Delaware County Athletic Hall of Fame announces 11-person 2022 class

MUNCIE, Ind. — The Delaware County Athletic Hall of Fame will welcome 11 new members in its 2022 class.

This class includes former Delaware County athletes who were state winners in swimming, volleyball and wrestling, collegiate and professional athletes, All-Americans, record-breakers and more.

The 2022 class includes: Bill Bower (Wes-Del), Allyson (Morey) Castine (Burris), Dane Cook (Delta), Tim Courtney (Northside), Lauren (Kaminsky) Dunham (Burris), Marc Foreman (Southside), Joe Gasser (Yorktown), Ryan Kerrigan (Central), Chris Powers (Central), Taylor Unroe (Burris) and Morgan (Wallen) Wijay (Wes-Del). Mike Bush was selected as the winner of the Lightbody Award.

This year's induction ceremony will take place July 23 in Cardinal Hall at Pittenger Center at Ball State University. It will begin at 5:30 p.m., with a banquet at 6 p.m. and induction at 7 p.m.. Tickets are available at delcohof.org and cost $30 for adults and $20 for children.

The 24th annual Hall of Fame golf tournament will be at 1 p.m. July 22 at Crestview Golf Club. Four-player scramble teams are $200 while individuals are $50. If interested in joining, contact Joey O'Connor (765-760-2830), Mike Bush (765-286-1640) or Jim Mansfield (765-284-9662).

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In addition to its 2022 class, the Hall of Fame announced the winners of its five major academic scholarships. Those winners include: Wayne Bilby ($2,500 Francis Lafferty Hall of Fame Scholarship), Ashytn Zickgraf ($2,000 Hill Family Scholarship), Ben Edwards ($1,000 Falls Memorial Scholarship), Jack Mulkey ($500 DeBord Memorial Scholarship) and Toby Abbott ($500 Cartwright Scholarship).

Here are the 11 inductees and the Lightbody Award winner, with biographical information provided in a release by the Delaware County Athletic Hall of Fame:

Bill Bower

"Bower was a four-year varsity player on the Wes-Del boys basketball team. He graduated in 1989 with 12 letters in four varsity sports.

"He was a freshman in 1985 when the Warriors won the Delaware County basketball tournament and a sectional title. ... He averaged 24.6 points per game as a senior, and led Delaware County in rebounding his final two seasons.

"... Bower also excelled in golf as a four-year varsity player. He was sectional medalist in 1989 ... He graduated fourth in his class, and earned a degree in biology in 1993 at Indiana University."

Allyson (Morey) Castine

"Castine won county volleyball championships in junior high at Yorktown, then became a stellar part of four state championship teams at Burris. She was named All-State and All-American during her senior season with the Owls. She was featured in the Sports Illustrated Faces in the Crowd section in December 2009.

"She went on to star at the University of Dayton, where the Flyers won three Atlantic-10 Conference championships and participated in three NCAA Tournaments. Castine set the record for most aces in a match and most aces in a conference tournament at Dayton."

Dane Cook

"Cook was a fixture in the Delta football lineup, beginning when he started every game as a freshman in 2002, and ending with his senior season in 2005 that led to a scholarship to play at Ball State.

"He played safety for the Eagles, helping them to an 8-2 record and a state ranking during most of the 2002 season. Cook earned All-State recognition as a sophomore, and as a junior helped anchor an Eagles defense that allowed just 8.7 points per game and was unbeaten in the regular season. Delta won its first sectional title in five years when Cook was a senior, and he also rushed for 1,000 yards. He was picked All-State as a defensive back.

"The Eagles had a 37-8 record during Cook's four seasons ... He went on to play four seasons of football at Ball State, where he contributed to two Mid-American Conference West championships and two bowl appearances for the Cardinals."

Tim Courtney

"Courtney was a champion swimmer at Northside High School, where he qualified for more state championship appearances than any athlete from Muncie.

"... As a senior in 1980, Courtney went to state in the 50 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 200 medley relay. He bettered the state record with a time of 53.861 in the 100 back but finished second in the event. His 200 medley team won the 1980 state title.

"Courtney signed to swim at North Carolina State, where he contributed to two ACC championships for the Wolfpack. After an injury, he transferred to Indiana University and earned degrees in business and advertising."

Lauren (Kaminsky) Dunham

"Dunham was a four-time state champion in volleyball while starring at Burris during the 2002-05 high school seasons. She was All-State, All-Mid-Eastern Conference and team captain during her junior and senior seasons. The Owls during her junior season were named national champion by prepvolleyball.com. She also won the State Farm Mental Attitude Award at the 2005 IHSAA state finals.

"Dunham earned a scholarship to play volleyball at Xavier University, where she competed for four seasons. She ranked in the top 10 all time at the school in digs and sets played. She helped the Musketeers reach the NCAA Tournament in 2007, and was on the Atlantic-10 commissioners honor roll all eight semesters of her career.

"She also competed in track at Burris, earning four varsity letters and winning MEC championships in the 100 and 200 dashes and long jump."

Marc Foreman

"Foreman received All-American honors in 1990 when he won a state wrestling championship at Southside High School. His performance helped the Rebels win the 1990 Indiana high school state championship.

