The Highlights

The Lawrence University Intercollegiate Athletic Hall of Fame gets five new faces for 2010.

Damian LaCroix, class of 1991, Matt Miota ’91, Brian Murphy ’99, Sara Schye Sechen ’00 and Alyssa Bonine Summers ’00 will be inducted on Friday, Oct. 8, in a ceremony at the Warch Campus Center.

Here’s a brief look at all of the inductees.

Damian LaCroix ‘91

Defensive linemen aren’t supposed to do what Damian LaCroix did.

A two-time All-American, LaCroix piled up an amazing 407 career tackles from his defensive tackle position. That ranks second in Lawrence history and first among Vikings defensive linemen.

A team captain, LaCroix was a three-time first-team All-Midwest Conference selection (1988, 1989, 1990). He was honored on four different All-America teams during his career.

LaCroix was a first-team Pizza Hut All-American in 1989 and earned first-team honors from the Football News in 1990. He also was a third-team selection on the Champion U.S.A. All-America team in 1990. LaCroix also was a preseason All-America selection by College Football Preview magazine prior to the 1990 season.

The Fond du Lac, Wis., native posted a career-high 119 tackles in both the 1989 and 1990 seasons. A four-year starter, LaCroix added 5.0 sacks and three fumble recoveries during his career.

LaCroix earned a bachelor’s degree in history at Lawrence and is the superintendant of the Howard-Suamico School District. LaCroix, who holds a Master’s degree in educational administration and a special certificate in administrative leadership, lives with his wife, Melissa, in Suamico, Wis. The LaCroixs have four children, Max, Zach, Abe and Abbey.

Matt Miota ‘91

Matt Miota was a prolific scorer and perhaps the finest shooter in Lawrence basketball history.

Miota was third in career scoring with 1,246 points when he graduated, and he still ranks seventh on that list. The native of West Allis, Wis., averaged 14.5 points and 3.3 assists per game. Miota was a three-time All-Midwest Conference selection during his career, earning first-team honors in 1989-90 and was a second-team pick in both 1988-89 and 1990-91.

Miota’s name is all over the Lawrence record book, and he ranked first six categories when he graduated. Miota is still the career leader in 3-point shooting percentage at 45.2 percent (tied with Ryan Kroeger), the leader in season 3-point percentage at 61.1 percent in 1989-90 and season scoring average at 20.7 points per game in 1989-90.

Miota also ranked first in season points at 455, free throws made at 120 and career assists at 283.

A team captain, Miota had one of the most stunning seasons in Lawrence basketball history in 1989-90. On his way to setting school records for season points, scoring average and 3-point shooting percentage, Miota also led the nation in 3-point shooting at 61.1 percent.

More than just a perimeter scorer, Miota also got to the basket and the foul line. He still ranks second in career free throw percentage at 84.3 percent and was second with 339 free throws made when he graduated.

Miota also led Lawrence to three consecutive winning seasons from 1987-88 to 1989-90, which was the best stretch of Vikings basketball in the modern era. The Vikings compiled a record of 38-28 during that time.

Miota is a teacher in the Madison Metropolitan School District and the head boys’ basketball coach at Madison East High School. Miota and his wife, Katy, live in Madison, Wis., and have a son, Matteo.

Brian Murphy ‘99

Brian Murphy was a dominant sprinter during his career and helped usher in a tremendously successful period for Lawrence University men’s swimming.

A native of Sussex, Wis., Murphy was a nine-time Midwest Conference champion and led Lawrence to the 1996 league championship. With Murphy on the team, the Vikings never finished lower than second at the MWC Championships, and Lawrence won three Wisconsin Private College Championships crowns.

Murphy set Lawrence records in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle and continues to hold the record in the latter at 47.78 seconds. He also was part of school record relay teams in the 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay and 800 freestyle relay. Murphy’s relay records in the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relays are still the marks to beat today.

Murphy won three titles at the 1996 MWC Championships, which were held at Lawrence’s Boldt Natatorium. He took the titles in the 50 and 100 freestyle and the 100 butterfly. He also led Lawrence to the team title at the 1996 Private College Championships, winning titles in the 50 and 100 freestyle.

