NORTHFIELD, Minn. – In conjunction with Carleton College’s Alumni Reunion Weekend activities, six individuals will become the newest members of the ‘C’ Club Hall of Fame. The 50th annual induction ceremony will take place at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 21 in the Weitz Center for Creativity’s Larson Family Meeting Room (room 236).
 
The 2025 induction class includes All-America tennis player John Flygare ’85, football star Todd Kuss ’85, All-America decathlete Steve Burch ’90, two-sport standout Allison Keeley ’90, All-America swimmer Kelly (Hoeschen) Anderson ’00, and basketball star Kyle Beste ’05.
 
The ‘C’ Club was established in 1976 at which time 19 Carleton legends were inducted either as coaches or as athletes. With this year’s additions, 200 individuals and three entire teams have now been selected for the ‘C’ Club Hall of Fame.
 
John Flygare ’85 • Men’s Tennis
John Flygare was a two-time All-American in doubles, a four-time individual conference champion, and a starter for two conference team championships.
 
As a freshman, he was a starter for 1982 Midwest Conference (MWC) team champions. During the conference tournament, he was the MWC champ at No. 6 singles and teamed with Dan Saltzstein to capture the No. 3 doubles crown after rallying from a set down to win 6-7, 7-6, 7-5.
 
The following year, Flygare helped Carleton again claim the Midwest Conference team title. This time, he was the conference champ at No. 4 singles and joined with Rob Fuerst to form the champion No. 1 doubles pairing that won all three matches in straight sets.
 
Carleton transitioned from the Midwest Conference to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) in time for the 1984 campaign, and Flygare continued to find success on the court.
 
As a junior, he set a then-Carleton men’s team record by winning 22 singles matches and paired with David Treichel ’87 to form a top-20 nationally ranked doubles team. They were invited to play at the 1984 NCAA Championships and became the first tandem in school history to earn All-America status. The duo captured another All-America honor again in 1985, becoming the first two players in program history to collect multiple All-America awards.
 
Capping his senior season, Flygare helped Carleton finish sixth in the team competition at the 1985 Division III NCAA Championships, the program’s best-ever showing at Nationals.
 
Todd Kuss ’85 • Football
A four-year starter at linebacker, Todd Kuss collected a pair of All-Conference awards as well as twice earning All-Conference Honorable Mention. He played during the era that saw Carleton switch from the Midwest Conference to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and found success in both leagues. Bob Sullivan, who served as Carleton’s head coach from 1979 to 2000, described Kuss as “the best linebacker I ever coached.”
 
Kuss stepped right into the Carleton lineup as a rookie and had four interceptions for a 1981 squad that posted a 7-2 record and a 6-2 ledger in conference games. That helped him garner All-Midwest Conference Honorable Mention. In 1982, he led the Knights’ defense in tackles as Carleton went 6-2 overall and 4-1 in division play in what would be the team’s final season in the Midwest Conference. Kuss was selected to the All-MWC squad.
 
As Carleton transitioned to the MIAC in 1983, he had little trouble facing the tougher level of competition and was one of six linebackers voted by conference coaches to the All-MIAC squad. The team MVP that fall, Kuss collected a team-high 135 tackles, a figure that still ranks third best in recorded program history, along with three interceptions.
 
He owns two of the top six single-game tackle totals in program annals. His 23 stops during the 1983 game against Macalester are tied for most in recorded team history, and he collected 21 tackles at Gustavus Adolphus three weeks later. Kuss received MIAC Defensive Player of the Week recognition after totaling 13 tackles, two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a sack at Augsburg in the final road game of the season.
 
A team captain in 1984, he received All-MIAC Honorable Mention even though he was injured for a portion of the season. He totaled 97 tackles in only six games, an impressive average of 16.2 stops per game. At season’s end, he received the team’s Lippert Award, which is given to the player who contributes the most to the Carleton football team.
 
