Five inductees named for WMU Hall of Fame
Oct. 18, 2002
KALAMAZOO -- Five former student-athletes representing a total of 10 sports make up the 2002 class of inductees for the Western Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame.
This year's inductees are the late Vic Vanderburg, Class of 1938, who played football, basketball and baseball; Julie Liljeberg '91, softball; Maggie Lillie-Smith '87, cross country and track and field; Jesse McGuire '90, cross country and track and field; and Matt Mieske '90, baseball. The newest class brings the number of inductees to 155 since the WMU Hall of Fame's inception in 1973.
The 2002 class will be honored at a banquet Nov. 15 at the Fetzer Center. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. with a reception, followed by dinner at 7 p.m. For Hall of Fame banquet reservations, contact Irene Bracken in the WMU Corporate Relations Office at (269) 387-3062.
2002 Hall of Fame Inductees
Julie Liljeberg of Arlington Heights, Ill., holds the Bronco softball records for career hits and RBIs. She totaled 217 hits and drove in 96 runs during her standout collegiate career. Her .347 career batting average is second all-time at Western Michigan.
Liljeberg was recognized as a 1989 NCAA Second Team All-American and was a Third Team All-American in 1991. She earned All-MAC First Team honors in 1989 and 1991 and was an All-Region IV First Team selection in those seasons. Liljeberg ranks ninth in conference history in hits. She helped lead WMU to three straight winning MAC campaigns from 1989-91. She served as an assistant softball coach at WMU from 1997 to 2000.
Maggie Lillie-Smith of Coopersville, Mich., was a member of three straight MAC cross country championship teams and won individual conference titles in cross country and track in 1984. She earned All-MAC accolades in 1984 and 1986 and still owns records in the 1,500 meter (4:29.53) and mile (4:49.20) runs.
The "W" Club honored Lillie-Smith as its 1995 Woman of the Year. She also earned All-MAC Academic Second Team laurels as a senior in 1987.
Jesse McGuire of Bronson, Mich., won a pair of MAC cross country titles, in 1987 and 1989, as well as four MAC championships in track, winning the 5,000 and 10,000 meter runs 1987 and 1990. He was a 1990 NCAA Outdoor All-American and a two-time All-American in cross country, in 1988 and 1989.
The 1989 Region IV cross country champion, McGuire was named Outstanding Performer at the 1987 and 1990 MAC Outdoor Championships and won the 1990 Central Collegiate Conference 5,000 meter run. He placed fourth in the 10,000 meter run at the prestigious Penn Relays in 1989 and is WMU's record holder in the 3,000 meter (8:05.22) and 5,000 meter (14:02.77).
Matt Mieske of Auburn, Mich., was a standout on the
field and in the classroom for the Broncos, earning All-American
honors academically and athletically. Mieske was a Third Team
Baseball All-American in 1988 and 1989 and a 1990 Academic All-American.
The College Baseball Coaches Association named him an All-American
in 1988 and he was twice selected to the All-Mid-American
Conference First Team. Miekse also was a member of the 1988 and
1989 USA Baseball teams.
A 17th-round draft choice of the San Diego Padres, Mieske played professionally in the Milwaukee, Chicago Cub, Houston, and Arizona organizations. He is WMU's career leader in hits, runs, RBIs, and total bases, and ranks second all-time in home runs and stolen bases.
Vic Vanderburg, a former resident of Kalamazoo who died in 1981, earned a total of eight varsity letters as an undergraduate at Western Michigan and devoted countless hours to serving his alma mater and its athletic programs following graduation. He served as secretary of the "W" Club, the WMU baseball Dugout Club and Bronco hockey's Blue Line Club. His dedication to Bronco athletics helped earn him the 1982 Alumni "W" Club Man of the Year award.
Vanderburg played shortstop and third base for the baseball team, batting .317 in 1936, and was a forward on the basketball squad. He served the United States in World War II and worked at the Upjohn Co. in Kalamazoo for more than 30 years. Vanderburg's son Tom was an Academic All-American catcher for the baseball Broncos.
Media contact: Geoff Brown, 269 387-4138, geoffrey.brown@wmich.edu