Murphy took conference titles in the 50 and 200 freestyle in 1997 and won the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle at the Private College Championships. He set a meet record of 49.15 seconds in the 100 freestyle at the Private College meet, and Lawrence won the team title. At the 1998 MWC Championships, Murphy took the title in the 100 freestyle.

Murphy finished strong as a senior, leading Lawrence to the title at the Private College Championships while winning the 50 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay. In his last shot the MWC Championships, Murphy won the 50 freestyle and was part of the winning 400 freestyle and 200 medley teams.

Murphy also was a relief pitcher for the baseball team and won four letters on the diamond.

Murphy, who earned a degree in biology at Lawrence, works as the business development manager at Cambridge Healthtech Associates, a biotechnology consulting firm in Needham, Mass. Murphy and his wife, Kathy, live in Cambridge, Mass.

Sara Schye Sechen ‘00

Sara Schye is the most dominant pitcher in Lawrence University softball history.

The fireballing left-hander was a three-time Midwest Conference North Division Player of the Year and a two-time first-team National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Great Lakes Region pick.

A native of Brookfield, Ill., Schye put together a record of 69-19 with a 1.40 earned run average and 576 strikeouts. Schye led Lawrence to MWC championships in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and NCAA Division III Tournament appearances in 1998 and 1999. During her four years with the Vikings, Lawrence had a stunning record of 101-37.

Schye fired 31 shutouts, nine one-hitters and 15 two-hitters, and all of those are Lawrence records. She also holds Lawrence records for wins (69), strikeouts (576), strikeouts per innings pitched (1.03) and winning percentage (.784).

Schye also holds season records for wins (22, 1999), ERA (1.03, 1999), strikeouts (183, 1999), strikeouts per innings pitched (1.20, 2000), fewest walks per innings pitched (0.095, 1999) and shutouts (11, 1999). She also struck out a school-record 14 batters vs. UW-River Falls in 1998.

Schye came up big in the conference tournament for three consecutive years. She fired a one-hitter in a 2-0 victory over Beloit College in the 1997 MWC championship game. Schye followed that with another one-hit shutout in a 1-0 victory over Grinnell College in the 1998 MWC title contest. She finished that championship run with a four-hit shutout in Lawrence’s 7-0 victory over Monmouth College in the 1999 MWC title game.

Schye, who earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology at Lawrence, is a reading specialist at Monee Elementary School in Monee, Ill . She and her husband, Bill, live in Cedar Lake, Ind. The Sechens have a son, Kyan, and a yellow lab named Willie.

Alyssa Bonine Summers ‘00

No one, before or since, has been as fast in the pool as Alyssa Bonine.

Ten years after her graduation, Bonine continues to hold the school records in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle. A prolific sprinter, Bonine won 12 Midwest Conference titles. She captured 10 individual crowns and was part of two championship relay teams.

Named the Most Outstanding Swimmer at the 1998 MWC Championships, Bonine set MWC and MWC Championships records in the 50 freestyle (24.15 seconds) and 100 freestyle (53.72 seconds). She also qualified for the 1999 NCAA Division III Championships in the 50 and 100 freestyle.

Bonine won the 50 and 100 freestyle at the 1997 MWC Championships and was part of the winning 200 freestyle relay team. She defended her titles in the 50 and 100 freestyle at the 1998 MWC Championships and added another crown in the 100 butterfly.

Bonine again won the 50 and 100 freestyle at the 1999 MWC Championships and picked up another title in the 100 breaststroke. She then won the 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly at the 2000 MWC Championships and was part of the winning 200 freestyle relay team.

With Bonine leading the way, the Lawrence women finished second at the 2000 MWC Championships and took third in team standings in 1997, 1998 and 1999.

Bonine also won nine Wisconsin Private College Championships titles during her career. She took the 50 freestyle twice, won the 100 freestyle once, took the 100 breaststroke twice, won the 200 breaststroke once and was part of a winning 200 freestyle relay team.

Bonine, who earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and chemistry, led Lawrence to Private College Championships team titles in both 1999 and 2000.

Bonine earned her doctorate in cancer biology at Vanderbilt University, also did post-doctorate work in biochemistry. She is an assistant professor in molecular biology at the University of the South. Bonine and her husband, Richard, live in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and have a daughter, Anara.