Steve Burch ’90 • Men’s Track & Field

Demonstrating his all-around athletic ability, Steve Burch was a four-year letter winner in track & field and twice earned All-America status in the decathlon as he finished eighth at the 1989  NCAA Championships and sixth a year later.
 

He earned All-MIAC recognition three times for indoor track & field: in the 55-meter dash in 1988 and the long jump in both 1989 and 1990. However, Burch truly shined during the outdoor season, where he earned All-MIAC recognition in the decathlon by finishing third at the 1988 MIAC Championships as a sophomore.
 
The following spring brought his first conference title, winning the MIAC decathlon with 6,317 points. That year, he also earned All-MIAC honorable mention for the long jump (fifth place, 6.51 meters) and as part of the third-place 4×400-meter relay that broke what was then a Carleton record with a time of 3:18.64. He also qualified for the finals in the 110-meter hurdles and finished eighth. The 1989 season concluded with Burch’s debut at the NCAA Championships where he placed eighth in the decathlon with 6,296 points.
 
A team captain as a senior, Burch once again collected All-MIAC status for the decathlon in 1989, this time finishing in third place. He advanced to Nationals and made the most of the opportunity, placing sixth overall with 6,390 points. That point total ranked him third in program history at the time, and he still ranks fourth in team annals.
 
Burch was also part of Carleton’s 4×100-meter relay that finished 10th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
 
Burch continued his family’s legacy of athletic success at Carleton, as he is the son of Carole Pushing Burch ’61, the first woman elected (in 1989) to the ‘C’ Club Hall of Fame.
 
Allison Keeley ’90 • Women’s Track & Field, Volleyball

After starring for Carleton’s volleyball and track & field programs, Allison Keeley became an accomplished collegiate coach. She is one of two players in Carleton volleyball history with at least 1,000 assists and 1,000 digs over her career. Keeley collected 11 total All-MIAC or All-Conference Honorable Mention awards for track & field before completing her Carleton career with an 11th-place result in the heptathlon at the 1990 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
 
Keeley finished with 1,497 career assists and 1,370 career digs, totals that ranked second and third, respectively, in recorded school history when she graduated and still rank inside the program’s top ten. As an All-MIAC setter as a senior in 1989, she accumulated 789 assists, the school’s third-highest single-season figure at the time. She also excelled in the service game and still ranks second in program history with 81 aces in 1989 and 227 aces overall.
 

In track & field, Keeley set five new Carleton records: the indoor 300-meter dash and 55-meter hurdles and the outdoor 100-meter hurdles, javelin, and heptathlon.
 
She earned All-MIAC Honorable Mention in four indoor events as a senior, racing on third-place entries for the sprint medley relay and 4×400 relay, in addition to taking fourth in the pentathlon and sixth in the 55-meter hurdles.
 

Keeley earned her first All-Conference Honorable Mention for outdoor track & field by finishing fifth in the heptathlon as a rookie at the 1987 MIAC Championships. She was sixth in the event as a junior and second with 4,200 points as a senior. Keeley was also All-MIAC in 1990 for the javelin (second place at 35.26 meters) and long jump (third place at 5.04 meters). She raced on two All-Conference Honorable Mention relays that spring, helping the Knights take second in the 4×400-meter relay (setting a new Carleton record of 4:01.33) and third in the 4×100-meter relay.
 
Keeley left Carleton as the school record holder in the javelin at 35.59 meters, a distance that still ranks 10th in program history.
 
She capped off her career by finishing 11th in the heptathlon at Nationals. She scored 4,326 points, the second-highest total in school history at the time and a figure that still ranks sixth in program annals.
 

After graduation, Keeley competed with USA Volleyball’s Women’s Open Beach and Women’s Open Indoor teams. She returned to Carleton to assist the women’s track & field teams in 1991, helping Jennifer Streefland take second in the heptathlon at the 1991 NCAA Championships. Keeley was an assistant coach for Carleton volleyball in 1995, launching a collegiate coaching career that has lasted 30 years and included stops at three NCAA Division I programs. At UNLV, she was Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year in 2007 and departed as the winningest coach in program history. She is now the head coach at Kutztown University (NCAA Division II).
 
