By Blake Dowson
For the 28th time in school history, the National Iowa Varsity Club and the Iowa Athletics Department have announced a Hall of Fame class that includes six former Hawkeye athletes and one former coach.
To be eligible for induction, former athletes must have completed their eligibility at least 10 years previously and earned at least one varsity letter. Coaches who are inducted into the Hall of Fame must have retired or left the university at least five years prior to induction.
This year’s Hall of Fame class includes Tyler Cleveland (men’s tennis), Toni Foster (women’s basketball), Dave Haight (football), Sean McCarty (men’s golf), Kimberly Stevens (women’s swimming), T.J. Williams (wrestling), and Gayle Blevins (softball head coach.)
Cleveland was the first conference tennis player to be named Big Ten Sportsman of the Year and Big Ten Athlete of the Year during his junior season in 2000. He was the Big Ten Player of the Year in both 2000 and 2001 and was named Freshman of the Year in 1998. His school records include career wins (103), single-season wins (32, 1999-2000), and career winning percentage (.797).
Foster was a three-time first-team All-Big Ten for the Iowa women’s basketball team, winning Player of the Year honors in 1993. That same year, she was named a Kodak All-American and a finalist for the Champion Player of the Year award. For three-consecutive years, she led the Hawkeyes in scoring and rebounding, and she is one of three consensus All-Americans in school history.
A Rose Bowl participant in 1986, Haight was named a first-team All-American two seasons later in 1988 as a defensive lineman. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection from 1986-88. Iowa tallied a 35-12 record with Haight on the roster, leading to a spot on Iowa’s All-Time Team in 1989.
McCarty left school at Iowa as the best men’s golfer in program history, and he still is. He was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 1992 and three years later as a senior he became only the third All-American in program history.
Stevens is one of the most decorated swimmers in school history, earning All-American honors on three separate occasions and four Big Ten titles. She won both the 100 and 200 freestyle at the 1985 Big Ten Championships, and in 1986 she repeated in the 200 free, as well as anchoring the 800-freestyle relay to a victory. Her 1986 200-freestyle win broke a Big Ten record.
A two-time national champion on the storied Iowa wrestling team, Williams was a three-time All-American and All-Big Ten performer from 1999-2001. He finished two separate seasons undefeated, and his 98-1 career record stands as the best winning percentage in school history (.990). He won 67-consecutive matches from 1999-2001.
Gayle Blevins, the only coach in the 2016 class, carved out quite a career at the helm of the Iowa softball program. In 23 years with the Hawkeyes, Blevins compiled a career record of 903-424-1 and led Iowa to four Women’s College World Series. She won five regular-season Big Ten titles and two tournament titles and was named Big Ten Coach of the Year three times. Her 1,245 career wins rank fifth in NCAA Division I history.