Area Notebook: Carrie Tollefson inducted into hall of fame
Jan. 22—Carrie Tollefson is arguably the most decorated and most famous athlete from west central Minnesota.
From Dawson, Tollefson won a baker's dozen (that's 13) state cross-country and track titles for Dawson-Boyd/Lac qui Parle Valley in the 1990s, then became a national cross-country champ at Villanova.
She was the West Central Tribune's Hengstler-Ranweiler winner her senior year in 1995, given to the area's outstanding three-sport athlete.
She eventually became an Olympian, running in the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece.
She's about to be inducted into the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame.
The current class of eight inductees are all women. It's an effort to honor the 50th anniversary of Title IX legislation that opened the door for female athletes to compete at all levels like their male counterparts.
The Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame is owned by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, which announced the eight inductees earlier this week. They are: volleyball star Annie Adamczak-Glavan of Moose Lake; WNBA players Seimone Augustus and Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx; Olympic soccer star Briana Curry of Anoka; Tollefson; former University of Minnesota women's athletic director Chris Voelz; Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn of Burnsville; and Olympic and Minnesota Gopher hockey star Krissy Wendell-Pohl.
Willmar Nordic skiers Timothy Halvorson and Elizabeth Haugen have been named Central Lakes Conference Performers of the Week.
Halvorson placed ninth in a 5-kilometer race in 18 minutes, 31.75 to earn the boys' skier of the week honor. Haugen took ninth in the girls' 5K with a time of 18:23.96.
Montevideo wrestler Dan Gunlogson and Montevideo dance team member April Roelike have been named West Central Conference Performers of the Week for Week 7 of the winter sports season.
Also honored by the conference are Morris/Chokio-Alberta boys basketball player Durgin Decker and Morris/C-A gymnast Haley Price. Melrose girls basketball player Brooke Finken also was honored.
Team United wrestling coach Ross Jurgenson recently won his 400th career match. The team is made up of athletes from Dawson-Boyd, Lac qui Parle Valley and Montevideo.