Kelly (Hoeschen) Anderson ’00 • Women’s Swimming & Diving
The accolades for Kelly (Hoeschen) Anderson’s time in the pool included an All-American award, two trips to the NCAA Championships, three MIAC individual crowns, 12 additional all-conference performances, and leading Carleton to the 2000 MIAC championship, the first team title in program history.
 
She burst onto the scene as a rookie and won both the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke at nearly every dual meet during the 1996-97 season. That was a preview of what was to come as she won her first two conference titles that season, capturing the top spot on the podium at the MIAC Championships for both the 100-yard breaststroke (1:08.54) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:26.46). She also raced on the 400-yard medley relay that placed third and collected All-Conference recognition.
 
The season concluded with Anderson’s first trip to the NCAA Championships, where she earned All-America status with a seventh-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:25.13). She also finished 25th in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:09.32) and 45th in the 200-yard IM (2:21.66). Her 200-yard breaststroke time at Nationals broke the Carleton record and stood for ten more years; she now ranks fourth in program history.
 
She repeated as MIAC champion in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:27.28) at the 1998 conference meet and collected All-MIAC recognition after swimming on third-place entries in the 200-yard medley relay and the 400-yard medley relay, the latter of which established a new Carleton record of 4:08.29. Anderson was also All-Conference Honorable Mention after finishing fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke. She once again qualified for the NCAA Championships and finished 21st overall in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:29.38) and 23rd overall in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:08.82).
 
Her junior campaign saw two more All-MIAC performances as Carleton finished second in the 200-yard medley relay and third in the 400-yard medley relay. She added All-Conference Honorable Mention twice, by finishing fourth in both the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard breaststroke at MIAC Championships.
 
As a senior, Anderson captained the Knights to their first conference team title. She again swam to All-MIAC status as part of the 400-yard medley relay that finished second at the conference meet and the 200-yard medley that placed third. She also received All-Conference Honorable Mention twice, after finishing fourth in both the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke races at the MIAC Championships. At the conclusion of the season, she received the program’s “Special Team” award, voted on by her peers and given annually to the team member who best exemplified the spirit of the team.
 
Kyle Beste ’05 • Men’s Basketball
Kyle Beste is one of the top two-way players in Carleton men’s basketball history, as he is one of only four players in program annals to tally at least 1,000 points, 100 steals, and 50 blocks during his career. At the time of his graduation, Beste ranked third in Carleton history with 1,445 points, fifth with 124 steals, and sixth with 50 blocked shots.
 
Beste was voted to the All-MIAC First Team for both the 2002-03 and 2004-05 campaigns.  He did not miss a game during his four seasons, with his steady play also earning him a MIAC All-First Year team nod in 2001-02, All-MIAC Honorable Mention in 2003-04, and a spot on the MIAC All-Defense squad for 2004-05.
 
The Knights reached the MIAC Playoffs in each of his four seasons. Beste starred even as a freshman, playing in all 26 games during the 2001-02 campaign and placing in the team’s top-five in most statistical categories. He moved into the starting lineup full time in 2002-03 and averaged 14.8 points per game to earn his initial All-MIAC nod. He was second on the Knights with 12.3 points per contest in 2003-04 and collected All-Conference Honorable Mention.
 
As a senior, Beste led Carleton to a 17-10 record, which tied for the most wins in a men’s basketball season since 1952-53. During the 2004-05 campaign, he led the Knights in scoring with 528 points, the seventh-highest recorded single-season total at the time. Beste ranked among the conference’s top 20 in many key categories as he averaged 19.6 points (fourth), 1.67 steals (sixth), 5.3 rebounds (14th), 2.3 assists (16th), and 0.52 blocks (19th). That all-around performance led to Team MVP honors plus a spot on both the All-MIAC First Team and the five-player All-Defensive Team. His distribution helped that year’s squad to a Carleton-record 455 assists.
 

