MINNEAPOLIS (9/25/02) -- Augsburg College will honor some of the top athletes in school history on Thursday night, with the annual Athletic Hall of Fame banquet. Nine former Auggie student-athletes will be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame, and two Augsburg supporters will receive the school's Distinguished Athletic Service Award.

The annual banquet will be held Thursday, Sept. 26 at the Christensen Center. Reception begins at 5:30 p.m., with dinner to follow. For more information on the banquet and to make reservations, contact Irene Steenson at (612) 330-1245 or Norm Okerstrom at (612) 330-1616.

The Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1973 to recognize male athletes who made special contributions to the college's athletic history. In 1989, female athletes were first inducted into the hall. Recipients are chosen each year on the basis of performance in Augsburg athletics, service to the school, civic and professional achievements and leadership.

Receiving the Distinguished Athletic Service Award will be longtime athletic department secretary Irene Steenson and former athlete and athletic booster Merlin White '56.

Steenson, who has worked at Augsburg since 1963, began her career as secretary for the public relations office, and later moved to Alumni and Parent Relations before joining the athletic department in the early 1980s. She officially retired in 1982, but has worked at least three days a week in the athletic department since then. She is also secretary for the A-Club, the school's athletic alumni organization.

A two-way player in football, White developed a reputation as a rare "ironman" -- a player who played all 60 minutes of a game -- for Auggie football teams in the mid-50s. He earned All-MIAC honorable mention honors as a starting quarterback in 1952, and was also a member of the men's basketball team. He has been an active A-Club supporter, in particular on the golf tournament committee, which raised more than $100,000 for Augsburg athletics during his decade of service.

Honored in this year's class of inductees into the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame are:

-- Brian Arvold '80 (wrestling) -- A two-time NAIA All-American and two-time MIAC wrestling champion at 150 pounds (1979, 1980), Arvold earned the Carl Larson Trophy as the MIAC meet MVP in 1979, and finished fourth nationally at 150 pounds in his junior and senior seasons. He was a team captain his senior year. He served for five years as an assistant coach (1981-85), and served as wrestling head coach in the 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons, winning the MIAC championship and finishing ninth nationally in 1985.

-- Linda Berg Henke '82 (women's basketball) -- One of the top players in school history in women's basketball, Henke is second on the school's all-time scoring (1,175 points) and rebounding (826) lists, while third in blocked shots (43). She was the first Auggie women's basketball player -- and one of only five in school history -- to break the 1,000-point barrier. Her 272 rebounds in 1980-81 is still the single-season school mark.

-- Terry Brown '82 (men's hockey, men's golf) -- One of only three Auggies to ever earn All-America honors twice in men's hockey (1981, 1982), Brown was a key member of teams that won NAIA national championships in 1981 and 1982. He was voted the most valuable player of the 1981 national tournament. Brown earned All-MIAC honors twice, was a two-year captain, and is the school's all-time leader in both assists (101) and total points (167). In golf, he was a four-year letterwinner, two-time captain and won the MIAC individual championship in 1982.

-- Brian Gauger '80 (men's hockey) -- One of only three Auggies to ever earn All-America honors twice in men's hockey (1979, 1980), Gauger was a member of Augsburg's first-ever national championship team, the men's hockey NAIA titlists in 1978. He was a multiple all-conference selection and was team captain his junior and senior years. He compiled 16 goals and 68 assists for 84 points in his Auggie career.

-- Wayne Graves '73 (football) -- One of the top running backs in school history, Graves holds the school record for career carries (497) and is second all-time in rushing yardage (2,059 yards). His 12 rushing touchdowns is fourth-most in school history. He earned All-MIAC honors, was team MVP and was a Lutheran Brotherhood Lutheran College All-American in 1972, when he set a single-season school mark with 867 rushing yards, a mark that stood for 19 years.

-- Rod Jonas '77 (men's basketball) -- A member of Auggie teams that won MIAC championships in 1975, 1976 and 1977, Jonas finished his career 33rd on Augsburg's all-time scoring list (747 points) and was Augsburg's Honor Athlete in 1977. The Auggies won the NAIA district title and advanced to the national tournament in 1977, a season in which he earned All-MIAC, Lutheran College All-America and NAIA All-District honors.

-- Connie Lamon Priesz '78 (gymnastics, track and field, cross country) -- Priesz earned Honor Athlete honors in 1978 as a solid all-around gymnast on Augsburg's first teams in the sport in the mid-70s. She was also a member of the cross country team and track and field team as a middle-distance runner, hurdler and long jumper, and was a participant in state championship meets in all three sports.

-- Lisa Svac Hawks '85 (volleyball, softball) -- A three-time All-MIAC pitching selection (1983, 1984, 1985) in softball, Svac earned AIAW all-state and all-region honors twice and All-West Region honors her junior campaign, as a member of Auggie softball squads that won the Minnesota AIAW state title twice (1982, 1983) and MIAC championships three times (1982, 1983, 1984). Her 47 pitching wins and her 1.35 career earned-run average are both second-best in school history. In volleyball, Svac earned All-MIAC honors in 1984.

-- Scott Whirley '82 (wrestling) -- A three-time All-American in wrestling (1979, 1981, 1982), Whirley earned the NAIA national title at 126 pounds in 1979 and won MIAC titles in 1978, 1981 and 1982. One of the top lightweight wrestlers in school history, he earned team MVP honors his junior and senior seasons and was a national finalist twice. He has been an assistant head coach for the Auggie program for 19 seasons, including all eight NCAA Division III national championship teams.