By: Dakayla Hawkins
LMU Athletics Hall of Fame
Former student-athletes and their families flooded the first floor of University Hall on Saturday, Feb. 17, as the 1:00 pm start time of the 2024 LMU Athletic Hall of Fame induction event was almost underway. Those who attended the event either anticipated getting inducted to the LMU Athletic Hall of Fame, or were ready to watch their family or teammates get inducted.
An introduction speech to the event from emcee Stan Lagana, the voice of the LA Rams and LMU alum, was given moments after everyone took their seats at their assigned tables. This speech prepared everyone to hear the stories of how these inductees got to the level they did to receive this honor.
Before the ceremony started, everyone got up, each table at a time, to grab their meal from the catering provided by the event to complement the afternoon event. After everyone was settled with their food the first induction began to take place.
First on the program to get inducted was Ian Elliott, who was the goalkeeper for the 2007 Men's Water Polo team. Elliott recounted many examples of what that '07 team went through to get themselves to the championship that they worked incredibly hard for. He mostly kept it to the details of the season that mattered most to him. Elliott mentioned that during that season, the University of San Diego was the team to look out for in the conference, and the game against them was the game that they were preparing for for a while. Once that game rolled around, they ended up beating UC San Diego, and that was the highlight of the season for himself and for the team as a whole. Elliott's time to speak then concluded as claps and cheers followed as he then received his award and took a seat.
Next up on the program was Weston Strum, a member of the 2014 Men's Cross Country/Track and Field team. The announcer introduced Strum with many achievements and accolades, but what stood out was that Strum recently qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The track and field/cross country coach at the time, Scott Guerrero, spoke on how he had never witnessed someone as athletic and hard-working as Strum was day in and day out. One thing that is a clear example of this, is that Strum still to this day holds the record for fastest run here at LMU. The topic then shifted to something harder for Strum to touch on, the end of the track and field/cross country program here at LMU. He said that he was glad to be able to ask about it. Strum summed up that he came to LMU because of the athletic program that got him to where he is today, and that he has always had so much pride for LMU. Overall, he is sad to see it go, although he understands that sometimes tough decisions such as this one have to be made, he hopes something can be done about it.
Then on the program we had Hannah Tedrow from 2016 Women's Volleyball. Tedrow was fully transparent and shared that when she was figuring out where she wanted to continue her volleyball career, LMU was not on her radar. The head coach at the time, Tom Black, asked her to come watch the team practice, and she agreed. During her visit she was blown away at the team coaching play style and coaching approaches, along with the feel of the school itself. Then, she made the confident decision to come to LMU "to help grow the program", she said. When she was asked what her all-time favorite memory is, without hesitation, she Tedrow, "beating Stanford." This was the case because she said that there's something to be said for the underdogs to come out victorious and shook everyone that never thought they could win. She now teaches and coaches girls volleyball. Tedrow touched on how she is deeply passionate about shaping the girls she coaches into whatever their greatest potential is.
After Hannah Tedrow, the individual inductions were wrapped up, and now it was time for the teams to get introduced.
Next up on the program was the 2000 Men's Baseball Team. These guys and their families came with energy, when it was announced that they were up next the feel in the room was pure excitement. They stood up with smiles all around and as they high fived each other. Three of their guys got up on the stage to speak for their team. To open their time to talk about this 2000's team, they were asked at the beginning of the season if they knew that they could do something special, one of their players, Scott Walter, immediately said "yes." From there, everyone listening got insight into how much of a tight-knit family they were and as mentioned from one of the guys, Anthony Angel, the nephew of Head Coach Frank Cruz, "it started with our families."
To conclude the event, the 2007 Women's Softball Team was announced. They brought the same electric energy to the room, if not more. These women were elated to tell their 2007 team's story and receive their honor. As they were introduced, many of their accomplishments were named, along with the fact that that team to this day holds the record for most wins in a season. This team has a truly inspiring story. They had next to no funding, and this led to them paying for all their own gear, not having a locker room or weight room, and much more that put them behind many other teams. The women on this stage were prideful for their team and all they experienced together, helping each other stay in good spirits throughout wins and losses. To summarize their best win of that season, they unanimously said, "Beating UCLA." This was another huge moment of being those underdogs that ultimately proved everyone wrong, and for them that was the best feeling.
After the baseball and softball teams celebrated amongst each other, everyone began to get up from their seats and make their way out as the event concluded.
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