By Maven Navarro

The Pope John Paul II High School girls track and field team won the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Gesa Credit Union State Championships in the 1B Division for the second time in three years.  

 Sophomore Ruby Henry won the 1,600 meter race and the 3,200 meter race for the second year in a row. Senior Ariel Brewer won her second state title in a row in the 800 meters and placed second in the 1,600 meter run, said the high school in announcing the results of the championships held at Zaepfel Stadium in Yakima from May 29-31.

Students from JP II won five of the eight podium spots in the 1,600 meter race with Lily Warne-Mcgraw placing fourth, Adeline Hecht in fifth and Isla Valpiani in eighth.  

The team also fared well in the 3,200 meter race with Hecht placing second, Brewer in third, Valpiani in seventh and Hecht in eight. 

Junior Amy Kondrat placed second in 300 meter hurdles.  In the 4×400 relay,  Hecht, Kondrat, Brewer and Henry placed second overall. In discus, junior Claire Larson took third.  

“It is tough to win one state individual title, let alone repeat as a state champion,” JPII track coach Larry Webber said in a statement. “Their success is a testament to their hard work, strong faith, and encouragement of one another.”  

The boys track team also had two winners, with Sophomore Kevin Hu placing third in the 1,600 meter race and fifth in the 3, 200 meter race. Also, Eric Hu finished seventh in the 1,600 meter run and sixth in the 3,200 meter race.  

“With a commanding performance across distance, hurdles, relays, and field events, the Eagles reaffirmed their place as one of Washington’s most dominant high school track programs,” said Caiti Schmitz, JPII communications director, in a statement.

FIRST TEAM

Skylar Flowers, utility, Cooper City sophomore: Recorded 136 goals, 75 assists, and 48 steals; led team to regional semifinal appearance; 2025 Olympic Development Program Cadet National Team Selection; Junior Olympics 16U All-American.

Aubrey Moen, center, Cooper City freshman: Helped lead Cowboys to 17 victories and a regional quarterfinal win; recorded 107 goals and 25 assists.

Giada Porven, driver, Pembroke Pines Charter junior: Recorded 109 goals, 62 assists and 75 steals; helped lead team to 16 wins and regional semifinal appearance; scored 12 goals in a game; scored eight goals in regional quarterfinal win.

Lynn-Rose Ruiz, driver, Westminster Academy senior: Registered 62 goals, 50 assists and 27 steals; helped lead team to regional quarterfinal win; scored eight goals in a game.

Megan Ruiz, goalie, Westminster Academy sophomore: Finished with 180 saves, 20 assists, 18 steals and three goals; helped lead team to 18 wins and district title.

Marley Scott, center defender, Westminster Academy sophomore: Recorded 106 goals, 31 assists and 100 steals; led team to regional semifinal appearance; scored nine goals in district title win.

Sofia Williamson, utility, St. Thomas Aquinas senior: Recorded 79 goals, 27 assists and 30 steals; helped lead Raiders to 15 wins, district title and regional final appearance.

