QU TO INDUCT FALL 2024 SPORTS HALL OF FAME CLASS
Quincy University will induct ten individuals and one team into the Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 2, at 10 a.m. in the Hall of Fame Room, located in the QU Health and Fitness Center, 20th & Oak. Reservations are required to attend.
Fall 2024 Individual Inductees:
Josh Breitbach graduated from QU in 1997. He was a dominating offensive force on the football field throughout his career at QU. He made Second Team all-Illini Badger Conference (IBC) in his first two seasons. In 1995, Breitbach was ranked 10th in receptions in the DII averaging 6.7 receptions per game and was fourth in receiving yards with 114.3 yards per game. He was named co-outstanding wide receiver of the IBC in 1995. Plus, he set school records for receptions (67) and receiving yards (1,143) in the ’95 season. Josh also earned First-Team all-IBC selection and was the ’95 offensive MVP. He received the Mart Heinen Award his senior year. Breitbach finished his career with 135 receptions for 2,165 yards and 21 touchdowns, all ranking in the top five in school history, and all were school records at the time. Breitbach made significant contributions to QU football and was instrumental in the 1994 season which brought home the program’s second consecutive IBC championship.
Torie Bunzell Kueker is a 2011 QU alumna. In Kueker’s time at QU from 2008-2011, she was named GLVC Freshman of the Year, Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year, First Team AII-GLVC four times, and GLVC Pitcher of the Year two times. Kueker was named
All-American twice by two different organizations. Once the holder of the career strikeouts record in Division II, Kueker’s 1,539 punchouts are still the gold standard for the Hawks’ program, including 524 strikeouts her senior season – also a school record. Kueker’s 95 career wins marks the most in program history. She owns two other school records in innings pitched (930.2) and shutouts (46) while also sitting fourth all-time in career earned run average (1.14). Part of her 46 shutouts were the 10 career no-hitters she posted, along with three perfect games. Kueker’s senior campaign was capped with several single-season records for QU, including wins (30), innings pitched (307.1), shutouts (14), and strikeouts (524). She also won the GLVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in softball and GLVC Richard F. Scharf Paragon Award her senior year as the league’s top female student athlete. Kueker was inducted into the GLVC Hall of Fame in 2022.
Ashley Kreis Skidmore graduated from QU in 1998. She was an intense midfielder throughout her soccer career at QU. Skidmore finished her QU soccer career with 19 goals and 24 assists and was named Best Midfielder in 1996. She was the all-time assist leader in a single season, with 13 assists in 1995, a record that stood until it was tied in 2013. Skidmore was 6th all-time for assists in a single season with 8 in 1994. She was 2nd in school history for assists in a career with 24. She tied for 7th in school history with 19 career goals. Skidmore made 2nd Team All-GLVC in 1995. She was on the QU women’s soccer team that made two Final Four appearances. She did not just excel on the soccer field. Skidmore made the ’96 Academic All-Conference. She received a Lincoln Laureate Award and the ’98 Brother Clete VanAckeren, OFM, Scholarship.
Jessica Keller earned her undergraduate degree from QU in 2009 and her master’s in 2011. Keller was a powerful force on the QU women’s basketball court. Today, she is an assistant coach with the University of Nebraska women’s basketball program. She worked her way up from grad assistant coach at QU, to head coach at Columbia College and at Minnesota State, to assistant coach at Illinois State University, before joining the coaching staff at Nebraska. Keller’s coaching record at Columbia College includes a 75-24 overall record, 2 NAIA Tournament appearances, school-record 19 consecutive wins, and a school-record 56.6 opponents points allowed per game in her final season. Keller was named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s 30 Under 30 Inaugural Class while at Columbia College. Keller played at Quincy from 2005-09, was a three-time All-GLVC selection and a second-team All-American as a senior. She earned GLVC Player of the Year in 2009 and graduated as the Hawks’ all-time leader in points (1,823), steals (324), free throws made (487) and free throws attempted (652). Keller graduated from QU with honors and earned the GLVC’s Richard F. Sharf Paragon Award, which combines academics, athletics, leadership and character.
Tom Lepper is a 1997 QU graduate with a degree in elementary education. A Quincy native, Lepper was a dominant force on the court in his four seasons with the Hawks basketball program and served as team captain 1995-96. He was 25th all-time in scoring with 1,139 points, grabbed 693 rebounds, and recorded 131 blocked shots which ranks third all-time at QU. Players that held the first and second rankings in blocks were Lepper’s teammates. He played with four other future QU Hall-of-Famers. The Hawks secured two NCAA DII postseason appearances during Lepper’s four seasons. He was a dominant player in his junior season on the 1994-95 tournament team that is also in the QU Hall of Fame. Lepper’s stats were strong, and his presence on the court was invaluable. He was the enforcer and the protector with powerful offensive skills. He changed the direction of Hawk basketball in the 1990s. Since graduation, Lepper has been employed as an educator and administrator for the Quincy Public Schools as well as a longtime assistant coach in the Blue Devils basketball program. He also spent one year as an assistant girls coach at QND.
Roger Sheridan is a 1967 QU alumnus who was on the basketball and baseball teams. He was a starter in basketball his senior year and could shoot, pass and score, but he excelled in baseball. Sheridan’s best asset was hitting, but he had excellent hands and a good arm. He was always among the team leaders in hitting, and he also led the team playing third and second base.
After graduation, Sheridan was drafted and signed with the Washington Senators (now the Texas Rangers), and during his four years in their system, he made it to their Triple A team. At that time there were only 24 Major League Teams, and Sheridan was playing one step below the big leagues. During his final minor league season, Sheridan had a .300 batting average, a .404 on-base percentage, and an .845 on-base slugging percentage. After that 1970 season, he was in a car accident and never played again. Sheridan died in 2006.
