Bowling Green State University Athletics
2018 BGSU Athletics Hall Of Fame Class Announced
August 03, 2018 | Football, General, Women's Basketball, Women's Swimming & Diving, Falcon Club, Hall of Fame, Heritage Sports
Bowling Green, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University Athletics Department has announced that five individuals will be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame this fall. Kate Achter, Liz Honegger, Kory Lichtensteiger, John Smith and Dr. Ron Zwierlein will make up the 52nd class in school history.
The five inductees bring membership in the Athletics Hall of Fame to 240 individuals. Two teams (the 1983-84 national championship hockey team and the 1959 national championship football Falcons) also are in the Hall of Fame.
"Congratulations to the newest members of the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame," BGSU Director of Athletics Bob Moosbrugger said. "Kate, Liz, Kory, John and Dr. Zwierlein are fine examples of what it means to be a student-athlete, administrator and coach. We appreciate their contributions to the history of BGSU Athletics. I would like to thank and congratulate the Hall of Fame selection committee for these excellent selections as we 'Honor the Past'."
Full biographies of each of the five inductees will follow throughout the fall in the lead up to the official induction ceremony on Friday, Sept. 21 at The Stroh Center. A reception, with light appetizers, will take place at 6:15 pm, with the induction ceremony beginning at 7:15 pm. Tickets are available for $15 for Falcon Club members or $30 for the general public. Please contact Cheyenne Hawk in the BGSU Athletics Ticket Office to reserve your spot today by phone (419-372-8619) or e-mail at chawk@bgsu.edu.
Achter helped the BGSU women's basketball team to four Mid-American Conference regular season titles, three MAC Tournament crowns and four national postseason appearances from 2004-08, including the 2007 Sweet Sixteen. During her four years, BGSU went 108-23 and she is the only player in school history with 1,000 career points and 600 career assists. As a senior, she was the MAC Player of the Year.
Honegger was a teammate of Achter's, competing in basketball from 2003-07. She also won a MAC Championship in the discus competing on BGSU's Track & Field team as a freshman. Honegger started a school-record 127 games during her career and the program went 103-25 in her four years, advancing to the championship game of the MAC Tournament in each season and the Sweet Sixteen in 2007. She ended her BGSU career as the only player in Division I to hold school records for both three-point field goals made and blocked shots, also scoring 1,522 points and grabbing 903 rebounds.
Lichtensteiger was a two-time first team All-MAC center on BGSU's football team from 2004-07 and two-time second team All-MAC at guard. He was a 2007 Rimington Trophy Finalist and a semifinalist for the Draddy Trophy, given to the best college football player, with an emphasis on academics, community service and on-field performance. A two-time Academic All-MAC player, Lichtensteiger was selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos and played in 75 NFL games.
Smith was a member of the heritage sport of wrestling at BGSU from 1955-59, compiling a record of 41-3 in his career. He was team captain of the first undefeated and MAC Championship team in 1959, which completed the season 11-0, while Smith captured the MAC Championship at 137 pounds. He was a finalist at the US Olympic Trials in 1956 and spent 30 years as a wrestling coach, compiling a mark of 193-72-2. Smith was inducted into the Ohio Wrestling Hall of Fame (1989), the Whitmer High School Hall of Fame (2004) and the Sylvania High School Hall of Fame (2009).
Zwierlein and Hall of Famer Doyt Perry are the only two individuals to ever serve BGSU as a student-athlete, coach and Athletics Director. He was a member of the heritage sport of men's swimming from 1964-68, earning three varsity letters and being named team captain as a senior. Beginning in 1981, he was the head coach of both the men's and women's swimming and diving programs, leading the women to three consecutive MAC runner-ups. In July of 1994, Zwierlein was named Director of Athletics and served in that role for five years, starting the women's soccer program and hiring the first African-American head coach in department history among his many notable achievements. Zwierlein is a recipient of the AFCA's Lifetime Achievement Award and notably donned the Freddie Falcon costume as a student.
