General

UW-Eau Claire To Add Six To Hall of Fame

**Release courtesy of UW-Eau Claire Sports Information

EAU CLAIRE, Wis.--The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugold Hall of Fame Class of 2025 features six standout athletes whose careers span five different sports and more than a decade of Blugold history. Together, they include four All-Americans, six first-team All-Conference performers, three conference Scholar-Athletes, and multiple record-holders still etched in the Blugold books. Between them, they have gone on to successful professional careers in medicine, therapy, education, construction, and business.

The new inductees are men's golfer Mark Christensen, football standouts Austin Crow and Chad Hoiska, volleyball setter Rhonda (Endres) Reis, track & field hurdler Elizabeth Faller, and women's soccer forward Maria (Iaizzo) Garrity. This marks the 52nd year of the Blugold Hall of Fame and the 36th class of women's inductees. With the addition of this year's class, a total of 271 athletes, coaches, and administrators have been enshrined since Ade Olson and Bill Zorn became the charter members in 1973.

The class will be inducted during Homecoming weekend with an on-campus ceremony Friday, October 3, and will be introduced at halftime of the Blugold football game versus UW-Stout on Saturday, October 4.

The Blugold Hall of Fame was established to pay tribute, to give deserved recognition, and to enhance school tradition by honoring former athletic letterwinners, coaches, or administrators who demonstrated distinctive, unique, or exceptional ability while on the campus at Eau Claire — and who have distinguished themselves in their profession or personally since leaving the institution. Athletes must wait 15 years after their final season of eligibility to be considered for induction. This year's class and ceremony is presented by Chippewa Valley Sporting Goods

MARK CHRISTENSEN
Men's Golf (2001–2004)
A two-time NCAA All-American, Mark Christensen was the leader of two NCAA tournament teams, helping the Blugolds finish fourth in the nation in 2002 and 10th in 2003. Individually, he placed 13th and 10th at the NCAA Championships during those seasons and graduated with the second-lowest career scoring average in program history. Christensen was later named to the WIAC All-Centennial Team in 2012.
After his playing career, he began as a golf course representative at Wynn Resort in Las Vegas before moving into project management in construction. He is a father of two children.

AUSTIN CROW
Football (2000–2003)
One of the most decorated linebackers in Blugold football history, Asutin Crow was a two-time first-team All-Conference selection, a two-time Linebacker of the Year, and the team captain and defensive MVP in 2003. He earned All-Region honors twice and D3football.com All-America honorable mention recognition in 2001. Academically, he was a two-time Academic All-District honoree, the 2003 WIAC Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete, and a Blugold Super Six Award winner.
Crow's 22.5 career sacks still rank second in school history. Since 2014, he has served the Chippewa Valley as an orthopedic surgeon and president/owner of Chippewa Valley Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. He is the father of three.

RHONDA (ENDRES) REIS
Volleyball (1994–1996)
Rhonda (Endres) Reis was the Blugolds' standout setter in the mid-1990s, capping her career as a second-team AVCA All-American and first-team All-Region and All-Conference selection in 1996. That season she ranked third in NCAA Division III with 11.73 assists per game. She remains fifth in UWEC career assists and tied for fifth in single-match assists with 70 against UW-La Crosse in 1995.
After graduating, Reis pursued a career in speech-language pathology and now serves students in the Sauk Prairie School District. She is the mother of three.

ELIZABETH FALLER
Track & Field (2004–2008)
A three-time WIAC champion in the hurdles, Liz Faller is still one of the fastest female hurdlers in school history, holding the Blugold record in the 100m hurdles (13.98). She also ranks fourth all-time in the 60m hurdles and fifth in the 400m hurdles. She was part of the 2007 Blugold squad that finished third nationally and was recognized as the WIAC Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete and a Blugold Super Six Award winner.
Faller has gone on to a career in physical therapy, working at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin where she serves patients and mentors colleagues. She is the mother of one.

CHAD HOISKA
Football (1994–1997)
One of the program's great running backs, Hoiska was a two-time All-Conference first-team selection and a consensus first-team All-American in 1997. He led the Blugolds in rushing and scoring for three straight seasons and still ranks eighth in career rushing, tied for second in rushing touchdowns, and holds the UWEC career scoring record.
Following his playing days, Hoiska worked as a fitness instructor before transitioning into landscaping and sales. He is a father of two.

MARIA (IAIZZO) GARRITY
Women's Soccer (2003–2006)
The 2006 WIAC Player of the Year, Garrity led one of the most successful stretches in Blugold soccer history, helping UWEC to NCAA tournament appearances in both 2005 and 2006. That season, she earned NSCAA All-Region first-team honors and D3kicks.com second-team recognition while posting one of the best offensive seasons in program history — ranking third in single-season points (46), fourth in goals (18), and tied for fifth in assists (10).
Garrity has dedicated her career to senior living services, working as a program manager with Presbyterian Homes & Services since 2016. She is the mother of five.
 
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