USI announces 2008
Hall of Fame class
The Class of 2008 (L-R): Ruth
Waller, LeAnn Freeland, Chris Bowles,
Stephen Jackson, Sheri Kaiser Scott, and Todd Niemeier
(Bruce Pearl was unable to attend the induction ceremony.)
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Southern Indiana Department
of Athletics is pleased to announce the selection of the 2008 class of the
USI Athletic Hall of Fame that was inducted during homecoming week in
February. The class of seven individuals was selected by a 10-member USI
Athletic Hall of Fame Committee.
Any Eagles fan was eligible to nominate student athletes or teams on the
10th anniversary of their last season of competition or a
coach/administrator who has been separated from the Department of Athletics
for two years. Special individuals (e.g., Varsity Club members) were
eligible for nominations.
This year's class includes Chris Bowles (Men's Basketball 1990-94),
LeAnn Freeland (Women's Basketball 1993-97), Stephen Jackson
(Men's Basketball 1983-87), Sheri Kaiser Scott (Volleyball/Women's
Basketball 1990-93), Todd Niemeier (Baseball 1992-95), Bruce Pearl
(Men's Basketball Head Coach 1992-2001), and Ruth Waller (Women's
Basketball, Softball, Tennis, Cheerleading Head Coach 1976-1985).
"The class of 2008 continues to show the strong athletic history USI has
established," said USI Director of Athletics Jon Mark Hall. "Each
member of this class made significant impacts on their respective team and
distinguished themselves as a student athlete or coach."
2008 CLASS OF USI ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
Chris Bowles, Men's Basketball: Chris Bowles '94 was USI's first
Player of the Year for Division II Basketball. He was named All-American
three times, All-Region four times, and All-GLVC four times. Bowles also was
named GLVC Player of the Year in 1994, GLVC Newcomer of the Year in 1991,
and the NCAA II Great Lakes Regional Most Outstanding Player in 1994. After
his final game in the 1994 NCAA II Tournament Championship game, Bowles
ranked number two in scoring and first in rebounding at USI. He also ranked
in the top five in games played, field goals made, free throws made, and
blocks. He also holds the single game scoring record of 45 points on the
road at Northern Kentucky University. After leaving USI, Bowles played
extensively as a professional in Europe and South America. Currently, Bowles
is an ADTP counselor for at-risk kids in the Hopkins County School District
in Kentucky.
LeAnn Freeland, Women's Basketball: LeAnn Freeland '97 is one of the
most decorated female student athletes in USI history and was one of only
twenty nominees for the NCAA Division II 25th Silver Anniversary Team.
Freeland was a three-time Women's Basketball Coaches Association/Kodak
All-American and was named College Sports National Player of the Year as a
sophomore. In 1997, she led the USI women's basketball team to the NCAA
National Championship game. She was the first USI athlete to be named
Academic All-American twice by the College Sports Information Directors of
America and was the first USI athlete to be awarded a prestigious NCAA
Postgraduate Scholarship, which she used at USI. This year, Freeland became
the head women's basketball coach at the University of Indianapolis.
Stephen Jackson, Men's Basketball: Stephen Jackson '95 is USI's
all-time leading scorer with 2,216 career points and is only one of two
Eagles to score over 2,000 career points. He still is the USI all-time
leader in field goals made and holds the season record for field goals made.
Jackson was the GLVC Player of the Year in 1985; was the Newcomer of the
Year in 1983; was named All-Great Lakes Region three times; and earned
All-GLVC honors three times. Jackson is currently in sales at Ft. Wayne
(Indiana) Lincoln Mercury.
Sheri Kaiser Scott , Volleyball/Women's Basketball: Sheri Kaiser
Scott '94was USI's first Academic All-American, earning third team honors in
1993 and also was named GLVC Player of the Year in 1992 and 1993. She
finished her career holding the all-time volleyball records for kills, solo
blocks, and block assists. Kaiser still holds the career blocks records and
the USI single-match record for kills and block assists, as well as the
single season record for kills. She was named All-Great Lakes Region in
1993, All-GLVC in 1992 and 1993, and Academic All-GLVC in 1991, 1992, and
1993. Kaiser also was a member of the USI women's basketball team from
1990-93. Kaiser is a payroll implementation manager of ADP in Louisville,
Kentucky.
Todd Niemeier, Baseball: Todd Niemeier '95 is USI's all-time leader
in wins (25) and was a two-time preseason All-American, a three-time
All-Region and a four-time All-GLVC selection. He also was Academic All-GLVC
three straight years. He holds the all-time record for innings pitched and
is tied for the season record for wins. The left-handed hurler also ranks
second all-time in strikeouts and winning percentage; fifth in appearances;
and fourth in complete games. Niemeier was a member of the USI baseball
teams that made three NCAA II Tournament appearances, won the GLVC title in
1993, and won 40 or more games twice. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners
in 1996 and later went to Indiana University Medical School, becoming an
optometrist in Evansville.
Bruce Pearl, Men's Basketball: Bruce Pearl helped put USI into the
national spotlight by leading the Eagles to the national championship in
1995 and the finals in 1994. The winningest coach in the history of men's
basketball with 231 wins never had a team with less than 20 wins and made
nine NCAA II Tournament appearances. USI also was ranked NUMBER ONE
nationally for the first time under his tenure as was ranked in the top spot
during five different years. He has gone on to have success in Division I at
the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Tennessee. In
addition to his coaching duties, he laid the foundation for athletics
department fundraising and community awareness.
Ruth Waller, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Tennis: Ruth
Waller was instrumental in the birth of women's athletics at USI. Waller
coached the women's basketball team for nine of the first 10 years, when
women's college basketball was in its infancy. She began the USI softball
program, coaching the squad for 10 years and posting 100 victories. During
her tenure as softball coach, USI was a major force in the Association for
Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, the predecessor to women's athletics in
the NCAA. In this association, USI was on the same level as many of
Indiana's Division I programs. Waller also was the first women's tennis
coach. She has gone on to build one of the strongest intramural programs of
all the Indiana state institutions, servicing more than 3,500 students each
year.