"He qualified for the IHSAA state finals three times, and also won three sectional titles, two regionals and two semistates as well as three Olympic Conference championships. Foreman ranks 10th on the Southside career wins list with a record of 116-16-1. He finished fifth in the National High School Wrestling Tournament in 1990 and earned All-American status. He also was a state runner-up in judo in 1994."

Joe Gasser

"(Gasser) lettered three years in basketball but his best accomplishments occurred on the golf course for the Tigers.

"He lettered four years in golf and was the team MVP three times. Gasser helped the Tigers win the sectional three times and enjoyed regional success, too. He played in the IHSAA state tournament three times with a personal best finish of a tie for seventh place. He won 10 individual tournament championships in high school, including the Delaware County tourney title twice. He compiled a 74.5 stroke average in high school, with a top mark of 72.8 as a senior.

"Gasser competed in national events as a junior player and also played in the Indiana Amateur four times and the Indiana Open twice. After graduating from Yorktown in 2009, he played collegiately at Ball State four years and averaged 74.36 with three top 10 finishes as a senior."

Ryan Kerrigan

"Kerrigan was a three-year football standout at Central High School. The 2006 graduate was a two-time All-State selection and was Indiana's Defensive Lineman of the Year in Mr. Football voting. He led the state in sacks with 19. As a tight end, he caught 67 passes for 1,232 yards his final two seasons.

"He received a scholarship to play at Purdue and found huge success with the Boilermakers. Kerrigan won the team's Pitbull Award and was the defensive MVP as a junior. During his senior season he was team co-captain, defensive MVP, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year, and Purdue's first unanimous All-American since 1980. He also was runner-up for the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's top defensive end ... he was selected in the first round of the NFL draft, No. 16 overall, by Washington.

"Kerrigan has enjoyed a stellar career in the NFL after becoming a starting outside linebacker in Washington. He is the team's all-time leader in sacks with 95.5, and is the all-time leader in the NFL for consecutive starts by a left outside linebacker. Kerrigan was a member of the NFL's All-Rookie team in 2011 and has been selected for four Pro Bowls."

Chris Powers

"Powers was one of the top distance runners to come out of Delaware County while setting numerous records at Central High School and across the state. He won the Robert S. Hinshaw Mental Attitude Award at the 1999 IHSAA state track and field meet.

"At Central, he won five North Central Conference titles, eight individual sectional crowns and three individual regional titles. He earned five All-State honors. Powers set the freshman, junior and senior Bearcat cross country records and also the overall record with a time of 15:27. He eclipsed school marks in track in the 1,600 and 3,200 runs.

"Powers continued his running career at Indiana University, where he qualified for the NCAA cross country and track national championships, earning two first-team All-American honors. In 2004, he received the Big Ten Medal of Honor as the top male athlete at IU. He graduated with honors from Indiana in 2004 with three majors: computer information systems, international business and business management."

Taylor Unroe

"Unroe was a four-time Indiana high school state champion volleyball player at Burris 2007-2010 and enjoyed enormous success at the University of Florida. She also won two national championships as a player in Munciana Volleyball.

"After achieving four state titles with the Owls, her Florida teams compiled four straight seasons of at least 25 victories while winning two Southeastern Conference championships, earning two NCAA regional final appearances and getting four straight NCAA Tournament bids. The Gators were 110-19 overall and 70-6 in the SEC during her career. Unroe ranks second at the school in career digs, ninth in aces and fifth in sets played. In 2013, she was the first Florida player to be named SEC Libero of the Year."

Morgan (Wallen) Wijay

"Wijay was a three-sport athlete at Wes-Del and earned a scholarship to play volleyball at the University of Houston. She was a four-time MVP for the Warriors and was named All-State twice. She was a Fab 50 top national recruit.

"At Houston ... she helped the Cougars reach the NCAA Tournament four times. Wijay also excelled in basketball and softball at Wes-Del, and was offered a basketball scholarship at Houston. She was a three-time All-Delaware County player in basketball for the Warriors, and was named All-County four times in softball. She was a member of the Delaware County softball championship team in 1995, the first one for Wes-Del."

Mike Bush

"Bush, the president of the Delaware County Athletic Hall of Fame, has been selected for the Lightbody Award. The honor is bestowed upon an individual by the Delaware County Sports Heritage Foundation. It recognizes the contributions of an individual who has excelled in the participation, support or promotion of athletics in Muncie and Delaware County.

"Bush played football, basketball and baseball at Southside High School, winning nine letters. He coached baseball 1978-85 at Wes-Del, was basketball coach for the Warriors from 1985-88, and also coached boys golf 1985-91, and started the girls golf program in 1989.

"Bush became athletic director at Central High School in 1991, moved to Jay Schools as technology director, returned to Wes-Del in 1995 to become curriculum/technology coordinator, and later became superintendent of Wes-Del, where he retired in 2018. He has been an official with the Delaware County Athletic Hall of Fame since 1989."

Robby General covers Ball State and East Central Indiana high school sports for The Star Press. Contact him via email at rgeneral@gannett.com or on Twitter @rgeneraljr.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Delaware County Athletic Hall of Fame inducts 11 in the 2022 class