EAU CLAIRE, Wis.--The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugold Hall of Fame class of 2026 features seven athletes from seven different sports who hold a multitude of program records, National Champions, All-American honors, and success well past their days as Blugolds.
The new inductees are offensive lineman Mike Bestul, women's swimmer Nicole (Dorvinen) Feuerstein, women's track sprinter Carly Fehler, softball third baseman Amanda Fischer, men's field thrower Roger Steen, distance runner Josh Thorson, and women's golfer Catherine (Wagner) Pederson.
This marks the 53rd year of the Blugold Hall of Fame and the 37th class of women's inductees. With the addition of this year's class, a total of 278 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 a ceremony on Friday, January 22nd, 2027, at the Eau Claire Golf & Country Club and will be introduced at halftime of the Blugold men's basketball game versus UW-Whitewater on Saturday, January 23, 2027. Tickets are available here.
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 10 years after their final season of eligibility to be considered for induction.
Mike Bestul
Football (1999-2002)
A pivotal piece in the Blugold's dominant rushing attack in the early 2000's, Mike Bestul played alongside Hall of Famers Bob Schmidt and Darrll Souhrada. With Bestul and Schmidt in the trenches in front of him, Souhdara set the program record for career and single season rushing yards in 2000. Mike's blocking prowess earned his two All-Conference honors, an All-Region honor in 2002, and was named to the Football Gazette All-America Third Team in 2002. Off the field, Bestul was a two time CoSIDA Academic All-American and is one of five Blugold football players to be named the WIAC Scholar Athlete of the Year. The Stanley native graduated UW-Eau Claire Summa Cum Laude with a 3.94 GPA.
After college, Mike stayed in Western Wisconsin where he was a physical education teacher and high school football coach in Augusta and Chippewa until he retired from the education system to run the Chippewa River Campground.
Nicole (Dorvinen) Feuerstein
Women's Swimming (2008-2012)
A seven time All-American, Nicole (Dorvinen) Feuerstein dominated the pool in the early 2010's. With three trips to the NCAA Championships in her career, Dorvinen found the podium twice in the 400 IM with 5th place finishes in 2011 and 2012. She also tallied second team All-American performances in the 400 IM and 800 freestyle relay in 2010, the 200 butterfly and 800 freestyle relay in 2011, and the 1650 freestyle in 2012. In addition to her success on the national stage, she was a nine-time WIAC individual champion and held the WIAC records in the 200 butterfly, 400 IM, and 800 freestyle relay upon graduation. She still holds the program record at UWEC in the 200 butterfly. Nicole was recognized for her athletic accomplishments as she was named to the WIAC All-Centennial team in 2013, was UWEC Super Six Winner, and was a nine-time WIAC Athlete of the Week.
After graduating, Nicole spent three years as a graduate assistant swim coach, undergraduate swimming instructor, and academic mentor at Michigan State University. She then moved back to Wisconsin to work at the Green Bay YMCA as the aquatics coordinator and assistant coach for Green Bay Area Swim Club. She then turned to the education system and has been an elementary teacher since 2016 with stops in Howard-Suamico, Ashwaubenon, and Green Bay Area school districts. Nicole now teaches kindergarten in the school district of West De Pere.
Carly Fehler
Women's Track & Field (2010-2015)
As one of the most prolific female runners in UWEC Track & Field history, Carly Fehler holds school records in the indoor 60 and the outdoor 100, 200 and 4x100 relay. The three-time team captain was awarded the 2015 Division III Athlete of the Year and was a nominee for the 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year. In 2015, she was the NCAA's Outdoor and Indoor National Championships Performer of the Meet after winning four national titles, claiming the 60 and 200 at the indoor national meet and the 100 and 200 at outdoors. Fehler played a crucial role in the team tying for fourth place in the nation that year, which tied for the second highest finish in the program's indoor history and as the national runner-up for the outdoor, the highest finish for the program. Fehler was also a two-time UWEC Female Athlete of the Year recipient.
After graduating, Fehler has stayed within the college sports industry beginning with assistant track and field coaching experience at Southwest Minnesota State and UW-Parkside. Since then, she moved on to a strength and conditioning position at Parkside before moving to the University of Utah as the Utes Assistant Director of Olympic Sports Performance where she currently oversees training for women's volleyball, women's track & field, and women's tennis.
