CSS Enshrines Second Hall of Fame Class

Sept 14, 2012

Northland Sports Online

On Friday night in the Burns Wellness Commons on the campus of the College of St. Scholastica, the CSS Athletics Department conducted its second Hall of Fame ceremony, which included five individuals and a team.

Inducted into the second Hall of Fame class was men’s hockey goaltender Bill Courchaine, women’s basketball’s Janice (Monsaas) Sayovitz, men’s basketball’s Tim Radosevich, women’s cross country’s Desiree (Budd) Essler, former St. Scholastica President Father Francis X. Shea and the 1987-88 Women’s Basketball Team.

Courchaine was the goaltender for both the 1975 and 1977 NAIA National Championship teams. He was a three-time All-American, was named conference MVP for the 1974-75 season and tournament MVP in 1977. He was once featured in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd column.

Monsaas, who is an assistant these days for the CSS women’s basketball team, played on the 1987 National Little College Athletic Association (NLCAA) runner-up women’s basketball team and also on the 1988 NLCAA championship squad, where she was named to the all-tournament team. The Duluth Central graduate is still the program leader in career rebounds and fourth on the all-time scoring list.

Radosevich is the men’s basketball program’s all-time leading scorer, totaling 1,666 points through his career. He was the first All-American in program history, twice-named to the National Small College Athletic Association (NSCAA) All-American team in 1990 and 1991.

Budd was a three-time NAIA All-American and makes the Athletics Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility (10 years since last competed). Budd qualified for the NAIA Championship cross country meet all four years and was a runner-up in 2001 and placed fourth overall in 2002. She was a two-time regional champion and also won the Garry Bjorkland Half Marathon in 2006.

Father Shea becomes the first distinguished service individual inducted into the CSS Athletics Hall of Fame. Shea, who was the first male president at St. Scholastica, reigned over the College from 1971-74. Shea started intercollegiate athletics at St. Scholastica with men’s hockey in 1972. Shea correctly predicted that the Saints would have an All-American within four years of the start of the program. Shea passed away in 1977.

The 1987-88 women’s basketball team captured the NLCAA National Championship, defeating Concordia-Seward (Neb.) 72-65 in Davenport, Iowa, for the program’s first title. The team won its third straight conference title en route to the championship and recorded 25 wins, which matched a program record.

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