Fall 2024 Team Inductee:
The 1994 QU Football team went 8-1 and won the Illini-Badger Conference (IBC) under head coach Ron Taylor. This was Taylor’s second straight coach of the year honor and the Hawks second consecutive IBC championship. Five players earned conference player of the year honors: Chris Koerner was the IBC’s co-outstanding wide receiver, catching 35 passes for 579 yards and 3 touchdowns; Carlos Wiley was the IBC’s co-outstanding linebacker with 76 tackles and 7 sacks; William Wims was the IBC’s co-outstanding defensive lineman with 57 tackles, 8 sacks, and 3 recovered fumbles; Dustin Johnson was the IBC’s special teams player of the year, returning 13 kickoffs for 393 yards and a touchdown and returning 11 punts for 83 yards; and Chip Campbell was the IBC’s co-outstanding quarterback, completing 112 passes for 1,550 yards. Thirteen Hawks football players were given first-team honors. Four earned second-team honors, and five earned honorable mentions. The 1994 IBC championship game still stands as one of QU football’s most memorable victories – a 34-33 double-overtime win over Eureka College at QU Stadium.
Fall 2024 Professional Achievement Inductees:
Mark Longo graduated from QU in 1980 with a physical education degree. He was on the soccer team his first two years at QU, and he was the director of intramurals his last two. After graduating, Longo started working with schools as a physical education instructor and coach. He coached for 43 years in a variety of sports. Longo joined the Quincy Notre Dame coaching staff in 1989 when he took over for his father as coach of the boys’ soccer team. He guided the Raiders to a 98-41-26 record, 3 regional titles and one state tournament appearance in 7 seasons. Longo’s legacy as a coach came with the QND girls’ soccer program. He led the QND girls’ soccer program to a career record of 257-57-37, 10 regional titles, 6 sectional titles and 3 state tournament appearances, including one 4th-place finish. Longo also coached the QND boys golf team that won 2 state championships and 4 state trophies under his direction. During his 34 years of coaching at QND, Longo accomplished a career record of 608-109-74 with 33 consecutive winning seasons, 6 state championships, 2 fourth-place state finishes, 12 sectional championships, 21 regional championships, and 14 twenty-win seasons. He is the winningest girls’ soccer coach in Illinois High School Association history.
Jim Naumovich graduated from QU in 1985 with a communication degree. He worked at QU for 15 years in various administrative capacities including Director of Athletics from 1992-2000. Naumovich is in his 24th year as Commissioner of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. He is the second full-time Commissioner in the league’s 45-year history and is responsible for the Conference’s 24 sports and 22 championship events, and for their budgeting, promotions, and administration. Naumovich has served the league as Commissioner longer than any of his predecessors. During his tenure, the league has added 11 members and is currently one of the largest conferences in NCAA Division II with 14 members and 24 sports. Under Naumovich’s watch, football became the Conference’s 18th sponsored sport, and men’s and women’s swimming and diving was incorporated into the GLVC. Wrestling was added as the GLVC’s 21st championship sport. Men’s lacrosse began its inaugural year of competition in the league in 2017-18, while women’s lacrosse and women’s bowling began competition in 2019-20. Men’s volleyball will begin competition in the league in 2025-26. Naumovich has overseen the creation of the GLVC Sports Network, and he is also responsible for organizing the inaugural Midwest Region Crossover Volleyball Tournament in 2008, which was the first and currently largest NCAA intra-regional volleyball tournament in the country. Naumovich’s service with the GLVC benchmarks a remarkable profile highlighting his leadership and commitment to DII athletics.
Fall 2024 Meritorious Service Inductees:
Lanny Bunfill has been volunteering to take tickets and sell tickets at QU games for over 55 years. He says one of the most rewarding parts of his volunteer work is seeing familiar faces year after year, and he has no plans to give up this service at QU. “I guess as long as I’m healthy and I feel good, I’ll keep doing it,” said Bunfill. He adds that he enjoys the people he works with, and he gets to watch some great QU games. Bunfill received the Volunteer of the Year Award from the Mart Heinen Club in 2017. Bunfill is retired after working at Gardner Denver for 32 years, in industrial sales for six years and at Lowe’s for five years.
Joanne Ortwerth came to Quincy in 1957 with her husband John who was beginning his basketball coaching career at Quincy College. She taught courses at Quincy University and at John Wood Community College for many years. She received the Golden Deeds Award from the Quincy Exchange Club and was honored by the YWCA as a Woman of Achievement receiving the Caren Kemner Award for Sports. Ortwerth has been honored several times at the Illinois State Red Cross Conference. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Quincy University Retired Faculty-Staff Association and is Chair of the Sunshine Committee. For many alumni, Ortwerth may be most highly regarded for the supportive role that she played in the development of the student athletes on her husband’s basketball team. Ortwerth’s husband John was the head coach from 1960-1975. Former players have remarked that she was like a mother figure to all of them, and with their real moms far away, that was so important. One basketball alum said that Ortwerth was always willing to lend an ear and help them deal with issues they faced. One of her nominators, 1970 QU alum Bob Ociepka, said, “Joanne has given so much to Quincy and to the many players who have come through the system.
For more information about the QU Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, contact the QU Advancement Office at 217-228-5227.
Founded in 1860 by Franciscan friars, Quincy University is a small Catholic university emphasizing the sciences, liberal arts and the professions. Quincy University offers undergraduate, graduate and adult education programs integrating practical experience and Franciscan values. Faculty and advisors work with students to design customized success plans to help them graduate on time, find their passion and prepare them for life. QU is a member of NCAA Division II for intercollegiate athletics. For more information, please visit bxec.c178.net or contact the Office of Community Relations at (217) 228-5275 or communityrelations@c178.net. Quincy University. Success by Design.
