Posted: Sep 03, 2019

Williamson Among Tiger Hall of Fame Class

Iowa Wesleyan University will induct three members into the Iowa Wesleyan Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, September 28 at 6pm in the Social Hall of the Howe Student Activity Center on campus.

The 2019 inductees honored this year include: Jo (Oberkirsch) Hufker '95 (softball, basketball, volleyball); Men's Basketball Coach Barry Holtgrew (1970-75); and Women's Basketball Coach Steve Williamson '00 (served 13 years as the Head Women's Basketball Coach)

Mount Pleasant, IA: August 23, 2019 - Iowa Wesleyan University will induct three members into the Iowa Wesleyan Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, September 28 at 6pm in the Social Hall of the Howe Student Activity Center on campus.

Jo (Oberkirsch) Hufker was a three-sport student-athlete from 1992-1995. As a freshman, she received the Ms. Hustle Award for volleyball and softball. In 1993, she was awarded the MVP for volleyball, Best Offensive Player in softball, and NAIA All-District 15 for softball. Jo was honored as the MVP, Captain, Offensive Player Award, and a second-time member of NAIA All-District 15 team for softball in 1994. As a senior, she was the Captain for basketball and softball and was again awarded the Offensive Player Award in softball.

In 2006, Jo was inducted into her high school athletic Hall of Fame. In 2019, she was awarded Teacher of the Year at St. Francis of Assisi School, where she teaches PE. She currently holds softball records for career: 1st doubles (46), 1st triples (14), 1st stolen base % (.921), 3rd batting avg. (.420), 3rd Slugging % (.698), 3rd runs scored (122), 3rd RBI's (125), 3rd bases (314), 4th on base % (.473), 5th HR (17), and 8th hits (189). She also holds many season records such as: 1st triples (7), 3rd batting avg. (.459), 4th & 9th slugging %, 6th, 8th, & 10th on base %, 4th RBI's (50), 6th HR (10), most bases (119), and 7th doubles (16).

Coach Barry Holtgrewe was the Iowa Wesleyan men's basketball and baseball coach from 1971-75. He has an overall record of 81-48. Coach Holtgrewe finished his career with a 62% win percentage. With his leadership, the Tigers were Prairie College Conference Champions for four straight years. Holtgrewe had one regional appearance. He earned the Prairie College Conference Coach of the Year all four years at IW.

Coach Steve Williamson is the second most successful coach in one of the most historic programs at IW. He has an overall record of 246-147 with a 62% winning percentage. Coach Williamson is an alum of IW and served as the men's assistant basketball coach, women's basketball head coach, NCAA compliance officer, and the athletic director during his time with the Tigers. Williamson is an eight-time national tournament qualifier, six-time regular-season conference champions, and a five-time conference tournament champion. His teams have been recognized on a national level, finishing the 2009 season as the #14 team in the country and appearing in the "Sweet 16" and "Elite 8" in the National Tournament. Coach Williamson has also guided the Tigers to a USCAA National Tournament runner-up finish during the 2015-2016 season.

Since leaving IW, Coach Williamson has been the Head Women's Basketball Coach at William Penn University. There, he has been awarded the Heart of America Coach of the Year in 2017-18 and 2018-19, led his team to become Heart of America Conference Champions in 2018-19 (the first time in 31 years), had two teams become NAIA National Tournament Qualifiers in 2017-18 and 2018-19, finished the regular season ranked ninth in 2019, coached three All-Americans, and coached one Conference Player of the Year. In his two seasons at William Penn, he holds a record of 53-12 overall and 37-6 in conference.

The annual Alumni Banquet will be held in conjunction with the Athletics Hall of Fame Ceremony during Homecoming weekend on September 27-29. To register for this event or to learn more about the other events during this weekend, click here.

Tiger Athletics: Iowa Wesleyan University strives to provide its student-athletes the opportunity to be successful in life and sports. Engaged in the SLIAC and UMAC Conferences, Tiger athletics is a proud member of NCAA Division III.

STORY COURTESY OF IOWA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION