Women's Gymnastics

Six Inducted Into NCGA Hall of Fame

SAINT PETER, Minn.--Six Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) individuals were inducted into the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Hall of Fame during the NCGA’s annual awards banquet on March 21, which is held in conjunction with the 2025 NCAA Division III National Championship.
 
The inductees included: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Julie Hardtke Sugden and Michaela McCamey-Metropulos; UW-Oshkosh’s Lisa Johns Gorgal, Gustavus Adolphus College’s Jerry Connolly; and Hamline University’s Lindsey Odom Kirklan and Patricia J. Stotzheim.

Sugden was a member of the gymnastics team at Eau Claire from 1981 to 1985 and holds the distinction of being the first Blugold gymnastics national champion. She won the NCGA crown on the balance beam in 1985 and was also named All-American on the vault, beam and in the all-around competition in 1985. She finished ninth on the vault at the national meet in 1984 and was the Wisconsin Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WWIAC) champion in that event in 1982. A three-time Blugold Most Valuable Performer, Sugden was the conference runner-up in the all-around in 1985. She earned the team Most Inspirational award in 1983 and the Hardest Worker award in 1985. Sugden was the Blugolds' most consistent performer each of her four years on the gymnastics team. She was inducted into UW-Eau Claire's Hall of Fame in 1994.
 
McCamey-Metropulos competed at UW-Eau Claire from 2011 to 2014. She became the fourth national champion in UW-Eau Claire's history when she won the balance beam title in 2012. She was a three-time All-American on the beam, earning the honors in 2012, 2013 and 2014. She placed first in the event at nationals in 2012, and third in both 2013 and 2014. Some of her scores on the beam still rank near the top of UWEC's all-time performance lists more than a decade later. She also earned NCGA All-Academic honors during her career.


Gorgal was a three-time All-American for UW-Oshkosh, twice in the floor exercise and once on the balance beam, where she was the national event champion in 1992. Gorgal took fourth in floor in 1992 and second in the same event in 1993. She was also the event champion on the balance beam at the WWIAC meet in both 1991 and 1993. The Titans were the WWIAC champions from 1991-93 during Gorgal's tenure and finished second at the national meet in 1991 and 1993.

Jerry Connolly, a 2017 inductee into the Gustavus Athletics Hall of Fame, started his gymnastics coaching career at Gustavus as a student assistant from 1973-75. He served as an assistant coach to Baker from 1987 to 1991 before taking over as head coach in 1992 following Baker's retirement. As an assistant, Connolly was a part of three NCGA national championship teams (1990, 1991, 1992), and continued the program's dominance upon taking the helm in 1992-93, leading the Gusties to back-to-back national championships in 1993 and 1994 during his first two seasons. 

Through his eight seasons as head coach, Connolly coached 16 gymnastics to 39 All-America honors, three gymnasts to five national event championships, and three to NCGA National Senior Athlete of the Year awards. Connolly was recognized as the 1999 NCGA National Coach of the Year after guiding Gustavus to a second-place finish at the national meet and serving as the meet director for the NCGA championships hosted by Gustavus, the last time the Gusties hosted the national meet on campus. Following his retirement from coaching, Connolly continued to remain involved in the program, serving as an assistant coach to former gymnast and seven-time All-American Katie Kortuem Olson '00 HOF '15 during the 2012-13 season.
 
Lindsey Odom Kirkland was inducted into the Hamline Athletics Hall of Fame twice, once as an individual (2014) and a second time as a member of the Hamline 2000 National Championship Team (2010). She was Hamline's first national all-around champion, and earned the NCGA National Senior Athlete of the Year award in 2000. She was a three-time All-American, once in the all-around competition in 2000, and twice on the uneven bars (1997 and 1998).

Patricia "Patty" Stotzheim was both a gymnast and a coach for Hamline, lettering in gymnastics for three years with the Pipers, participating in every event and helping the team qualify for nationals for three consecutive years. She began coaching at Hamline in the 1994-95 season as an assistant, and was promoted to head coach following her first year. She directed the program for five years, coaching 25 NCGA All-Americans, one NCGA National Senior Athlete of the Year, and one individual national champion on floor. During her tenure, the Pipers consistently finished in the top four at nationals, finished as the 1996 runner-up, and broke all but one of Hamline's individual records. 

Established in 2011, the NCGA Division III Gymnastics Hall of Fame was created to pay tribute and give deserved recognition and honor to outstanding former athletes, coaches and administrators who have shown distinctive and exceptional ability while participating within or supporting Division III gymnastics.
 
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