Wayland Academy honors inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame inductees
Beaver Dam, WI—On Friday, Oct. 14, Wayland Academy welcomed more than 300 alumni,
former faculty, family members, and supporters to campus for homecoming weekend. The two-day celebration was filled with cheerful reunions, tours of the new girls’ dormitory, and “senior nights” recognizing athletes concluding their final fall sports season.
Day and boarding students geared up for the weekend with a spirit week, complete with dress-up days, a band and choir concert, friendly class competitions, and a pep rally. They crowned their homecoming court on Saturday night before a semi-formal dinner and dance. See the photos here.
But the weekend officially kicked off on Friday, with the induction of 10 alumni, a former faculty member and coach, and an entire track team into Wayland Academy’s new Athletic Hall of Fame. Committee Chair Jim Janik `74 of Scottsdale, AZ led the ceremony, which honored and celebrated the following former Wayland Academy student-athletes and coaches:
Inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame inductees
Sol Wolfe `34
Sol Wolfe earned 16 varsity letters before graduating in 1934. After college he was drafted by the Detroit Lions. Sol returned to Wayland in 1957 to teach, during which time he also coached five sports. His teams earned 14 conference championships and one state championship in swimming. In 1981, Sol was awarded Wayland’s Distinguished Service Citation. The Academy’s swimming facility still bears his name: the Sol Wolfe `34 Pool.
Mick Maier `64 of Middleton, WI accepted the posthumous award on Wolfe’s behalf.
Ray Patterson `40
At Wayland Ray was a multi-letter winner in football, basketball, and track. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he was All-American and captain of the men’s varsity basketball team. Ray was president and general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks and won the NBA championship in 1971. He was president and general manager of the Houston Rockets from 1972-1990, where he was named Executive of the Year of the year in 1977. In 1990, Ray Patterson was awarded Wayland’s Alumni Achievement Award. Today, Wayland’s Head of School residence, Patterson House, is named after this outstanding alum.
Pete Patterson H`12 of Houston, TX accepted the award on behalf of his late father.
Gretchen Trumpf `74 | Long Beach, CA
Gretchen played softball, basketball, field hockey, tennis, volleyball, and was on the swim team and track team. She set a distance swimming record, was the first female athlete on the men’s basketball team and most notably, she was a pitcher and acted as the coach of the girls softball team.
Butch Climmons `82 | Marietta, GA
Butch was an exceptional athlete–playing football, basketball, and baseball while at Wayland. He graduated from Princeton University and was selected to the Second Team All-Ivy League as a running back in 1985. After graduating, Butch coached football at several colleges: Hamilton, Colby, Lehigh, and Boston University. For the last 30 years he’s been teaching and coaching at the high school level: football, wrestling, and track and field.
Mike VanHaren `82 of Sussex, WI accepted the award on his classmate’s behalf.
Kristen Westlake `82 | Beaver Dam, WI
Kristen played tennis and ran cross country and track. In her very first year at Wayland, she broke all the school records for cross country, and in her next two years, she broke local and state records. During her time at Wayland, she was a two-time MVP in track, MVP in cross country, and was voted outstanding female athlete at the state track meet. Kristen received the Kit Mayer Sports Cup at the 1982 commencement. Several of her records still hang in the Wayland Field House and have yet to be broken.
Diane Alpaugh H`83 | Georgetown, DE
From her 40 years of teaching social studies and history; coaching field hockey, softball, and skiing; mentoring; and being the head resident in Warren Cottage–Ms. Alpaugh touched the hearts of hundreds of Wayland Academy students, faculty, and staff. Ms. Alpaugh is an honorary member of the Class of 1983 and became faculty emerita after retiring from Wayland in 2014. She continues to engage with the Academy and remains one of the most beloved members of the Wayland community.
Mikki Hebl `87 | Houston, TX
Mikki attended Wayland during her junior and senior years, and her impact on the Academy was notable. She was a true leader in volleyball, basketball, and softball. In her senior year, the Wayland softball team was the runner-up in small schools for the WISAA State Championship. She was a day student prefect, commuting from Pardeeville, and was recognized as team MVP, captain, and All-Conference. Upon graduation she was awarded the Kit Mayer Cup as the best female athlete of her class.
