NIACC announces 2024 Hall of Fame class
MASON CITY – The NIACC athletic department has announced its 2024 Hall of Fame class, which will be fifth class in school history.
A total of six former standout student-athletes, a national championship team, a former coach/athletic director and a long-time NIACC athletic supporter will make up the Class of 2024.
All of the inductees will be honored at a dinner on Friday, Feb. 23 and will be introduced at halftime of the NIACC/Iowa Lakes women's basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 24 all on the NIACC campus.
The Class of 2024 is Anna (Buenneke) Lucs, John Avril "Judge" Grimsley, Tina (Harding) Carter, MarTay Jenkins, Dan Mason, Mike Unwin, Arlo Stoltenberg and Albert White.
The NIACC athletics hall of fame will highlight a championship team for the first time in the class of 2024 as it welcomes the 1973 NIACC men's wrestling team, which claimed the NJCAA national title. The 1972-73 team members were Mike Anderson, Tom Burns, Joe Corso, Dedric Doolin, Steve Eidness, Bob Fouts, Ed Herman, Stuart Newman, Dan Peterson, Bob Pratt, Randy Redeker, Bill Williams, Bruce Wilson, Ralph Young and Dave Zidlicky.
"We are very proud of our long and rich athletic history here at North Iowa Area Community College," NIACC interim athletic director Dan Mason said. "Our 2024 hall of fame class is reflective of that long history, tremendous athletes, a legendary coach and our 1973 national championship wrestling team.
"We have had literally thousands of athletes represent the college over the many years while embracing what it means to be a Trojan. It is quite an honor to be selected from that group and be deemed a hall of famer."
The NIACC Athletics hall of fame was started in 2006 with the next hall of fame classes honored in 2010, 2014, and 2016.
NIACC ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASS 2024
Anna (Buenneke) Lucs (women's cross country and track and field) (2010-12)
Anna (Buenneke) Lucs was a 7-time all-American for the NIACC women's cross country (twice) and track and field (five times) teams. Lucs won a pair of national titles at the 2011 indoor meet in the 3,000 and 5,000. She also placed second in the mile at the 2011 national indoor meet. She placed second in the 10,000 and ran a leg on the 4x800 relay team that placed third. In cross country, Lucs placed eighth at the 2010 national meet and was the national runner-up in 2011. She was also a two-time NJCAA Region 11 cross country champion in 2010 and 2011.
John Avril "Judge" Grimsley (football, men's basketball coach) (1923-40)
John Avril "Judge" Grimsley was the first-ever coach at Mason City Junior College. He was the school's football coach from 1923-40 where he compiled a record of 80-28-8. He ranks second on the school's career win list with 80. Grimsley was also the school's first-ever basketball coach from 1923-26 where he compiled a record of 36-20. Grimsley, who passed away in 1953, was inducted into the Mason City High School athletics hall of fame in 2016.
Tina (Harding) Carter (volleyball) (1994-95)
Tina (Harding) Carter helped lead the NIACC volleyball team to the national tournament in 1994 and 1995. At the national tournament in 1994, Carter led the team with 19 kills as the Trojans went 1-2 in pool play. At nationals in 1995, she was second on the team with 21 kills as the Trojans went 1-2 in pool play. Carter went on to play on the first-ever SMU volleyball team, a NCAA Division I school in Dallas and served as team captain. She was the head volleyball coach at Grand View for several years.
MarTay Jenkins (football) (1993-94)
MarTay Jenkins helped lead the Trojans to a 43-20 win over Harper College in the 1993 RC Cola Bowl by catching a 74-yard touchdown pass from Richard Lowery. Jenkins, who went onto play at the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 1996-98, was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. In 2000 with the Arizona Cardinals, Jenkins broke NFL records (kickoff returns in a season, 82) and (kickoff return yards in a season, 2,186). Jenkins was inducted into the UNO hall of fame in 2007 and the NJCAA hall of fame in 2011.
Dan Mason (coach, athletic director) (1993-97, 2006-21)
Dan Mason enters the NIACC athletics hall of fame as a coach and an administrator.
Mason retired as the NIACC athletic director after the 2020-2021 school year, ending 27 years of service as a coach and administrator at the two-year college level.
As a coach, Mason guided the NIACC men's basketball team to the 1995 NJCAA Division II national championship with a thrilling 64-63 victory over Grand Rapids (Mich.) CC in the national title game. Mason was also named as the NJCAA Division II national coach of the year for the 1994-95 season.
Mason served as NIACC's athletic director from 2006-21 where he was responsible for every aspect of the Trojans' then 16 teams.
Mike Unwin (men's soccer) (2007-08)
Mike Unwin was a two-time all-American for the NIACC men's soccer team. Unwin was a second-team NJCAA Division I all-American in 2007 and a first-team all-American selection in 2008. Unwin is the school's all-time leader in goals scored with 58. He scored 27 goals in 2007 and scored 31 goals in 2008. He also ranks fourth on the school's career assist list with 15. NIACC was 28-9-2 in Unwin's two seasons. The Trojans advanced to the NJCAA Region 11 title match in 2008 where they dropped a 1-0 decision to Iowa Western.
Arlo Stoltenberg (distinguished service award)
Arlo Stoltenberg is known by many for his long-time tenure on the NIACC faculty, having served the college in that capacity for 53 years, until his retirement in 2020.
Over those many years, Stoltenberg assisted the athletic department in many ways, including leading the NIACC track and field team as coach to state titles in 1973 and 1974.
Stoltenberg also was the "voice of the Trojans", manning the microphone as public address announcer for the basketball teams over the years. A fixture at NIACC sporting events even today, his biggest impact was in the classroom, teaching thousands of NIACC students including many of student-athletes over the years.
Albert White (men's wrestling) (2007-08)
Albert White was one of three national champions for the Trojans in the 2007-08 season – the first season of wrestling at the school since the 1975-76 season. White capped off a 31-3 season with a 3-2 win over Colby CC's TJ Hepburn in the 149-pound title bout. White went on to wrestle at Oklahoma State University.
1973 NIACC national championship wrestling team
The 1973 NIACC wrestling team was the first team ever to win a national team title at the school. The Trojans, under hall of fame coach Kaye Young, placed second in 1970, 1971 and 1972 before claiming the national title in the 1973 season. The Trojans cruised to the team title by scoring 72.5 points, easily outdistancing runner-up North Idaho, which was second with 44.5 points. The Trojans' heavyweight Bob Fouts claimed the national title and Dedric Doolin (126) and Ed Herman (177) both placed second. Joe Corso (118) and Bruce Wilson (150) both earned all-American honors with fifth-place finishes.