SECOND TEAM

Isabella Abohasen, driver, Pembroke Pines Charter junior

Sarah Iturralde, utility, Pembroke Pines Charter senior

Mia McDonald, attacker, Cooper City senior

Shayna Schmidt, goalie, St. Thomas Aquinas senior

Sadie Titensor, utility, Stoneman Douglas sophomore

Isabella Volkert, driver, Westminster Academy junior

Cristina Williamson, driver, St. Thomas Aquinas junior

HONORABLE MENTION

Cardinal Gibbons: Valery Foland, Lillian Zinn

Cooper City: Christina Buryk

Flanagan: Karinna Cappa

Pembroke Pines Charter: Emily Arcia, Madison Palmer

South Broward: Ariela Brody, Ayla Kayan, Hannah Onet

Stoneman Douglas: Brittany Bean, Sienna Grayeli

St. Thomas Aquinas: Brie Geary, Meryn McLennan

Western: Rachel Miller

Westminster Academy: Lucia Cercols, Angela Joro, Penelope Scasserra

COACH OF THE YEAR

Daniel Cercols, Westminster Academy: Guided the Lions to 18 wins, district title and regional semifinal appearance. The Lions won all games against opponents from Palm Beach and Broward. “We had 19 players on the team this year for the first time. We’re learning and continuing to build for the future.”

Jun. 11—Water polo is now a fully sanctioned high school sport in the state of Texas.

The University Interscholastic League legislative council voted to remove the “pilot program” label from the organization’s newest sport, which held its first season in 2022 and has continued to see sustained success and growth since then.

Water polo has been particularly fruitful for Houston-area schools. Since its inception, the Foster girls (2022, 2023), the Brazoswood girls (2024), the Brazoswood boys (2022) and the Clear Creek boys (2024) have won five of the six state titles handed out. More than 150 schools across the state compete in water polo, which was first approved as a pilot program in 2019. The last sport added under the UIL umbrella before that was wrestling, which became sanctioned in 1998-99.

Wednesday was a busy day for the UIL athletics committee. The group worked its way through 28 agenda items, most of which were proposals from the public. The proposal to remove water polo as a pilot program came from UIL staff.

The other notable passed item was the expansion of the pilot program that requires three-game series throughout the baseball playoffs leading up to the state championships — unless otherwise agreed on by both teams — to Class 4A and Class 3A. The current pilot program, which was implemented by the legislative council in October 2022, includes only 6A and 5A.

The UIL also passed an amendment to Section 1204 of the constitution, a language reconstruction aimed at clarifying rules regarding scratches and payment to officials to better support schools.

The UIL also passed an amendment that allows its staff to make rules changes to stay in compliance with state law.

THSCA addresses legislation

Texas High School Coaches Association executive director Joe Martin was the first public speaker of the day and addressed some of the challenges that could arise for public education and extracurricular activities across the state of Texas due to the school voucher bill that passed and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on May 3 during the 89th legislative session.

“We were handed some new obstacles to overcome by our governor and our legislators, and we’re going to do what we always do,” said Martin, whose organization had been publicly opposed to the bill. “We’re going to learn how to mitigate those damages, and we’re going to keep UIL activities and athletics the best they are in the United States, and we’ll overcome some of those consequences that were handed down. We walk away from the 89th legislative session without looking like Florida and California and those other states that aspire to be like Texas.”

Martin said that despite the voucher bill passing — along with Senate Bill 401, which allows homeschooled students to participate in UIL activities at the schools they are zoned to — the THSCA was pleased that other legislation did not come to fruition. On that front, he alluded to House Bill 619, which would have allowed students a one-time transfer for athletic purposes. He also alluded to House Bill 126, which passed and will allow Texas colleges to enter into direct “name, image and likeness” (NIL) deals with athletes. The bill did not, however, change the fact that high school students in Texas cannot receive payment from NIL deals. While high school students can enter into NIL agreements after they turn 17 years old, payments cannot be received until after college enrollment.

Flag football still waiting

Despite its surge in popularity, girls flag football remains on the outside looking in for UIL sanctioning.

For the second consecutive legislative session, representatives from the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys came to the podium during Wednesday’s forum, petitioning for the UIL to consider the future of the sport in Texas. During the past three sessions, the UIL athletics committee lobbed girls flag football proposals into the “denied, rejected or took no action” bucket. This time around, the committee changed their tone and labeled the sport’s growth as something it will monitor and study.

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, 14 states have already sanctioned girls flag football (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania), and Louisiana has entered into a two-year pilot program for the sport.