Gabe Borrud `02 | Germany
Gabe was one of the best under-17 golfers in the nation. At the age of 15, he became the youngest person to ever win the Old Hickory Golf Club Championship. While at Wayland he earned Golf Player of the Year for the Midwest Classic Conference for three consecutive years, and he was also part of the MCC All-Conference First Team in baseball for two years. Gabe received the Wirtz Family Athletic Award at graduation and was the valedictorian for the Class of 2002. He went on to Yale, earning All-Ivy in his freshman and sophomore years.
Kristian Borrud `99 of Beaver Dam accepted the award on behalf of his brother, Gabe.
Terrence Wilson `02 | Skokie, IL
Terrence earned 12 varsity letters at Wayland for football, basketball, baseball, and track and field.
He earned All-Conference honors in football, including setting the school record in rushing yards. In basketball he was the leading scorer as a sophomore on Wayland’s WlSAA state runner-up team in 2000. He was also on the Dean’s List with Hugh O’Brien National Leadership distinction and was a Wayland Hall proctor and prefect.
Anne Rauschert Raisor `11 | Felicity, OH
Anne was a varsity athlete in track and field, basketball, and volleyball during her four years at Wayland–earning her a total of 12 varsity letters. She was MVP for track and field, placing first at conference for high jump and sixth at state for three consecutive years: 2009-2011. During those same years, she was First Team All-Conference in basketball, and was First Team All-Conference for volleyball in 2011. Anne was recognized for her sportsmanship and athleticism, and was awarded the Wirtz Family Athletic Award, the Champion of Character, and the Kit Mayer Trophy.
Ed Apfelbach `83 of Belgium, WI, a Wayland roommate of Anne’s father, accepted the award on her behalf.
The 1983 Boys Track Team
In 1983 the Wayland track and field team had an undefeated season. They took home both the conference and state championships that year, under the direction of coaches Bill Baxter H`83 (Arena, WI) and Chuck Sanborn (Vero Beach, FL). Current Wayland staff member Bill Luebke H`89 (Juneau, WI) supported the team as their athletic trainer.
Of the 34 student-athletes on the team, five returned to Wayland for the induction ceremony:
- Tim Kasper (Capt.) `83—Dubai, U.A.E.
- Bill Kasper `86—Ripon, WI
- Sean Mc Cann `8
4—Key Largo, FL - Jake Werner `84—Clarksville, MD
- Jeff Sanborn `84—Wethersfield, CT
Coach Chuck Sanborn accepted the award on behalf of the team.
About the Athletic Hall of Fame:
Over the course of Wayland Academy’s 167-year history, the soccer fields, tennis courts, softball and baseball diamonds, gymnasium, pool, and field house served as second classrooms where students learned character, honor, and teamwork. These were also places where the Academy earned its spot competing with many of the top schools and colleges in the Midwest.
During the summer of 2021, a group of alumni and trustees came together to remind us of the athletic legacy that Wayland Academy has coveted for decades. The committee quickly got to work, seeking nominations, and organizing the inaugural Hall of Fame induction ceremony held this fall.
The Wayland Academy Athletic Hall of Fame will continue to recognize and honor those men and women who distinguished themselves as outstanding contributors to athletics while at Wayland, and who continue to exemplify the core values of athletics at Wayland Academy—Integrity, Respect, Caring, Gratitude, Passion—in their personal and professional lives.
To learn more about Wayland, including how to nominate someone for the 2023 awards, visit wayland.org/athletic-hall-of-fame.
About Wayland:
Wayland Academy is an independent, coed college preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades nine through 12. Founded in Beaver Dam in 1855, the school’s rich, rigorous academic program features small classes, capstone projects at every grade, an active STEAM program, and an array of AP offerings. The global and welcoming school community brings together students from Wisconsin, across the United States, and from 25 different countries together in an innovative and engaging learning environment.
Article Credit:
Vicki Horstman, Marketing Specialist
