University of Dubuque Inducts the 2024 Athletic Hall of Fame Class and Bestows Two Additional Awards

DUBUQUE, Iowa - The University of Dubuque inducted the 2024 Athletic Hall of Fame Class and bestowed two additional awards at the Athletic Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony on Friday, September 6, 2024, in Babka Theatre, Heritage Center. Honorees were also recognized at halftime of the football game against Aurora University.

The newest additions to the Athletic Hall of Fame are the 1995 volleyball team; Margaret "Meggie" (Schmidt) Albeck (C'15), softball, women's basketball, and volleyball; Taylor Blum (C'11, MBA'13), men's basketball; Mark Mashburn (C'08), football and track and field; Rick Valcin (C'15), track and field; and Eric Wolfe (C'14), men's golf. Don Carthel received the Athletic Hall of Distinction Award and Thomas Epperly (C'61) received the Jerry Petitgoue Coach Award.

Since 1989, the Athletic Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony has honored former student-athletes, coaches, and supporters for their outstanding contributions to UD's athletic programs.

ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
1995 Volleyball Team

The 1995 volleyball team had an extraordinary season, achieving a 37-7 overall record and a 10-1 record in the IIAC. Their season accomplishments include being Iowa Conference Regular Season Champions, Tournament Champions, and NCAA Sweet 16 qualifiers. They also recorded the second-most wins in school history and set a school record for blocks. Additionally, the team featured one All-American athlete, three All-Region athletes, and the IIAC Coach of the Year.

By the Numbers

• Wins: 37
• Total Blocks: 732
• Solo Blocks: 344

Head Coach: Connie Bandy Hodge
Coaching Staff: Randall Dolson, David Thielen
Players: Renee (Formhals) Bassett, Jill (VanDerZyl) Beinborn, Sara (Nauman) Blair, Kelly Breitbach, Amy (Meyer) Buss, Jennifer Corwin, Stacy (Haas) Dose, Jennifer Dunlay, Amy (Hilliker) Ebert, Stephanie (Mayer) Edlen, Tina Felderman, Amanda (Dickson) Jushka, Amanda (Kowynia) Lyle, Debra (Young) McDonnell, Ruby Perin, Jill (Tarkett) Richardson, Tonya (Dening) Sparks, Shanna (Wessel) Sperfslage, Danielle Stender

ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
Margaret "Meggie" (Schmidt) Albeck (C'15)

Margaret "Meggie" (Schmidt) Albeck graduated from the University of Dubuque in 2015 with a degree in criminal justice. She found success in multiple sports while at UD, being a three-year member of volleyball and softball and a four-year member of women's basketball. She was a member of the 2014-2015 Iowa Conference Championship Basketball team. She earned All-Iowa Conference in softball (2015: 1st Team/2013: 2nd Team), women's basketball (2014-2015: 2nd Team), and volleyball (2012: Honorable Mention). In total, Meggie has 10 varsity letters from UD.

After graduating from UD, Meggie moved to her home county and began her career as a deputy sheriff at the Rock County Sheriff's Office. She has been selected for the special investigations unit and has received two-unit citations. Meggie has stayed involved with sports through coaching volleyball and basketball. As a volleyball coach, she helped lead her team to a regional championship.

Meggie and her husband, Erik, reside in Janesville, Wisconsin.

By the Numbers

• Softball
• • 4th in Batting Average
  • 5th in Triples
  • 6th in Total Bases
  • 6th in Runs
  • 7th in Slugging Percentage
  • 8th in Hits
• Women's Basketball
• • 3rd in Games Played
  • 5th in 3-Pointers Made
  • 6th in Steals
• Volleyball
  • 6th in Assists

ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
Taylor Blum (C'11, MBA'13)

Taylor Blum graduated from the University of Dubuque in 2011 with a degree in business administration, then received his master of business administration from UD in 2013. During his time at UD, Taylor was a member of the men's basketball team. In his first season with the Spartans, Taylor was an Honorable Mention All-Conference selection. In the next three consecutive years, he was named First Team All-Conference. Taylor was also named UD's Most Valuable Player three times and led the Iowa Conference in scoring in the 2009-2010 season at 22.7 points per game.

