Football, Hockey, Volleyball and more represented
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Ten individuals will join the Michigan Tech Sports Hall of Fame at an induction ceremony in October. The class of 2024 includes former football student-athletes Tim Bedenis and Tom VanWagner, former men’s basketball player Ali Haidar, former hockey Huskies Shawn Harrison and John Scott, former volleyball player Jennifer (Jung) Lucas, former women’s basketball player and assistant coach Sarah (Stream) Stanek, the Voice of the Huskies Mitch Lake, Michigan Tech’s ninth President Glenn Mroz, and former Associate Athletic Director Dave Nordstrom.
The new inductees to the Michigan Tech Sports Hall of Fame will be enshrined at a ceremony on campus on October 25. They will also be honored on October 26 when the football Huskies host Northern Michigan for the Miner’s Cup game and the hockey team hosts Clarkson at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena.
Below is a brief biography of each of the inductees.
Tim Bedenis was a starting offensive guard on the football team from 1977-79. He was named All-NIC Honorable Mention in 1978. He also received the team’s 1979 Omer LaJeunesse Award for scholastic achievement. He was a team captain, all-academic team member, and the president of Kappa Delta Psi Fraternity. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Bedenis was a Graduate Assistant Football Coach for two years with the Huskies while earning a Master’s degree. He has been an avid supporter of Tech football throughout his professional career as an engineer.
Ali Haidar was a two-time All-American men’s basketball player from 2009-13. He was twice named the GLIAC Player of the Year and holds the school record for most rebounds (893). Haidar ranks fifth in program history with 1,995 points. He also holds records for free throws made and attempted in a game and field goals made and free throws attempted in a season. He ranks third in program history in career three-point shooting percentage. Haidar has played professional basketball since leaving Tech in 2013 in Lebanon and Canada. He has also played for the Lebanon National Team at Olympic Qualifying and FIBA World Cup and Asia Cup tournaments.
Shawn Harrison skated in 141 games for the Huskies from 1986-90. He ranks 20th in career points at Tech with 59 goals and 87 assists. Harrison was the 1989 WCHA Scoring Champion and was honored on the All-WCHA First Team that season. He was a WCHA Honorable Mention selection in 1988 and WCHA All-Academic Team member. Harrison received the team’s 1989 Michigan Tech Gary Crosby Leading Scorer Award and 1987 Michigan Tech Norbert Matovich Memorial Award as top freshman. He scored hat tricks in 1988 against North Dakota and in 1989 against Western Michigan.
Jennifer (Jung) Lucas played volleyball for the Huskies from 2005-08. She earned AVCA All-American Honorable Mention honors in 2008 and was a four-time All-GLIAC Selection, including a three-time First Team member. Lucas holds the school records for career blocks (569) and season blocks per game (1.48) and ranks second in career blocks per game and blocks in a season. She is also ninth in career kills (1,046). Lucas received the 2008 GLIAC Commissioner’s Award and 2009 Raymond L. Smith Award as the top Tech female senior student-athlete. She was honored as a three-time GLIAC All-Academic Team member and continues to support the Huskies in her position at the university as the Assistant Vice President for Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving.
Mitch Lake has been around Michigan Tech Athletics for over 50 years and is the Voice of the Huskies on the radio for the basketball and volleyball teams. He’s been broadcasting basketball since the early 1980’s and volleyball since the early 1990’s. Lake is also the public address announcer at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena—a position he has held since the early 1980’s and Kearly Stadium since the early 2000’s. He also broadcast football games from the 1980’s to 2000’s. As a student, Lake was a team manager for the hockey team from 1971-73 and has the current hockey student section is named in his honor, “Mitch’s Misfits.”
Glenn Mroz was named Michigan Tech’s ninth president in 2004 and was in the role until 2018. He was instrumental in creation of Tech Trails and helped Michigan Tech hockey return to prominence, winning the WCHA in both 2016 and 2017 and returning to the NCAA Tournament in 2015, 2017, and 2018 for the first time since 1981. He received the Ken Hamar Award in 2008 given annually to a “true supporter” of the Michigan Tech athletic program by The Huskies Club.
Dave Nordstrom was an employee at the Michigan Tech Student Development Complex from 1984-2018 and an Associate Athletic Director from 2011-18. He oversaw the athletic facilities and received the 2009 Ken Hamar Award which is given annually to a “true supporter” of the Michigan Tech athletic program by The Huskies Club.
John Scott played 126 games for the hockey Huskies from 2002-06. He tallied seven goals and 12 assists with 352 penalty minutes. After college, Scott played 286 NHL games for the Minnesota Wild (2009-10), Chicago Blackhawks (2010-12), New York Rangers (2011-12), Buffalo Sabres (2012-14), San Jose Sharks (2014-15), Arizona Coyotes (2015-16), and Montreal Canadiens (2015-16). Scott was named the captain of the Pacific Division at 2016 NHL All-Star Game and was named All-Star Game MVP after leading his team to the 3-on-3 tournament win. Scott graduated from Tech with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and continues to engage with the university at alumni events and the annual Great Lakes Invitational hockey tournament in Grand Rapids.
Sarah (Stream) Stanek started all 126 games she played for the women’s basketball team from 2004-10 and ranks sixth all-time in scoring with 1,464 points. She holds the school record with 459 assists and ranks fourth in games played, fifth in career free throw percentage and eighth in career three-point percentage. Stream was the 2005 GLIAC Freshman of the Year and four-time All-GLIAC selection, including three years on the First Team. Tech went 98-27 in her four years of playing, winning a pair of NCAA Midwest Regional Championships and GLIAC Regular Season Championships, and a GLIAC Tournament Title. Stream was two-time Academic All-American and the recipient of the NCAA Elite 88 Award at the 2010 Elite Eight. She was also a two-time All-Region selection, two-time GLIAC All-Tournament Team and received a GLIAC Commissioner’s Award and spot on the GLIAC All-Defensive Team. She was a three-time team captain and four-time recipient of the team’s Scholastic Achievement Award and three-time winner of the Harold Meese Sportsmanship Award. After playing for the Huskies, Stream was an assistant coach for the Huskies, helping the team advance to an appearance in the 2011 NCAA Championship Game.
Tom VanWagner lettered for the Huskies at offensive line from 1973-75. He was named All-Conference First Team in 1974 and 1975 and was an All-Conference Honorable Mention selection in 1973. VanWagner received the Glen Galligan Award in 1975 as the NIC outstanding senior athlete and Tech’s Raymond L. Smith Award as the outstanding male senior student-athletes at Tech. He anchored the offensive line for the undefeated and conference championship 1974 team and was a two-time team captain. He was the team MVP in 1975 receiving the Alan Bovard Award and twice received the team’s Bill Hausser Memorial Award as the outstanding spring player. VanWagner has remained an adamant supporter of Michigan Tech football, helping organize celebrations and reunions.
