Juniata To Induct Five into Hall of Fame

HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata College Sports Hall of Fame induction will take place Saturday, April 14th.

Tom Gibboney '78 (football and baseball), Stephanie Kines '07 (women's volleyball), Katie Laucks 06' (women's volleyball), Nikki Ayers '06 (women's soccer) and Kim Wagner 08' (field hockey and softball) make up this year's class. The inductees will be recognized between games of the baseball doubleheader against Susquehanna. There will be a reception at 5:30 with a dinner to follow at 6:30 in Ellis Hall Ballroom in the Von Liebig Center for Science.

Tom Gibboney '78

Gibboney was a two-sport athlete at Juniata. He played tight end and split end for the football team while playing in the outfield for the baseball team. He led the team in receiving yards in 1977 and led the team in scoring. He had 252 receiving yards, ran for 20 yards and completed a pass for 43 yards in 1977. In 1976, he caught 15 passes for 334 yards including two touchdowns. In his final year on the baseball team he hit .364 with 28 hits, five doubles, three triples and 18 RBI. He led the team in stolen bases as the team made its way to the NCAA Regional round. Tom was awarded the Stanford Mickle Award which is presented to the graduating male who contributed the most to athletics. 

"Tom, to me, was the typical Division III athlete in that he played baseball and football," said Juniata/MAC Hall of Famer Bill Berrier who coached Gibboney in both football and baseball. "He was a quiet giant, spoke softly but carried a big stick, and played both games with knowledge and the way they're supposed to be played. He was a great hitter and defensive outfielder. He knew how to get open, block and catch the ball. He was an all around great athlete and could get the job done."

Stephanie Kines '07 

Kines had a distinguished four-year career as a key member of the Juniata women's volleyball team and won two National Championships while at Juniata (2004 and 2006). She was an AVCA 1^st team All-American for three years, one of only eight players to do that in program history. She was the AVCA National Player of the Year in 06, an AVCA All-Region nominee for four years and was the AVCA Regional Freshman of the Year. She also was the MAC Commonwealth Player of the Year twice. She's fourth in program history in career blocks with 413, 8^th in blocks in a single season with 132 in 2005 and she's tied for third in solo blocks in a single season with five. She is 10^th in career kills with 1519. Kines also has three of the best single game hitting percentages as she hit .773 in 2004 against WV Wesleyan (2^nd), .742 against Susquehanna 2004 (4^th) and .640 in 2003 against Ithaca (10^th). She was awarded the Charles Bargerstock Award*. 

"Stephanie Kines is the most accomplished hitter to ever wear the uniform," said head coach Heather Pavlik.  "She was a fierce competitor who never let her team have a bad day in the training gym or on the game floor.  She had a competitive edge that was unrivaled and was one of the smartest and most shrewd players I have ever coached.  She simply refused to let her team lose and had her best performances when they were needed most which to me is the true sign of a champion.  Her wonderful personality meant that her team responded extremely well when she challenged people to be better.   She was an extremely effective leader and captain for this reason."   

Katie Laucks '06            

Laucks started all four years in her time on the women's volleyball team and was a member of the 2004 National Championship team. She was an AVCA 1^st team All-American three straight years, a three-time AVCA all-region selection and a four time Middle-Atlantic Conference All-Star selection. She is ninth in career kills at Juniata with 1,553 and ranks ninth in career blocks with 351. She has three of the best single game hitting percentages in program history: she hit .750 against Elizabethtown in 2005 (3^rd), hit .667 in 2005 against Lebanon Valley 2005 (t-8^th) and hit .667 against Indiana University in 2004 (t-8^th).

"Katie was a wonderful player who was one of the best here at Juniata and also one of the best in the country," stated coach Pavlik. "Her personality was infectious.  She was an extremely hard worker with what seemed like an endless supply of energy.  She was one of the best people to have in the training gym each day because she was always so happy and always smiling while competitively being an assassin.  She was one of the best at handling pressure.  She seemed to thrive in tight situations and tough matches."  

Nikki Ayers '06

Ayers is the most decorated women's soccer player in the history of the program. She started all four years and was a MAC All-Conference selection all four years, the first in program history to do so. She is the program leader in: goals scored with 32, assists with 25 and total points with 89. She also has some of the most totals in a single season as well: second in goals scored in a season with 12 (2005) and tied for seventh with nine (2004), first in assists in a season with 11 (2003) and tied for fourth with six (2004). She is tied for second in points in a season with 29 (2005) and tied for fifth with 25 (2003). She was awarded the Charles Bargerstock Award*.

"Nikki is one of those 'once in a decade' type of players that can just transform a team," said head coach Scott McKenzie. "She had the ability to change the outcome of a game. Our program has improved so much because she helped us appeal to a different level of prospective player. Her footprints will be with our program for a long time." 

Kim Wagner '08

Wagner was a two sport athlete in her time at Juniata as she spent four years as a standout field hockey player and one year on the softball team. She was a part of the team that advanced to the Elite 8 and won the inaugural Landmark Conference Championship in 2007. Her freshman year she was named MAC Commonwealth Rookie of the Year as the team went to their first NCAA Tournament. She earned all-conference honors all four years of her career. She's a two-time NFHCA Division III All-American, was the MAC Commonwealth Player of the Year and the Landmark Conference Offensive Player of the Year. She was a Womensfieldhockey.com Division III First-Team selection as a junior and made the second team as a senior. She is the leader in two career program records as she has the most career points with 184 and the most career goals with 81. Her 22 career assists puts her fifth. Her 31 goals in 2006 is the most goals in a season while her 25 in 2007 ranks second. Her 11 assists in 2007 is the fifth most. She was awarded the Charles Bargerstock award*.

"Kim Wagner was certainly our most prolific scorer ever, over the course of her four years; thirty goals separate her from the pack of career leading scorers that follow her," stated head coach Caroline Gillich. "She holds the "single season" records in the top two seasons for scoring; both her junior and senior year. To say she is the best player in our program to date has backing. She had amazing speed and acceleration, and she knew how to use it to come up with interceptions or blow past opponents with a single move.  She was intense on the field and in practices both on offense and defense; she was very approachable which made her an amazing teammate. In order to play with and against Kim, you had to give it your all. By doing this she was able to help raise all those around her to a higher level. This is what makes a "great" player in my mind… It is not just that they are able to perform at the highest level day in and day out, but they create an environment and raise the bar for an entire team, and the team responds. Kim was always a leader on the field and a friend off the field. She was a big part of the 2007 team which made it to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament."  

*Charles Bargerstock Award is presented to the graduating female who made the greatest contribution to athletics.

RSVP to Luncheon and/or Dinner

Click here to RSVP to the Hall of Fame luncheon and/or dinner.