After graduating from UD, Taylor stayed involved in sports. He was a two-time national champion basketball coach at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was also a two-time CoSIDA and CSC national champion for his work as the athletics communications director at Kirkwood. Additionally, Taylor spent time assisting in the development and training of numerous NBA players, future NBA draft picks, foreign professionals, and college and high school All-Americans for three years while working at IMPACT Training Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Taylor and his wife, Belén, reside in Salt Lake City, Utah, with their son, Dominic.

By the Numbers

• 3x 1st Team All-Conference
• Career Ranks
• • 2nd in Free Throw Percentage
  • 3rd in Free Throws Made
  • 4th in 3-Points Made
  • 7th in Points
  • 7th in 3-Point Percentage
• School Record for Single Season Free Throw Percentage
• Conference Record in Free Throw Percentage
• Over 1,500 Career Points Scored

ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
Mark Mashburn (C'08)

Mark Mashburn graduated from the University of Dubuque in 2008 with a degree in sociology and criminal justice with a minor in psychology. He was on the football team for four years, serving as captain for two seasons, and participated in indoor track for one year. Mark earned UD's Defensive Most Valuable Player and Player of the Year two times and earned the Top Rock (Hardest Hitter) Award two times.

After graduating from UD, Mark played for the Madison Mustangs. He also played professionally for the Chicago Rush, Wisconsin Wolfpack, and Milwaukee Iron. Mark earned all-league three times in Semi-Pro All-America with the Madison Mustangs, and he is the franchise record holder for longest punt and kick return for touchdowns, as well as most punt and kick returns for touchdowns. He earned Defensive MVP two times and Special Teams MVP three times.

Mark married his college sweetheart, Jessica (McCullor) Mashburn (Ex'10). Together they own a successful business, lead a thriving ministry, and are founders of a homeschool community.

Mark and Jessica reside in Rhome, Texas, and have three children, Zandra, Honor, and Maverick.

By the Numbers

• 1x All-American
• 2x All-Region
• 2x 1st Team All-Conference
• 2x NCAA Statistical Champion (Total and Solo Tackles)
• Academic All-District
• Career Ranks
• • 2nd in Tackles
• Top-10 in all of Division III for Tackles
• School Record Single Season Tackles
• Led Division III in Tackles in 2006 and Runner-up in 2007

ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
Rick Valcin (C'15)

Rick Valcin graduated from the University of Dubuque in 2015 with a degree in sport marketing and management. As a student-athlete, he made significant contributions to the university's track and field team. Throughout his collegiate athletic career, Rick excelled, setting the school records for both indoor and outdoor pole vault in 2014 during the Outdoor Track and Field Championship meet in Delaware, Ohio.

In 2014, Rick achieved his personal best in pole vault, clearing a height of 5.20 meters at the St. Lucia National Championships. That summer, he represented his country in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, and later competed in the Central American and Caribbean Games (CACG) in Veracruz, Mexico, hosted by the Central American and Caribbean Sports Organization (CACSO).

Rick is the owner of Quality Seamless Gutters in Dubuque, Iowa. He and his wife, Nadyah, are proud parents of four children, Lauren, Laurence, Vivian, and Kaiden.

By the Numbers

• 2014 NCAA Champion - Outdoor Pole Vault
• 2x All-American
• School Record: Indoor and Outdoor Pole Vault
• IIAC/A-R-C Outdoor Championships Record - Pole Vault
• 10x All-Conference
  • 4 First-Place Finishes

ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
Eric Wolfe (C'14)

Eric Wolfe graduated from the University of Dubuque in 2014 with a degree in business administration. During his time at UD, he found success as a key member of the golf program. In his senior year, Eric was named conference champion and was a member of the 2014 IIAC Championship Team. In April 2014, he was named Iowa Conference Male Athlete of the Week and Men's Golfer of the Week after shooting hot back-to-back 70's in the first two rounds of the IIAC Men's Golf Championships.