The five inductees bring membership in the Athletics Hall of Fame to 240 individuals. Two teams (the 1983-84 national championship hockey team and the 1959 national championship football Falcons) also are in the Hall of Fame.
"Congratulations to the newest members of the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame," BGSU Director of Athletics Bob Moosbrugger said. "Kate, Liz, Kory, John and Dr. Zwierlein are fine examples of what it means to be a student-athlete, administrator and coach. We appreciate their contributions to the history of BGSU Athletics. I would like to thank and congratulate the Hall of Fame selection committee for these excellent selections as we 'Honor the Past'."
Full biographies of each of the five inductees will follow throughout the fall in the lead up to the official induction ceremony on Friday, Sept. 21 at The Stroh Center. A reception, with light appetizers, will take place at 6:15 pm, with the induction ceremony beginning at 7:15 pm. Tickets are available for $15 for Falcon Club members or $30 for the general public. Please contact Cheyenne Hawk in the BGSU Athletics Ticket Office to reserve your spot today by phone (419-372-8619) or e-mail at chawk@bgsu.edu.
Achter helped the BGSU women's basketball team to four Mid-American Conference regular season titles, three MAC Tournament crowns and four national postseason appearances from 2004-08, including the 2007 Sweet Sixteen. During her four years, BGSU went 108-23 and she is the only player in school history with 1,000 career points and 600 career assists. As a senior, she was the MAC Player of the Year.
Honegger was a teammate of Achter's, competing in basketball from 2003-07. She also won a MAC Championship in the discus competing on BGSU's Track & Field team as a freshman. Honegger started a school-record 127 games during her career and the program went 103-25 in her four years, advancing to the championship game of the MAC Tournament in each season and the Sweet Sixteen in 2007. She ended her BGSU career as the only player in Division I to hold school records for both three-point field goals made and blocked shots, also scoring 1,522 points and grabbing 903 rebounds.
Lichtensteiger was a two-time first team All-MAC center on BGSU's football team from 2004-07 and two-time second team All-MAC at guard. He was a 2007 Rimington Trophy Finalist and a semifinalist for the Draddy Trophy, given to the best college football player, with an emphasis on academics, community service and on-field performance. A two-time Academic All-MAC player, Lichtensteiger was selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos and played in 75 NFL games.
Smith was a member of the heritage sport of wrestling at BGSU from 1955-59, compiling a record of 41-3 in his career. He was team captain of the first undefeated and MAC Championship team in 1959, which completed the season 11-0, while Smith captured the MAC Championship at 137 pounds. He was a finalist at the US Olympic Trials in 1956 and spent 30 years as a wrestling coach, compiling a mark of 193-72-2. Smith was inducted into the Ohio Wrestling Hall of Fame (1989), the Whitmer High School Hall of Fame (2004) and the Sylvania High School Hall of Fame (2009).
Zwierlein and Hall of Famer Doyt Perry are the only two individuals to ever serve BGSU as a student-athlete, coach and Athletics Director. He was a member of the heritage sport of men's swimming from 1964-68, earning three varsity letters and being named team captain as a senior. Beginning in 1981, he was the head coach of both the men's and women's swimming and diving programs, leading the women to three consecutive MAC runner-ups. In July of 1994, Zwierlein was named Director of Athletics and served in that role for five years, starting the women's soccer program and hiring the first African-American head coach in department history among his many notable achievements. Zwierlein is a recipient of the AFCA's Lifetime Achievement Award and notably donned the Freddie Falcon costume as a student.
Jason Ball Post-Match Interview (Sept. 30, 2025)
Wednesday, October 01
Eric Nichols Post-Match Interview (Sept. 30, 2025)
Wednesday, October 01
Bennett Painter Post-Match Interview (Sept. 30, 2025)
Wednesday, October 01
Lizzie Bultynck Post-Match Interview (Sept. 28, 2025)
Sunday, September 28