Northwood Announces Sixth Athletic Hall of Fame Class

Posted: Sep 08, 2011

Release courtesy of Travis McCurdy, Sports Information Director, Northwood University

Midland, Mich. – The Northwood University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has announced the members of the sixth class of the Athletic Hall of Fame.

Joan (Frysinger) Bastianelli (Volleyball/Basketball), Lional Campbell (Men’s Track and Field), Bill Oates (Men’s Basketball), Jeremy Piggot (Men’s Basketball), Don Winger (Contributor), Girza Worthy (Football) join 25 other inductees into the Athletic Hall of Fame.

The fifth annual Hall of Fame ceremony will take place October 1 and will be a part of Homecoming and Auto Show weekend at Northwood. The reception for the event will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by the dinner and program at 7 p.m.

Admission to the reception and dinner will be $30.00. Net proceeds from the event will fund a Northwood Athletic Hall of Fame scholarship in the name of the inductees. People interested in attending the event should contact Robin Yancer in the Northwood Alumni office at (989) 837-4350 or at yancer@northwood.edu.

The inductees were selected based on their athletic prowess, contributions to the athletic programs, success and character as well as their positive representation of Northwood University.

“We are excited to be able to honor these outstanding individuals and to pay tribute to the long history of Northwood Athletics, said Dave Marsh, Associate Athletics Director. “Each of the inductees was a pioneer in their sport and in the development of our athletic program. Without them we would not be enjoying our current success.”

JOAN (FRYSINGER) BASTIANELLI

Volleyball/Basketball

1985-89

Joan Frysinger was a key part of both the Northwood volleyball and basketball programs. A two-time All-American with the volleyball team, Frysinger is the all-time leader in Northwood history in total blocks (652) and solo blocks (264). She also ranks in the top-10 in school history in kills (eighth – 1,341), attack percentage (seventh - .338) and aces (seventh – 241). Her 199 blocks in the 1988 season are the most in a season in Northwood history. Frysinger was a part of four NAIA District 23 championship teams and was a part of the 1988 team which placed fifth nationally. Frysinger also played three seasons of basketball for Northwood, where she ranks 13th in school history with 519 career rebounds.

LIONAL CAMPBELL

Track and Field

1977-80

Lional Campbell was one of the first standouts in the history of the Northwood track and field program. He became just the second Northwood track and field athlete to become an All-American, earning the honor in 1978. He is also one of just three track and field athletes to earn All-America recognition in three separate seasons (1978, 1979, 1980). He still holds Northwood records in the 110 meter hurdles outdoors (13.87) and the 55 meter hurdles indoors (7.27). Both of those records have stood at Northwood since 1980. Campbell was a key part of Northwood’s GLIAC Championship team from the outdoor season in 1980.

BILL OATES

Men’s Basketball

1966-70

Bill Oates finished his career as one of the best player in men’s basketball history. He currently ranks third in school history with 1,860 points. Oates also ranks sixth at Northwood with 728 rebounds. He led the team in scoring in his final three seasons at Northwood, averaging over 23 points per game in that stretch. During his junior season, Oates averaged a career-best 24.5 points per game. He owns three of the top 20 individual scoring seasons in school history. Oates was teammates with fellow hall of famers Jerry Pettway and Tom Rathburn.

JEREMY PIGGOTT

Men’s Basketball

1995-99

Jeremy Piggott was a key part of some of the best teams in Northwood men’s basketball history. He was the leading scoring on the Timberwolves over his final two seasons, averaging 18.4 points as a junior and 17.3 points as a senior. Those two teams went 40-15 overall (.727), won two GLIAC North Division Championships and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. For his career, Piggott ranks 10th in school history with 1,484 points. He was a two-time First Team All-GLIAC honoree as well as well as a CoSIDA Academic All-American in 1998-99. Piggott started all 108 games of his career.

DON WINGER

Contributor

Don Winger has been a great friend to Northwood University athletics for over 40 years. He was the sports editor of the Midland Daily News from 1967-2001, starting during the early years of Northwood athletics. He covered countless Northwood events and served as the public address announcer for Northwood baseball for many years. In addition to his time with the Midland Daily News, Winger has hosted Northwood Football Replay and Northwood Roundball Replay on MCTV here in Midland. Winger’s faithful service to athletics has earned him induction into the Midland County Sports Hall of Fame, the Baseball Coaches Association of Michigan Hall of Honor, and the Olivet College Hall of Fame.

GIRZA WORTHY

Football

1978-81

Girza Worthy is one of seven football players in Northwood history to earn All-America honors in two different seasons. A defensive tackle for the Timberwolves, Worthy was named Honorable Mention NAIA Division I All-America in 1980 and followed that by earning Honorable Mention AP Little All-America in 1981. Worthy was a key contributor to the Northwood defense for all four years of his playing career. During his All-American seasons, Northwood allowed an average of just 12 points per game.

Questions about the event should be directed to Dave Marsh, Associate Athletic Director – (989) 837-4389 or dmarsh@northwood.edu.