After graduating from UD, Eric stayed involved with the UD golf program, serving as head coach during the 2015-2016 season. He also became a two-time Iowa Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA) Assistant Champion in 2015 and 2016. Eric also worked as a golf professional at Thunder Hills Country Club in Dubuque, Iowa. Since 2017, Eric has been managing operations at S&K Packaging in East Dubuque, Illinois, and enjoys visiting the golf courses as much as possible.

Eric and his wife, Candace, reside in Dubuque, Iowa, and have one daughter, Ayla.

By the Numbers

• Iowa Conference Champion in 2014
• 2014 IIAC MVP
• 4x All-Conference
• • 5th Freshman Year
  • 7th Sophomore Year
  • 7th Junior Year

ATHLETIC HALL OF DISTINCTION AWARD
Don Carthel

In 1975, Don Carthel began his coaching career at Floydada High School in Floydada, Texas. Two years later, in 1977, Don began coaching at the University of Dubuque. He served as the defensive coordinator for the 1977, 1978, and 1979 football teams. Additionally, he was the head men's and woman's track coach during the 1978, 1979, and 1980 seasons.

During his time coaching football, Don helped lead the 1978 and 1979 teams to the Conference Championship title and the number one defense in the Iowa Conference. He assisted in guiding the UD football program to their first nine-win season, leading UD to the first playoff game in school history in 1979 and ranked number three in the country. Under Don's guidance, the Spartan defense allowed only 67 total points in the entire 1979 regular season. Don coached three UD Athletic Hall of Fame defensive players, two defensive first team All-Americans, and 17 All-Iowa Conference defensive players.

Don's coaching career continued at various schools in Texas and New Mexico. He helped lead West Texas A&M to the NCAA Playoffs for eight consecutive years from 2005-2013. He was head coach of the Amarillo Dusters and lead them to the Arena Football Championship in 2004. Throughout his career, Don established a NCAA Division II head coaching record of 124-69-1.

Additional coaching honors include the Eastern New Mexico University Hall of Honors in 2001, the 2007 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region Four Coach of the Year, and Texas Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. He holds the title of West Texas A&M University's All-Time Winningest Coach.

Don and his wife, Cindy, reside in Amarillo, Texas, and have two children, Colby and Courtney. In 2013, Don began serving as a volunteer coach on Colby's staff at Texas A&M Commerce, where they won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2017. The father-son duo continues to coach together at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.

JERRY PETITGOUE COACH AWARD
Thomas "Tom" Epperly (C'61)

Thomas "Tom" Epperly graduated from the University of Dubuque in 1961 with a degree in physical education and health. He participated in football, basketball, and track.

After graduating from UD, Tom began his 33-year coaching career. Between 1962-1982, Tom taught and coached football and track for two school districts, Hubbard High School in Hubbard, Iowa, and later Eddyville High School in Eddyville, Illinois. He coached his teams to winning seasons with no losses. In high school track, he built up a team from only 10 participants to a winning team involving 30 young athletes. Tom began his collegiate coaching career at William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa, where he coached for two years. In 1982, Tom transferred to Central College in Pella, Iowa, where he spent the majority of his coaching career. He served on the coaching staff for football team, which made appearances at the national playoff level. He also served as the assistant men's track and field coach before becoming head coach in 1986. Tom retired in 1996 from coaching track, and even in retirement, he continued to stay active with athletics.

Tom became a member of the Iowa Association of Track Coaches Hall of Fame in 1984. In addition to coaching, Tom began officiating track in 1991 and has worked the Drake Relays, the Big 12 and Big 10 Conference Indoor Championships, the Iowa Conference Championships, Iowa boys' and girls' state high school meets, and the NCAA Division I cross country championship and Division III outdoor track and field meet.

Tom is married to his college sweetheart, Elizabeth (Collisson) Epperly (C'61). They reside in Pella, Iowa, and have two daughters and four grandchildren.

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