Northwood Announces Twelfth Hall of Fame Class

The Northwood University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has announced the members of the 12th class of the Athletic Hall of Fame.

Cindy (Choban) Bierwagen – Volleyball, Tanya (Hospelhorn) Darnell – Softball, Teddy Mebounou – Men's Tennis, Jim Somers – Men's Basketball and Amanda Watson – Women's Soccer join 59 other inductees into the Athletic Hall of Fame.

The 12th annual Hall of Fame ceremony will take place October 21 in the Hach Student Life Center, following the Northwood football game at 1 p.m.  The reception for the event will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the dinner and program at 6 p.m.

Admission to the reception and dinner will be $30.   Net proceeds from the event will fund a Northwood Athletic Hall of Fame scholarship in the name of the inductees.  People interested in attending the event should contact Robin Yancer in the Northwood Alumni office at (989) 837-4350 or at yancer@northwood.edu.

The inductees were selected based on their athletic prowess, contributions to the athletic programs, success and character as well as their positive representation of Northwood University.

"We are excited to be able to honor these outstanding individuals and to pay tribute to the long history of Northwood Athletics, said Dave Marsh, Northwood Athletic Director.  "Each of the inductees was a pioneer in their sport and in the development of our athletic program.  Without them we would not be enjoying our current success."

	CINDY (CHOBAN) BIERWAGEN Volleyball 1991-92 Cindy Choban became one of the top volleyball players in Northwood history in just two seasons. After transferring in for her junior campaign, she earned First Team All-District 23 in both her junior and senior season. A two-time NAIA Mid-East Region CoSIDA All-Academic honoree, Choban holds four single-season school records at Northwood: kills (737), solo blocks (94), digs (584) and digs per set (4.10). For her career, she ranks second in NU history in attack percentage (.378) while standing ninth in kills (1,247) and fifth in solo blocks (124). A two-time All-American, Choban set the school record for solo blocks in a match (nine) in 1992. She was a key part of the highest-finishing team in Northwood volleyball history in 1991, when Northwood finished third at the NAIA national championships. The team went 65-20 in her career and won a pair of NAIA District 23 Championships.
	TANYA (HOSPELHORN) DARNELL Softball 1993-96 Tanya Hospelhorn finished as one of the finest all-around players in the history of Northwood softball. More than 20 years after her career ended, Hospelhorn still holds the Northwood season records for hits (81) and runs batted in (53), as well as the career standards in hits (238), runs batted in (162) and total bases (357). In total, Hospelhorn's name appears 27 times in the Northwood record book. For her career, Hospelhorn ranks second in runs (149), second in doubles (44), third in triples (18), eighth in home runs (13), second in stolen bases (86) and fourth in batting average (.364). A three-time All-GLIAC honoree, Hospelhorn was named First Team All-Region in her senior season. She was a key part of some of the most successful teams in program history, as Northwood averaged nearly 30 wins per season in her career.
	TEDDY MEBOUNOU Men's Tennis 2005-07, 2011-12 From his first day at Northwood, Teddy Mebounou was one of the top players in program history. In his first two years at Northwood, Mebounou won 40 matches while leading the Timberwolves to a pair of GLIAC Championships. In addition, he won the Division II Individual title at the ITA Championships. That win made Mebounou the No. 1 singles player in DII, the first player in GLIAC history to earn the top ranking. In 2007 he was named the GLIAC Men's Tennis Athlete of the Year and became the second Northwood player to earn ITA Senior National Player of the Year. Five years later, Mebounou returned to Northwood to earn his MBA at the DeVos Graduate School. He maintained his high-level of play even after five years, earned GLIAC Athlete of the Year honors for the second time. Mebounou, who finished his career with a 70-18 overall record, led the Timberwolves to three GLIAC Championship and a final national ranking as high as ninth.
	JIM SOMERS Men's Basketball 1977-81 Jim Somers was one of Northwood's best players as the 1970's concluded. He led Northwood in scoring three times in his career, averaging at least 15.6 points per games in each of his final three years. In the era before the shot clock was introduced, Somers ranks eighth in school history in scoring (1,569 points) and fourth in rebounding (782). In a game in 1980, Somers attempted 20 free throws, which still stands as the most for an individual player in a single contest. He was the leading scorer and rebounder for the 1980-81 team, which stands as one of the best in program history. Northwood went 18-9 that season, which at the time set a new school mark for victories in a year and tied the mark for highest win percentage (.667).
	AMANDA WATSON Women's Soccer 2009-12 At the time of her induction into the Hall of Fame, Amanda Watson stands far above any other player in the history of Northwood women's soccer. She finished her career with 132 points, 30 more than the second most in program history. Watson scored 55 goals in her career, 10 more than any other player while standing second in school history with 22 assists. She was named the 2010 GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2010, the only time a Northwood player has earned that honor. Watson is the only player in program history to earn First Team All-GLIAC four times. A three-time All-Region honoree, Watson started a new era of women's soccer at Northwood. She was a part of 19 GLIAC victories in her career after the Timberwolves had not won a conference game the previous four seasons.