a number of other categories in the Warhawks' records, including innings pitched in a season, complete games, shutouts in a season, career innings pitched and most innings pitched in a game. Off the field, Granger excelled in the classroom, earning the Chancellor Scholar Athlete Award and the WIAC Scholar Athlete of the Year honor in addition to being named named the Marty van Steenderen Sportswoman of the Year in 1999. She was also named the Sociology Department Junior of the Year in 1998. Granger received her degree in sociology/criminal justice and currently works for Rutabaga Paddlesports in Madison.

Valerie (Kerkman) Auseth played alongside Granger on the Warhawks' softball team from 1996-1999. A four-year letterwinner and first team National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American, Auseth was named the WIAC East Division Player of the Year twice (1998 and 1999) and earned all-conference recognition three seasons (1997, 1998 and 1999). She garnered first team All-Great Lakes Region in 1996 and 1999, third team honors in 1998 and was named to the All-Region Tournament Team in 1999. Auseth helped the team to two Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles (1996 and 1999), two league tournament titles (1996 and 1999) and three NCAA tournament berths. Combined with Granger on the mound, Auseth helped the team to a 41-7 record in 1999, a win mark that has yet to be surpassed in UW-Whitewater softball history. By the time she graduated in 1999, Auseth had re-written the Warhawks' season and career record books. She topped the season list in at bats (153 in 1999), hits (69 in 1999), doubles (15 in 1999) and RBI (48 in 1999). Auseth also had the top marks in the career records in at-bats (536), hits (218), runs (157), runs batted in (125) and career batting average (.407). All of these records are still top 10 marks in the record book today. A team captain in 1999, she was also named the team's Most Valuable Player after earning Top Offensive Player honors in 1998 and the Rookie of the Year Award in 1996. Auseth went on to earn a degree in physical education (K-12) and health education. She is currently a wellness education teacher and department chair at Burlington High School.

Andreas Klotz was a top thrower on the men's track and field team from 1987-1990. As a freshman in 1987, he received the team's Top Thrower Award, an honor he would repeat in 1988 and 1989. He competed in six NCAA Division III Championships, earning All-America honors four times. Outdoors, Klotz was the national runner-up in the discus in 1990 and was fifth in the discus in 1989. Klotz earned two All-America accolades in indoor championships with a third place finish in the shot put in 1990 and a fourth place finish in the same event in 1989. He bested the competition in the 1990 Wisconsin State University Conference Indoor Championship to win the shot put with a toss of 16.78 meters (55-0.75). In 1988, Klotz posted the top marks on the team in the shot put both indoors and outdoors and added the best discus mark during the outdoor season. As a captain in 1989, he was named the team's Most Valuable Player for his performance during the indoor season. Klotz is currently the vice president of sales at Noble Medical, Inc., in Brookfield.



Todd Lamberty, who competed from 1983-86, is the first representative from men's soccer in the UW-Whitewater Athletic Hall of Fame. The goalie recorded 309 career saves, the top mark in the history of UW-Whitewater men's soccer. He received the team's Hustle Award in 1984 as a sophomore, was named a captain as a senior and went on to earn the team's Most Valuable Player Award in 1984 and 1986. Lamberty remains atop the list in multiple season and career record categories at UW-Whitewater, including season marks for fewest goals allowed (nine in 1986) and best save percentage (92.2 percent in 1986). In addition to having the top mark for career saves, Lamberty is still third in the UW-Whitewater record book with 17 career solo shutouts and has the 10th best career save percentage (80.3 percent). He led the Warhawks to their first National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III tournament appearance in program history in 1986, where UW-Whitewater lost a close match with St. John's, 1-0. Lamberty now works as a project superintendent for Tri-North Builders in Madison.



