MOORHEAD, Minn. -- MSU Moorhead athletics has announced the 2023 Dragon Athletic Hall of Fame inductees. The individuals and teams selected to be enshrined will be honored on October 13 inside the Comstock Memorial Union Ballroom.
Six individuals and two teams will be inducted into MSUM's hall of greatness with five individuals being selected into the 2023 class specifically. Standout swimmer Ann (Gusewelle) Meyer, who was a part of the 2022 induction class, will officially be honored alongside the 2023 class on October 13.Â
"I am very excited to honor these individuals and teams in October as they enter our athletics Hall of Fame," said MSUM athletic director Chad Markuson. "Each of the six individuals and the two teams selected are still leaving their mark on this department even after their departure as student-athletes. We are excited to honor them as true legends of Dragon athletics."
Individual Inductees
Bill Germann, Wrestling (1966-1969)
Was a stalwart at 130 pounds for the Dragons in the late 60s under legendary head coach Bill Garland...helped lead MSUM to NIC team championships in 1968 and 1969 where he was team captain for the Dragons during the 1969 campaign...took home individual NIC crowns at 130 pounds for three consecutive seasons beginning in 1967 until his senior season...likely would have been a four-time NIC champion at 130 pounds, but the Dragons were snowbound and unable to compete at the NIC meet in 1966...was a two-time NAIA All-American, finishing third in the nation at 130 pounds in 1966 and fourth in 1967.
Alison Nash-Gerlach, Women's Basketball (2006-2010)
Nash-Gerlach commanded the post for the Dragons from 2006-2010, scoring 1,148 career points for head coach
Karla Nelson...in 2009-10, she led the Dragons in points per game (15.6) and rebounds per game (8.1) while also shooting 48 percent from the floor and knocking in a school record 162 free throws...was a two-time All-NSIC First Team selection for the Dragons and was Second Team All-Region as a senior...she was also tabbed for the NSIC All-Defensive Team...still holds the school's all-time record with 16 made free throws in one game against Minnesota Crookston in January 2010...was a part of 79 victories during her time with the Dragons, playing in 118 games total in her career.
Jeff Britten, Football (1986-89)
Was a standout in the trenches for the Dragons in the late 80s, playing tackle...Britten was a Football Gazette All-American in 1989 along with NAIA Second Team All-America honors...was an All-NIC selection as a senior in 1989 where he was also one of the Dragon team captains...helped MSUM finish the 1989 campaign as the seventh-best rushing offense in all of NAIA as the Dragons had the tenth-most potent offense in the country overall...MSUM finished 14th in the final NAIA poll that season...MSUM did not finish below .500 throughout Britten's career as the Dragons won a total of 30 games across his four seasons compared to just 15 losses.
Ann (Gusewelle) Meyer, Swimming and Diving (2006-2010)
Gusewelle was MSUM's first individual swimming All-American as she earned the distinction in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2008 where she finished fifth in the country...she earned her second All-America honor that same season as a member of MSUM's 200-yard medley relay team alongside Barbie Brooks, Karena King and Amy Ronness...in 2009, she repeat as an All-American, this time in the 100-yard breaststroke with a sixth-place finish...she was named the RMAC's Conference Swimmer of the Year in 2010 and still possesses numerous top ten times in MSUM history...Gusewelle still owns the school record in the 100-yard breaststroke with an otherworldly mark of 1:03.12...she also holds the second-fastest 200-yard breaststroke time (2:20.70) and the third-fastest 50-yard breaststroke time (30.37) in MSUM history.
Dustin Long, Football (2005-2007)
Perhaps the most decorated quarterback in program history, Long left his mark in just two seasons in Moorhead...he made an immediate impact on the Dragon program, winning the NSIC's Offensive Newcomer of the Year award in 2006 after passing for 2,525 yards on a 64.9 completion percentage to go along with 20 touchdowns...he was named All-NSIC in 2006 with his passing yardage mark being the best in the conference that season...2007 saw Long continue to blossom for MSU Moorhead as he would take home the NSIC Player of the Year award, throwing for a then NSIC record of 3,223 yards, 34 touchdown passes and a 60.5 completion percentage...the yardage and touchdown marks set single-season school records as Long would go on to also set five more school records in 2007.
Allison Swenson, Women's Basketball (2003-2008)
One of the greats of MSUM women's basketball, Swenson scored 1,446 points in her Dragon career, which still sits as the fifth-most in program history...is still in the top ten in MSUM history in field goals made (516), rebounds (776) and free throws made (380)...was an All-NSIC First Team selection in 2005-06 after leading the Dragons in points per game (14.4) while shooting 51.7 percent from the field and snaring 6.6 rebounds a contest...Swenson was an All-NSICÂ Third Team selection in 2006-07, averaging 11.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game...in 2007-08, she was selected to the All-NSIC Second Team after averaging 14 points and a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game.
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Gallery: (7-26-2023) 2023 Hall of Fame Inductees
Hall of Champions Inductees
1975 Men's Track & Field
Led by head coach Ron Masanz, the 1975 MSU Moorhead track & field team would only continue their dominance over the NIC, winning both the team indoor and outdoor crowns that season...during the indoor slate, MSUM saw Bob Berscheid (1000-yard run), Dwight Carlson (600-yard run), Mike Francis (two mile run), Jim Gravalin (300-yard dash), Bob Jappe (60-yard hurdles) and Ken Scarbrough (long and triple jump) take home conference championships with Jappe's hurdle times becoming new conference records...in the spring, MSUM had NIC champions in Berscheid (880-yard run), Francis (three and six mile runs), Gravalin (220-yard dash), Scarbrough (long and triple jump), Greg Moss (100-yard dash), John Thorvilson (440-yard IH), John Tiemann (mile run), the mile relay and 440-yard relay as Francis and Thorvilson set new NIC records...MSUM swept every regular season meet in which team scores were kept across the indoor and outdoor seasons...the Dragons also had dual meet victories over South Dakota State and Concordia in 1975.Â
2005 Women's Cross Country
Coached by MSUM legend Fred Dahnke, the 2005 women's cross country team took home NSIC championship honors with 50 team points...six Dragons finished in the top 20 of the meet led by Kristin Dolence's time of 22:44.14 to finish fourth overall...Kerry Plath also finished within the top ten with an eighth-place finish following a mark of 23:11.42...Sara Rebenitsch (23:28.51) and Angie Kveene (23:33.66) would finish just outside the top ten at 11th and 12th respectively...Holly Farwell (23:41.26) and Rayne Berndt (24:21.77) would round out the Dragon contingent in the top-20 with 15th and 20th-place finishes...every Dragon that competed at the conference meet that season finished 40th or higher...Dahnke was named the NSIC's Coach of the Year for his efforts.
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