Flag football has certainly seen growth in Houston with school districts like Houston ISD, Fort Bend ISD and Alief ISD all participating in the Texans’ league. The championship games were held last month at the Houston Methodist Training Center.

Not time for shot clock

The addition of a shot clock in Texas high school basketball has spurred plenty of discussion in recent years. But on Wednesday, despite support from the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, it still remains just that — a discussion.

The UIL athletics committee agreed to continue studying the issue, which has long been deterred primarily by its potential costs. The NFHS made a recommendation for states to adopt a shot clock in 2021, and 31 are already using it or plan to use it by the 2026-27 season. Oklahoma is the most recent state to implement the change, voting on its approval in April.

“I can tell you the TABC coaches are in favor of it, and we hope that someday it comes to fruition,” TABC executive director Johnnie Carter said. “I think it’s important for me to tell you how our coaches feel. When we did all our surveys, it was probably 75-25 (percent) in favor of it, and I just hope that we’re able to get this done.”

Passing of the torch

Wednesday’s legislative council session was the final one for former UIL executive director Charles Breithaupt, who held the organization’s top role since 2009 and spent 14 years as the UIL athletic director before that. Breithaupt, who is retiring after five decades of service in public education, handed the reins over to new executive director Jamey Harrison on April 1.

“Dr. Breithaupt, you have left your mark, sir,” Harrison said during his opening remarks. “Job well done. The great things that you have done will continue through this organization for many generations to come.”

Breithaupt responded with praise for Harrison, who has served as the deputy executive director since 2011.

“Dr. Harrison’s been hitting the ground running,” he said. “He’s been doing this for year, folks. He’s not new to the table. He knows how to do this job. He’s going to be phenomenal.”

More proposals

The athletics committee will continue to study the following items.

— Proposal to add girls flag football as a sanctioned activity

— Proposal to add a shot clock for basketball

— Proposal to add a mileage cap for playoff game travel

— Proposal to update the P.E. substitute exception list

— Proposal to add an optional spring training period for water polo

— Proposal to allow college students to coach if they are in an approved program

— Proposal to allow pyrotechnics at contests if overseen by professionals

— Proposal to change the scrimmage rules for soccer

— Proposal to add lacrosse as a sanctioned activity

— Proposal to expand exception from the full-time employee requirement

The athletics committee denied, rejected or took no action on the following items.

— Proposal to add boys volleyball as a sanctioned activity

— Proposal to add Class 3A soccer

— Proposal to require schools to participate in both volleyball and basketball

— Proposal to give home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs to district champions in all sports

— Proposal to allow students participating in off-campus P.E. to still participate in an after-school activity

— Proposal to allow the number of scratches to two

— Proposal to require the use of instant relay in all sports during the playoffs

— Proposal to change the dates of the regional and state tennis tournaments

— Proposal to conduct steroid testing

— Proposal to eliminate the requirement of shirt tails needing to be tucked in during competition

— Proposal to limit coaching disruptions in volleyball

— Proposal to allow varsity eligibility for students who elect programs of choice

— Proposal to add bowling as a sanctioned activity

— Proposal to add gymnastics coaches for the UIL CCP and Concussion Oversight Team

— Proposal to add table tennis as a sanctioned activity

EUGENE, Ore. – Competing in Eugene for a second consecutive week, South Dakota freshman Anna Willis earned National recognition by winning the USATF Under 20 Championship women’s pole vault competition Thursday night.
 
A week after placing fourth at the NCAA Championships with a clearance of 14-6 ¾, Willis cleared 14-3 ¼ to win the U20 Title at Hayward Field Thursday. She was one of two competitors over 14-0 Thursday night.
 
Fellow Coyote Mariah Fenske also competed Thursday, running 11:22.35 in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, placing ninth.
 
One more Coyote will take the track at the U20 Championships this week. Friday night, Berkeley Engelland will run in the 800-meters, scheduled for 7:26 p.m. Central Time (5:26 p.m. Pacific).