ASHLAND, Wis.--- The Northland College Athletic Department is proud to announce six new members into the Hall of Fame. The 2022 inductees are: Craig Ponzio (Football, Coach & Builder), Steve Wammer (Athletic Director & Coach), Kyle Rogers (Baseball), Dan Crawford (Wrestling & Football), Steve Franklin (Men's Soccer & Coach) and Sarah Strobino (Women's Soccer).
The 2022 Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on the campus of Northland College on September 24th at 9:00 a.m. in conjunction with Fall Festival Weekend (Sep 21-24). For more information please visit www.northland.edu/alumni/fallfestival/
Dan Crawford 76': Crawford is one of the most decorated athletes in Northland College history. Arriving to campus in 1972 from Chippewa Falls, Dan made an immediate impact in two sports, both football and wrestling. Lettering four times in each sport, he was the recipient of numerous awards throughout his career. On the football field he went on to win awards including "Most Improved Player" in football as a sophomore, team MVP as a senior and collected three all conference awards. He set career records for most tackles (324) and defensive fumbles recovered (9). On the mat he accumulated seven tournament titles, two national tournament invites, three all conference awards and an all district honorable mention. His 75 career victories were a Northland record at the time of his graduation. He served as team captain for each sport as a senior.
Steve Franklin '81: Franklin and is mentor Gavin Donaldson were instrumental in bringing soccer to Northland College when they founded it as a club sport in 1978. Franklin initiated and later served as a player/coach. Franklin currently sits a top the record books as the program's all-time leading scorer with 49 goals and 108 points. While teaching and coaching volleyball and basketball at Northland, his teams captured two national championships and earned six final four births at the NSCAA and NAIA level. Franklin coached 13 All-Americans and 17 All-District players. After Northland College, he received his master's degree in Kinesiology from Indiana University, served as the men's soccer head coach at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, and is currently the director of coaching education with the Indiana Soccer Association.
Craig Ponzio 72': Ponzio came to Northland as a member of the football team in 1968. As a star strong side offensive guard, he helped lead Northland to a share of the 1970 Gateway Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and was recognized as an Honorable Mention All-Conference performer. As a senior he was named team captain. After his career as a player, Ponzio became an assistant coach serving until 1976. His love and dedication for the institution and its athletic department didn't end there. Through Craig's philanthropic efforts, Northland College has state of the art facilities on its campus that serves all students. In Fall of 2016 Northland dedicated Ponzio Stadium in which Craig funded. One of the top college stadiums in the country. The multi-million dollar stadium can seat 1000 in the grandstand. The artificial turf extends the playing season and incorporates features that fit the colleges commitment to sustainability. Craig has been a devoted athletics booster giving years and resources to the Northland student experience. The Ponzio name permeates through walls of Northland College Athletics and will forever.
Kyle Rogers 06': Rogers was an instrumental player during the rebirth of baseball as a varsity sport and became one of the most decorated players in Northland Baseball history. Rogers finished his career ranked number atop numerous statistical categories including games played (T162), hits (144), doubles (42), homeruns (11), and rbi's (T100). He was awarded with conference postseason honors twice, taking home 1
st team All UMAC honors in 2005 after a remarkable season in which he set the single season record in hits, doubles and homeruns, ultimately helping the program achieve its first .500 season since the sport came back in 2000. He was, also, a member of the 2006 season which finished above .500 for the first time, tying the then-school record with 22 wins.
Sarah Strobino '10: Strobino, a four-year player of the LumberJill Soccer program, accumulated 81 goals and 16 assists for 178 points in 76 career games. Sarah currently sits a top of career and single season goals record book with 81 career goals and 27 goals in her Junior season. Strobino was named UMAC player of the Year in both her Junior and Senior seasons. Sarah also still holds two NCAA records, which took place during the 2008-2009 season for most goals in a game vs. Finlandia University (7) and points in a game (14). In Sarah's Senior season, she helped lead the team to it's best ever finish (at the time) in the UMAC Conference, when the team finished the regular season in 2
nd place and advanced the team to the Championship game for the first time in school history. The 15-4-1 season record still stands as the best single season record in Northland College Women's Soccer history.
Steve Wammer (1999-2017)- Named Director of Athletics in 1999, Steve oversaw major changes in the athletic department including the expansion of varsity sport offerings from six twelve. He also led the four-year process for Northland College to become a member of the NCAA, gaining full member status in 2003. Wammer was also very influential in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference and was a driving force for the move to NCAA as a conference. He also served as the second ever president of the MCHA Hockey Conference. From 2002-2017 Steve was the Head Softball Coach, coaching numerous All-UMAC award winners and one NFCA All-American. During his tenure with the Softball program, his teams qualified for the NAIA Tournament (2003), were the 2008 UMAC Tournament Champions and made the UMAC post-season tournament seven times. He, also, coached Women's Golf (two seasons) and Men's Basketball (3 seasons) in his time at Northland.
Northland College is an NCAA Division III institution located in Ashland, WI. The LumberJacks and LumberJills sponsor 14 varsity sports and compete in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, Midwest Lacrosse Conference and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
