Springfield, Mass. – April 1, 2017 – The National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) is excited to announce the eight inductees into the NCGA Division III Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
Established in 2011, the NCGA Division III Gymnastics Hall of Fame was created to pay tribute and give deserved recognition and honor to outstanding former athletes, coaches and administrators who have shown distinctive and exceptional ability while participating within or supporting Division III gymnastics.
This year’s inductees include Rhonda Gorseth Alberts of Gustavus Adolphus, Merilee Healy Cardinal of UW-River Falls, Pam Rigby Murphy of Trenton State, Susie Milts Strouf of UW-La Crosse, Phyllis and Dale Hardt of UW-Oshkosh, Sheila Rocchio of MIT and Mary Leivian Taylor of UW-Oshkosh.
Gorseth Alberts was a gymnast at Gustavus Adolphus from 1990-1991 and an assistant coach of the Gusties in 1993. In just two years of competition, she was an eight-time first-team all-american, and helped lead Gustavus to a pair of National Championships in 1990 and 1991. Gorseth Alberts won an individual national championship on the balance beam in 1991, a year where she also took third on vault, floor exercise and in the all-around.
Healy Cardinal was a gymnast at UW-River Falls from 1993-1995 and was a nine-time first-team all-american during her time as a student-athlete. She earned second place on the uneven bars in 1993, while also placing fifth on the floor exercise. In 1994, Healy Cardinal won an individual national championship on the uneven bars, before repeating as a national champion, but on the balance beam in 1995.
Rigby Murphy competed at Trenton State University from 1988-1990, where she earned 10 First-Team All-America honors in just three years. She was the national runner up in three-consecutive seasons, as she was second place in the all-around in 1988 and 1989, before taking second in the uneven bars in 1990. Rigby Murphy won four regional championships during her time as a student-athlete, including winning the ECAC All-Around competition in 1988, along with titles on the balance beam and uneven bars that same year. In 1989, she repeated as the regional champ in the all-around competition.
Milts Strouf was a gymnast at UW-La Crosse from 1986-1990 and was a six-time First Team All-American during her time as a student-athlete. Members of two national championship teams in 1986 and 1988, Milts Strouf was the national champion on the uneven bars in 1988 and was a two-time WIAC Champion in vault, repeating as the conference’s best in 1989 and 1990.
Phyllis and Dale Hardt coached at UW-Oshkosh from 1976 to 1992. During their tenure, the duo coached athletes to four NCAA Division II, eight NAIA and 17 WIAC event championships. In addition, Phyllis was named NAIA Coach of the Year in 1986 and WIAC Coach of the Year in 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1987 and 1991. Phyllis retired from collegiate coaching in 1992 and went on to develop and grow the youth program at the Oshkosh Gymnastics Center until 2015.
Sheila Rocchio was a gymnast at MIT from 1994 to 1997, where she was a six-time First Team All-American during her time as a student-athlete. She was a four-time first-team all-conference gymnast, won one conference championship, and finished second on vault in 1995 at the NCGA National Championships. In 1997, Rocchio was named the NCGA Senior of the Year.
Lastly, Mary Leivian Taylor was a gymnast at UW-Oshkosh from 1986-1989, where she was a three-time First-Team All-American in 1989, led the Titans to its first NCGA title in 1989 and earned 14 NAIA All-America honors during her time as a student-athlete. In 1987, Leivian Taylor won all five events at the NAIA National Championships, and was an NCAA Central Region Qualifier in the all-around competition in 1988. Additionally, Leivian Taylor was a Division II National Champion in the all-around competition and on the balance beam in 1988.