Wayne State College is celebrating the Hall of Fame class of 2024 this weekend, where three athletes, one coach, one team, and a contributor will be inducted.
The 2024 Hall of Fame class will include Leisa McClintock Van Den Top, Tim Richt, Jordan Spencer, Chris Kielsmeier, 2015 volleyball team, Ken Jorgensen and Hunter Jorgensen.
Van Den Top was a four-year starting setter for the Wildcat volleyball team from 2012-15. Van
Den Top said that Wayne will always be home.
“You know that feeling you get walking into the door of your house after you have been gone for a while,” Van Den Top said. “That’s what it felt like when I went on my visit to Wayne. It felt like home.”
Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is a big accomplishment, but Van Den Top said there is a lot more to this award than just her.
“When I reflect on this, I cannot help but think about everyone that poured into me for the past 31 years and how deserving they are for this,” Van Den Top said. “Everyone that has invested time and energy into me and that believed in me, I hope they can look at this induction and feel just as honored as I do because without them I would not be receiving this honor.”
Richt said it is an honor, but he could not have done it without the people around him.
“It is funny, the Hall of Fame is an individual award, but it takes great coaching and teammates to get you there,” Richt said. “I was fortunate enough to play for a Hall of Fame coach and have had three teammates that also have been inducted.”
Richt said he is proud to be part of this group.
“I think when you hear about the Hall of Fame, no matter what it is for, you can’t help but feel a tremendous amount of pride that not only your work has been paid off but that others have recognized you for it,” Richt said.
Both athletes are also a part of teams that are inducted into the Hall of Fame. Richt is a part of the 2004 baseball team that has already been inducted and Van Den Top is apart of the 2015 volleyball team that is also being inducted this year. The 2015 Wildcat team was the first in the school’s history to reach the Elite Eight and the Final Four.
Van Den Top said that when she looks back at the 2015 season, she just cannot help but smile.
“That team was special for sure,” Van Den Top said. “Good was not good enough for us. We were always hungry for more.”
Richt said that the 2004 season was the most fun he has ever had in a baseball season.
“Not only was it from individual honors and all the things we achieved as a team, but the fact that we were a really tight group,” Richt said. “I have been to a majority of my former teammates’ weddings and other milestones throughout the years and still talk to most of them 20 years later.”
Spencer was a women’s basketball forward from 2012-2015, helping the Wildcats win back-to-back Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championships. Kliesmeier was a head coach for women’s basketball for a decade, from 2008-2018. Ken and Hunter Jorgensen helped to found and run both The Jug and The Max Bar and Grill in town.
Wayne State College inducts its 2024 Hall of Fame athletes at the football game on Oct. 26 at 12 p.m. and the volleyball game at 4 p.m. The Hall of Fame Banquet is set for 6:15 p.m. on the evening of October 26. For more information about attending the banquet, go to wsc.edu.
