Jan. 11, 2007

ST. LOUIS - The Saint Louis University department of athletics announced today that nine individuals and one team will be inducted into the Billiken Hall of Fame on Fri., Feb. 2, at the Missouri Athletic Club. A reception will begin that evening at 6 p.m., with dinner at 7 p.m., and the induction ceremony immediately following.

The Billiken Hall of Fame, which is sponsored by The Billiken Club, inducted its initial class in 1976. Since then, more than 230 student-athletes, teams and dignitaries have been selected for the Hall of Fame. The Billiken Club, which was founded in 1991 as a comprehensive booster organization for SLU athletics, is chaired by Billiken Hall of Famer J. Kim Tucci. Fellow Hall of Famer Bill McDermott serves as the chairman of the Hall of Fame subcommittee as well as the evening's master of ceremonies.

SLU's Hall of Fame is located in the historic Bauman-Eberhardt Center on the University campus. A collection of SLU memerobilia ranging from original 1906 newspaper articles regarding SLU's involvement in the first legal pass thrown in college football to the 2006 Atlantic 10 Conference baseball trophy are on display. The Hall of Fame display will receive a facelift when it moves to the new on-campus arena in the spring of 2008.

This year's inductees come from four categories. The honorees follow by category:

• BILLIKEN GREAT - PIONEER
Lindsay Middlebrook - (Ice Hockey, 1973-77) - One of the top netminders in Saint Louis ice hockey history, Middlebrook played four seasons for the Billikens and appeared between the pipes in 71 games for head coach Bill Selman. During his sophomore season, he played in 24 games for the Billikens, who finished 26-13-1 that season. He averaged 24 saves per game and posted a single-season record 2.98 goals against average while earning Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) first All-Star Team distinction. The next year, Middlebrook helped SLU to a 24-15-2 record and posted a 2.99 GAA, which ranks second all-time. In his final season, Middlebrook played in 18 games and posted a 3.07 GAA in helping the Bills to a 21-17-2 record. Following his time at the University, Middlebrook signed an American Hockey League free agent contract with the New York Rangers in 1977 and led the AHL's New Haven Nighthawks in wins that season. In 1979, the Toronto, Canada, native was drafted by the National Hockey League's (NHL) Winnipeg Jets. He went on to a four-year NHL career, playing for the Jets, Minnesota North Stars, New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers before his retirement in 1986.

Tim Logush - (Men's Soccer, 1971-74) - A member of SLU's national championship teams in 1972 and 1973, Logush was an integral part of the Billikens' success during the early 1970s under head coach Harry Keough. His contributions were immediate, as he scored 15 points (5G, 5A) during his freshman year in helping SLU to a 17-1 overall record, with the only blemish coming in the national championship game against Howard. During Logush's sophomore season, he played in all 20 games for the 1972 national champions and finished fourth on the team in scoring with 16 points (5G, 6A). His steady play in 1973, which included five goals and six assists, helped SLU to its second-straight national title. He enjoyed his best season individually during his senior year, when he tied for the team lead with 22 points (8G, 6A) in helping the Billikens to an 18-3-1 record and another appearance in the NCAA title match. His four-year playing career yielded 70 points (24G, 22A), which ranks 20th on SLU's prestigious all-time scoring list. A St. Louis native, Logush was drafted after college and played professionally for six years.

• BILLIKEN GREAT - CONTEMPORARY
Jamie Cavaness - (Women's Basketball, 1995-99) - A four-year starter at center for coach Jill Pizzotti, Cavaness wasted little time making her presence known at SLU and throughout Conference USA. Following her freshman season, she was named C-USA Freshman of the Year after recording 13 double-doubles. She scored 431 points her rookie season, which ranks fourth all-time for a freshman and set an overall single-season record with 267 rebounds. Her sophomore year, she averaged 13 points per game and again led the team in rebounds with 6.3 per game. She continued her dominance on the boards in 1997-98 when she led the team in rebounds for the third-straight season. During her senior year, she helped SLU to a 16-12 record, the first time in 13 seasons that SLU finished above .500. Cavaness, a Granite City, Ill. native, currently ranks third on SLU's all-time scoring list with 1,412 points. She is also third on the all-time rebounding list with 788 career caroms. In addition, her 52-percent shooting clip from the field ranks second all-time.

Jeff DiMaria - (Men's Soccer, 1997-99) - After spending two seasons at the University of Connecticut where he earned several All-Big East accolades, DiMaria transferred to SLU for the 1997 season. However, his first season in a Billiken uniform was cut short due to a knee injury. Fully recovered for the 1998 campaign, he was third in scoring with 15 points (6G, 3A) on a team that claimed a share of the Conference USA championship. For his efforts, he claimed C-USA first team honors and was a first-team All-Midwest Region selection. DiMaria proved to be the team's most prolific offensive weapon during the 1999 season. He led the team with 26 points (9G, 8A) and was named an NSCAA first-team All-American. During his two seasons, the Billikens claimed a share of the C-USA regular season title both years. DiMaria also succeeded in the classroom, claiming CoSIDA/GTE first-team Academic All-America honors in 1999 and the C-USA Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors that season as well.