Lynn (Olsen) Krueger earned four letters as a middle hitter on the Warhawk women's volleyball team from 1996-99. Krueger is the only Warhawk in the history of UW-Whitewater athletics to earn three CoSIDA Academic All-America honors during the course of her career. In addition, she was recognized on the Dean's List each of her four years, was a Chancellor Scholar-Athlete, earned the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award in 1999 and received the NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship Award. Her performance on the court is equally impressive. Krueger earned first team All-America honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association and Successful Farming in 1998 and 1999 after leading her team to a conference title in 1998 and league tournament titles both seasons. In 1997, she was a second team AVCA All-America selection after helping the team to the WIAC regular season and tournament championships. She led the Warhawks to four NCAA Division III tournament berths. During her four-year career as a Warhawk, UW-Whitewater compiled a record of 130-22, a winning percentage of 85.5. On November 6, 1999, she posted 15 blocks against UW-River Falls, a mark that has yet to be surpassed in the history of Warhawks Volleyball. When she graduated, Krueger held the top marks in blocks in a season (202 in 1997) and career blocks (613), a career record that still tops the list. Today, her name is still written in the top 10 in numerous categories in the UW-Whitewater record book, including season attack percentage, season blocks and several career categories, including kills, attempts, attack percentage, aces, digs, blocks, number of matches with double figure kills, number of matches with double figure blocks and number of matches with double figure digs. Krueger earned a degree in accounting in 1999 and is now a corporate controller for Midwest Communications, Inc. 

Rich Straub wrestled in three different weight classes throughout his four-year career at UW-Whitewater. Straub led the Warhawks to three conference titles (1989, 1990 and 1991), compiling an individual record of 116-44-1, including 59 by fall. His 44 wins (44-9) in 1992 are the most by a Warhawk wrestler in a season in the history of the program. As a freshman in 1989, Straub took third in the Wisconsin State University Conference at 142 pounds. After moving weight classes, Straub captured the WSUC title at 134 pounds in 1991. His senior season, Straub battled back after losing his first bout of the regional to pin four of his next six opponents and finish second. In the NCAA Division III Championship, Straub, the eighth seed, won his first two bouts before falling to the top seed. He worked his way through the wrestleback and finished fifth, ending his career with a pin of Ithaca's Lenny Bruehwiler in 2:30 to garner All-America honors. Today, Straub's name still holds the top place for wins in a season (44), second for career wins (116), second for career pins (59), fourth for pins in a season (21 in 1992), eighth for most career points (422.75) and 10th for most points in a season (154 in 1992) in the UW-Whitewater record book. Off the mat, Straub was a two-time National Wrestling Coaches Association Academic All-American in 1991 and 1992, the league's Max Sparger Scholar Athlete of the Year recipient in 1992 and a Chancellor Scholar-Athlete. Straub earned his degree in elementary education major is currently a guidance counselor at Arvada West High School in Arvada, Colo. 

Bob Berezowitz was the head coach of the Warhawk football team from 1985-2006. His roots are grounded in Whitewater, beginning with his collegiate athletic career. He was a two-sport athlete from 1963-66 as a catcher for the UW-Whitewater baseball team and quarterback on the Warhawks' football squad. Berezowitz' coaching career began in 1967, when he served as a student assistant for the Warhawks. After a few years at the high school level, Berezowitz returned to Whitewater as the offensive coordinator under Forrest Perkins, his head coach as a player, in 1981. He took over as the head coach at UW-Whitewater in 1985, leading the Warhawks to eight conference titles, five NCAA Division III tournament berths and two national runner-up finishes (2005 and 2006). Over the course of his 22-year career at the helm for UW-Whitewater football, Berezowitz compiled a record of 158-73-4. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1998. His tenure at UW-Whitewater spanned 25 years and included teaching in the Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Coaching Department, as well as facility management responsibilities. In September of 2012, UW-Whitewater renamed the student athletic complex that houses classrooms and coaches offices the Berezowitz Student Athletic Complex. The orginial concept of the SAC was designed by Berezowitz, who was instrumental in the planning and funding for the facility that opened in the fall of 2003. 

Dennis Salverson, the owner of Coyote Grill in Whitewater, Wis., has been a long-time supporter of Warhawk Athletics. During his college years at UW-Whitewater, Salverson was the Chairman of the University Center Activities Board where he helped fundraising for Warhawk Stadium and a member of the homecoming committee in 1966-1968. As a founder and president of the Tipoff Club, charter member of the Dugout Club and a member of the Quarterback Club for over 50 years, Salverson has shown his support for UW-Whitewater athletics both in attendance and in financial support. He is very involved in the local community as a past president of the Whitewater Jacyees', past president of the Whitewater Lions, and former board member of Downtown Whitewater, Inc. Salverson is currently a board member for Whitewater Sno Seekers, Walworth County Tavern League, the current state director of the Tavern League of Wisconsin, a lifetime member of the American Legion and a member of First English Lutheran Church.  It is commonplace to see Salverson in the stands or on the sidelines at a majority of Warhawk events, displaying his dedication, commitment and passion for UW-Whitewater athletics.