Amanda Fischer
Softball (2012-2015)
If there was an award to be won on the softball diamond, Amanda Fischer's name is probably somewhere on it. The Wausau native was a consistent factor to the Blugold's success in the 2010's while playing the "hot corner". Fischer earned three All-America honors, including a first team honor her senior year in 2015 where she set the single season program record for home runs. A four-time All-Region recipient and four-time All-Conference player, she also holds career records for home runs and stolen bases. She is one of few UWEC athletes who was awarded the Super Six award twice in her career and was named to the 2015 Capital One Academic All-America Third Team.
After playing with the Blugolds, Fischer continued to feed her competitive side in the sport of CrossFit. A four-time semifinalist and two-time World Project Finals Qualifier, she challenges herself in a niche sport and has won awards such as Position Player of the Year, League MVP, and was a United Grid League Champion in 2024. She currently serves a trainer and general manager at CrossFit Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia.
Roger Steen
Men's Track & Field (2011-2015)
When talking about athletes to throw the shot put, their accolades, and their impact at UW-Eau Claire over the years, not many names are talked about more than Roger Steen. The three-time team captain and five-time All-American captured two individual national titles in the shot put and helped the Blugolds capture the Indoor team title in 2015. His throw in 2015 was the 5th best in Division III at the time and currently sits 2nd all time in program history. Outside of his success at the national level, Steen was a twelve-time All-Conference performer and was named Team MVP in 2015. In addition to his impressive throws career, Roger was a three year letterwinner in football where he was named second team All-Conference and Team Defensive MVP in 2015.
After college, Roger continued his passion for throwing professionally and in coaching. He is a three-time USA Olympics Trials Qualifier and two-time Olympic Trials finalist, a three-time World Indoor Championship Team member, and a two-time World Medalist. For six years, he has held a top 20 World Ranking in the shot put and currently ranks 38th overall on the all-time world list for shot put distance. Roger continues to make an impact within Blugold Track & Field, coaching the throwers since 2016. During that time, he has coached 11 individual national champions, 65 All-Americans, and helped athletes set 10 school record while winning the national title four different years. His furthest collegiate throw in 2015 of 18.81 meters was a meet record at the NCAA Indoor Championships until he helped coach David Kornack set the new meet record in 2019 with a throw of 19.83 meters.
Josh Thorson
Men's Cross Country, Men's Track & Field (2014-2016)
Josh Thorson made the most of his division III career at UW-Eau Claire with three team national championships and two national runner-up finishes during his time as a Blugold. Along with seeing team success, Thorson captured four individual national championships in the Indoor 3k, 5k, DMR, and the Outdoor 5k. He was also the Outdoor 5k runner up in 2015 while being named the USTFCCCA Scholar Athlete of the Year. Along with his national success, Thorson found success at the conference level with a WIAC Individual Championship in 2014, earning him WIAC Athlete of the Year honors. Josh still holds the program records in the Indoor 3k, Indoor 5k, Outdoor 5k, and the third fastest cross country 8k time.
After UW-Eau Claire, Thorson earned his Master's in Industrial Design from the Academy before holding positions at VF Corporation and Timberland PRO. He then entered higher education as an Adjunct Professor at Keene State College and is now an Assistant Professor for Industrial Design at Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Catherine (Wagner) Pederson
Women's Golf (2009-2013)
As one of the most decorated golfers in program history, Catherine (Wagner) Pederson dominated the course during her time as a Blugold. The Blugolds earned themselves three straight trips to the NCAA Championships during Wagner's career at UWEC. She led the team all three years with third overall team finishes in 2010 and 2012 and a tie for tenth overall in 2011. Catherine's junior year was the most memorable as won Eau Claire's first and only individual championship with a four-round total of 302 strokes. After recording a 78 in round 1, Wagner tallied a one under 71 to jump into first place in round two. She shot a 76 in round three and a 77 in round four to secure the individual crown. The four time All-American captured a sixth-place individual finish in 2013, tied for ninth overall in 2011, and tied for 14th in 2010. She was named WCGA Freshman of the Year in 2010 and was named to the WIAC All-Time Centennial team in 2013. Along with her national dominance, Wagner was a four-time All-Conference player that helped the Blugolds win WIAC Championships in 2009, 2010, and 2011 during which she captured three runner-up finishes.
After graduation, Catherine stuck with her love for golf and has worked with the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) since 2015, with stops at the Illinois PGA and now Minnesota PGA. Currently, she serves as Director of Player Engagement and Member Services.
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