Adam Gabris - (Baseball, 1994-97) - A four-year starter for the Billikens at third base, Gabris claimed All-Conference recognition every season. During his freshman season, Gabris hit .325 and smacked six home runs while driving in 48. Despite battling an illness for most of his sophomore season, he still batted .331, which included 13 doubles, and drove in 37 runs. During his junior season, SLU's first in Conference USA, he hit a consistent .310 and blasted 10 homers. He drove in 41 runs and mustered 12 doubles. Gabris enjoyed his best season in 1997. The senior established career highs with a .348 average, 11 home runs, 15 doubles and 56 RBIs. Gabris is SLU's all-time leader with 54 career doubles. He also still ranks in the top-10 in several career statistical categories: tied for 10th with a .328 career average, fourth with 235 hits, tied for second with 182 RBIs, fifth with 29 home runs, third with 152 runs scored, third with 386 total bases, fifth with 717 at bats, eighth with 92 walks, sixth with 379 fielding assists and tied for seventh with 191 games played.

Kevin Kalish - (Men's Soccer, 1997-98) - Though he played only two years for the Billikens' men's soccer program, Kalish goes down as one of the most skilled sweepers in recent years. After spending two seasons at the University of Connecticut, he transferred to his hometown and made an immediate impact in the Billiken backfield. In 1997, his junior season, Kalish helped the Billikens to a Conference USA Championship and the NCAA Final Four with his tenacious defensive play. A first team All-C-USA defender, he also netted one of the PK's at SMU to help the Bills advance to the Final Four. The co-preseason C-USA Player of the Year, he lived up to those expectations by being tabbed the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Conference after helping the Billikens to a 14-5-1 record and a share of the C-USA Championship in 1998. A tremendous student, Kalish was a CoSIDA/GTE first-team Academic All-American on the 1998-99 Fall/Winter At-Large squad. He was also one of 107 recipients of NCAA postgraduate scholarships in July '99. Kalish is currently an assistant coach at SIU Edwardsville and has helped the Cougars to two NCAA Division II Final Four appearances in the past three years. He is also the executive director of the prestigious Scott Gallagher Soccer Club in St. Louis.

Lynette Pestel - (Women's Basketball, 1992-96) - Pestel, a 5-foot-3 guard affectionately known to her teammates as "L.P.," is one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in school history. She made an immediate impact her freshman year by drilling 50 3-pointers and leading the team with 300 points. She had perhaps her best season in 1993-94 when she poured in a team-leading 480 points, which is the second-most all-time and first among sophomores in program history. That season, she set the school record with 101 3-pointers made and also ranked third in the nation with 3.74 three-pointers per game, which is still 10th all-time in NCAA history. She continued her proficient shooting from behind the arc during her junior and senior seasons, again leading the team in 3-point field goals in both years. In the all-time record book, Pestel ranks first all-time by a wide margin with 278 3-pointers made, and her percentage from behind the arc (.308) is good for ninth all-time. She owns the single-game record for three-pointers made with nine, which was accomplished at home against Marquette in 1994. Pestel is also fifth all-time in scoring with 1,340 career points. She still ranks fourth all-time with 299 assists and third all-time with 164 steals. Demonstrating her all-around athletic capabilities, Lynette joined the softball team as a shortstop during her senior year after completing her basketball eligibility.

Kelly Young - (Women's Soccer, 1997-2000) - Young joined the women's soccer program in 1997 as a walk-on and became the program's first National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) first-team All-Region selection in 1999, going on to earn second-team NSCAA All-Region honors as a senior in 2000. She became a permanent fixture in the starting lineup at the critical sweeper position as a sophomore, starting all 59 games she played over her final three seasons. As a junior in 1999, she led a defensive unit that led Conference USA and ranked eighth in the nation in goals against average as the team captured the University's first out-right Conference USA regular-season title. Following her senior year, Young became the program's first NSCAA Scholar All-American when she earned a spot on the third team. She also collected a spot on the Conference USA All-Conference first team for the second-consecutive year as she guided the Billiken defense to the 14th-lowest goals against average in the nation. Following her playing career, Young returned to the program as an assistant coach in 2003 and has helped guide the program to two straight NCAA Tournament berths. In the fall of 2005, she was one of four backs named to the program's All-Decade Team.

• BOB BURNES AWARD
1999 Women's Soccer Team - In just the fourth year of the women's soccer program, the 1999 team won the University's first out-right Conference USA regular-season title. It featured three All-Region players (Meghann Burke, Trisha Underberg and Kelly Young) along with the C-USA Freshman of the Year (Meghann Burke). In addition to the three All-Region selections, the team featured four other players who earned All-Conference honors. Burke went on to earn the program's first All-America selection and become the University's first female athlete drafted into professional sports. The team posted a 14-3-3 overall record, an 8-1-2 mark in conference play and was 7-1-1 at Robert R. Hermann Stadium. It set the record for most victories in a season and tied the records for most wins at home (7) and on the road (7). Their three losses are the fewest in the history of the program. The team put together the longest unbeaten streak in program history, rolling through 10 games with a 9-0-1 record late in the season to get in position for the regular-season title. The team's 10 shutouts also were a school record.

• BAUMAN SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Dr. Mike Beczkala - (Director, Saint Louis University Pep Band) - Beczkala is in his 25th season directing SLU's pep band. The squad of 90-plus members performs at every men's basketball game at Scottrade Center and makes routine appearances at women's basketball games and volleyball matches. Beczkala, the principal at Parkview Elementary School (Columbia, Ill.), graduated from the University in 1980. He played in the jazz band as an undergraduate, and today will still occasionally play the trumpet in the band while directing.