Quincy University will induct seven individuals and two teams into the Sports Hall of Fame at an honorary brunch on Saturday, March 26, 2022, at 9:30 a.m. The brunch will be held in the Hall of Fame Room located in QU’s Health and Fitness Center (20th & Oak).
2022 Individual Inductees are:
A 5’7” guard and two-sport athlete, Jennifer Niemira Lawlor ’95, came to Quincy from Cor Jesu Academy in St. Louis, Mo. Lawlor played for three years on the Women’s Basketball team. Despite an injury, she finished her basketball career with 105 assists, 218 rebounds and 608 career points, making it on the Top 20 Lady Hawk Basketball All-Time Scoring List at 19 point average.
Starting her softball career as a shortstop, she batted .397, 13 doubles and knocked in 49 runs her freshman year, and continued her momentum into the 1994 season with a nine-game hitting streak. Following a finger injury, Lawlor was moved to second base her junior year, shattering the QU softball records for most doubles and RBIs in a season. Lawlor broke the Lady Hawk Softball Career RBI record and finished as fourth in batting average at .361, second in hits with 194, third in triples with 20, first in doubles with 35, first in RBIs with 141, and first in sacrifice flies with 12.
Jill Unnerstall McNeil ’03 came to QU from St. Francis Borgia High School in Washington, Mo., and was a contender for the GLVC Conference Freshman of the Year award. She averaged 9.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, a team-high 50 steals, and 7 double-doubles her sophomore year and was the first-ever First Team GLVC Conference selection averaging 15.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game her junior year. As a senior, she joined the 1000-Point Club and averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds per game, finishing the season with 10 double-doubles while leading the team to their first NCAA D2 Tournament appearance and a 25-8 record before losing their quarterfinal game to No. 5 Northern Kentucky. She was the Quincy Honda/QU Hawk player of the month, two–time GLVC Player of the Week, 2003 Mart Heinen Award Winner, and named to the All-GLVC Second Team. She was eighth in the conference in scoring and fourth in rebounding.
James Milkert ’02 came to QU from York Community High School near Aurora, IL. His freshman year, Milkert led the team to a 2nd place finish and a spot on the six-man QU Invitational All-Tournament Team. Milkert continued to lead the team with assists during his sophomore and junior seasons, despite suffering from a life-threatening and rare genetic immunodeficiency disorder, CVID. He pushed the team to national recognition in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Top 15 Poll, ending his junior season with 1510 assists. As senior team captain and setter, he guided the team to the MIVA Quarterfinals, losing to fourth seed Lewis University. Milkert was named to the Clarke College Men’s Volleyball Challenge All-Tournament Team (2000), MIVA All-Conference Honorable Mention (2000), and 2002 MIVA All-Conference team, and finished fifth in the MIVA in assists per game and second in service aces per game. He finished as QU’s all-time assist leader with over 3900 assists in his four-year career.
Kyle Pryor ’00 was the starting catcher and clean-up hitter for the baseball team during his two years at Quincy University. Pryor transferred to Quincy University after earning All-American honors at John Wood Community College. Pryor exhibited stellar defense, making only one error in his QU career. He and backstop Darren Perdun formed the most formidable catching duo in NCAA Division II baseball. The Easton Sporting Goods honored Pryor as the top defensive player at any position in all DII baseball, garnering the NCAA Division II Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1999. He helped lead the Hawks to the winningest season in school history, 43-13 in 1999. During his two-year career at QU, Pryor threw out 35% of all base runners and had a .324 batting average, 18 home runs, 110 RBIs, 108 runs, 23 doubles, 4 triples and 67 walks.
Ed Grelle,’76, a 6’8” center from Rosary High School in St. Louis, developed quickly at QU, playing varsity as a freshman, and established himself as a complete player. Often called “Easy Ed” because of his team-oriented demeanor, Grelle became a Christmas All-Tourney Member, All-District NAIA and team captain for two years. Grelle was an 84% career free-throw shooter and finished thirteenth on the all-time scoring category at QU. Grelle holds a school record for most fouls per game (4.2) over a season and averaged 7.9 rebounds per game. He fouled out in several minutes against Illinois Wesleyan while guarding future NBA star Jack Sikma. Grelle scored a career-high 33 points against Milliken University during his senior year and finished his QU career with 1386 points and 721 rebounds.
2022 Team Inductees are:
Coached by Roger Francour, the 1966 Bowling team is the most successful in the university’s history, placing second in the NAIA National Bowling Tournament held in Kansas City, Mo., May 1966. The two-day tournament involved the top eight teams from the eight NAIA areas in the country. Quincy moved from fourth to second place in the final game, finishing with a 10-5 record and 15,589 pins. John Kolodziej, averaged a score of 191 during the event, making him the second-highest individual scorer in the tournament, paced the Hawks.
The 1999 baseball team, coached by Pat Atwell, holds the university record with 43 wins and a national ranking of #3. The team went on an 18-week winning streak that season and won the Great Lakes Valley regular-season championship with a 22-3 league record that included a 17-0 start to the league season. The 1999 team won 39 of their first 43 games. The 1999 team includes professional baseball players, Quincy University Hall of Famers, All Americans, All-Region and All-Conference players.
2022 Meritorious Inductees are:
Harold and Gerald Mast have mastered the art of volunteering. Because they felt it was the right thing to do for more than five decades, these twin brothers have given their time and talent to the Mart Heinen Club, QU athletics, and Quincy Notre Dame High School. Both men also received the Quincy Exchange Club Golden Deeds award – Gerald “Jerry” in 2008 and Harold in 2020. Together they have 107 years of service, making Quincy a safe, comfortable and enjoyable place to live and enjoy local sports. Rain or shine, their unselfish giving, from taking event tickets to parking cars to selling concessions, has kept local sporting events a great tradition in Quincy. Additionally, Gerald volunteers for the American Red Cross adaptive aquatics program at QU and has worked with local Boy Scout organizations since 1968.
Tickets are available at $25 per person, and reservations are required. Children 10 and under are $10. For more information, contact Quincy University Alumni Services at 217-228-5226 or register online at https://ift.tt/MhBve3D.
Founded in 1860 by Franciscan friars, Quincy University is a small Catholic university emphasizing the sciences, liberal arts and the professions. Quincy University offers undergraduate, graduate and adult education programs integrating practical experience and Franciscan values. Faculty and advisors work with students to design customized success plans to help them graduate on time, find their passion and prepare them for life. QU is a member of NCAA Division II for intercollegiate athletics. For more information, please visit www.quincy.edu or contact the Office of Community Relations at (217) 228-5275 or communityrelations@quincy.edu. Quincy University. Success by Design.
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