Inspirational alums return to campus for UP Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony

On Sept. 27, nine former Pilots were inducted into the 2024 UP Athletics Hall of Fame for their athletic achievements. These individuals — Angie Woznuk Kerr (‘07), Michelle Enyeart (‘10), Megan Rapinoe (‘08), Tansey Lystad Hensley (‘15), Kory Casto (‘03), Eugene “Pooh” Jeter (‘06), David Kinsella (‘08), Lucia Butkovska (‘16) and Professor Robert Duff — were honored during halftime at the men’s soccer vs Sacramento State game before their induction at a formal ceremony at Beauchamp Recreation and Wellness Center conducted by trailblazing broadcaster Ann Schatz. 

Schatz described the night as a celebration of service. 

“All of you are here to recognize, honor and celebrate nine individuals who capture what Pilot Nation is all about,” Schatz said. “In terms of serving the school, serving the programs, serving your teammates and serving your fans.” 

The night had a truly celebratory atmosphere. Inductees posed for countless photos in front of their individual banners in Beauchamp, excitedly waving family members in and out of the shots before the ceremony began. 

Schatz ran the ceremony like a ship, proclaiming herself the “event traffic cop.” 

She moved from a brief introduction video that explained each inductee’s accomplishments, to what Schatz called a “fireside chat,” or sit-down interview between Schatz and the inductee and finally towards side stage where Vice President for Athletics Scott Leykam bestowed each inductee with their Hall of Fame plaque. This system was repeated for each hall of famer, nine times in total. 

The “fireside chat” portion of each individual’s induction went far in humanizing these Pilot record-breakers beyond the statistics of their careers. Audience member and Dean of the Pamplin School of Business Michael DeVaughn appreciated the night for the humanity it was able to illustrate in the inductees.

“We heard so many human stories here, and that's why I love sports,” DeVaughn said. “It's a way to get to the heart. Yes, it's a sports story, but it's also a story about being human. That's what gets me, I was practically choked up with every single story.”

The first inductee on the night was Angie Woznuk Kerr (‘07). The former women's soccer player was instrumental in the 2005 NCAA National Championship winning team, bagging two assists and scoring the winning goal in the title game. During her interview, Woznuk Kerr reflected on what the championship meant to the team. 

“[The championship meant] everything,” Woznuk Kerr said. “The support we’ve always felt from the Portland community and that we were playing after [Clive Charles]. Everything we did was just that much more special that we could do for the school and the program.” 

Woznuk Kerr was the first, but not the last, inductee to emphasize the role the legendary player and coach Clive Charles had on the university and her decision to attend UP in the first place, though he passed before her playing career began. 

“There was just always something about Portland,” Woznuk Kerr said. “I think the culture that Clive created. It was just something you couldn't deny. It felt so special.”

The trio of women’s soccer stars in attendance was rounded out by the brightest star of them all: Megan Rapinoe (‘08). 

Though Rapinoe was plagued by injury during her college career, she was a member of the 2005 national championship-winning squad and went on to help the U.S. Women’s National Team win Olympic gold in 2012 and the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015 and 2019. She also collected several individual accolades and advocated for causes like equal pay and LGBTQ+ rights. 

Rapinoe’s day on The Bluff began hours before the formal induction ceremony at the soccer practice fields at Franz River Campus where she met the current women’s soccer team. There, Rapinoe shared the special purpose the Hall of Fame induction has for her career. 

“Part of it feels like another little bow on my whole career,” Rapinoe said. “To come back to the place where I feel like it really all started, and where I really kind of became myself and became the player that I was…it's emotional. It's really special.”

On the practice fields, the women’s soccer team was buzzing over Rapinoe’s visit, lining up for individual shots with the icon and dashing after her on her way out to get last pieces of advice. Later on at the ceremony, Rapinoe shared the advice she gave the team on keeping both the individual and the team in mind in order to maximize success. 

“I always say for me, it's so important that I express my individuality and get the opportunity to do that,” Rapinoe said. “I have to have that, but in a team setting, it's almost more important that you're yourself, but you're in the service of the team. I feel like when you get to do that, and when you're given the space to be your full self, then you can really give a lot back to the team.” 

Rapinoe also touched on discovering her queerness at UP and how that experience informed her activism throughout her career. 

“In a way, [by coming out] I was asking people to back me and to support me, and that you don't have to be gay to be cool with me being gay or to support me being gay,” Rapinoe said. “And I think later in my activism, that's exactly how I thought of it. I didn't have to be Colin Kaepernick to kneel alongside Colin Kaepernick…That’s the essence of it.” 

Tansey Lystad Hensley (‘15) also spoke to impact, specifically on the impact she had on the women’s cross country and track programs during her time at UP. 

Lystad Hensley still holds several individual school records today, but emphasized how important the growth of the women’s programs was to her and how that care, given by herself and others, has blossomed into results for the current group. 

“I was just really committed to making sure that the women knew that we could be as competitive as the men,” Lystad Hensley said. “We could qualify nationally, individually and as a team, and be winning these titles just like the men…I don't even know if I have any of those records anymore because the women are at such a high level.” 

Before Lystad Hensely was breaking down gender barriers at UP, however, Eugene “Pooh” Jeter (‘06) was breaking down cultural ones. The No. 2 all-time program points scorer says that coming to Portland was a huge culture shock due to the relative lack of diversity on campus compared to what he experienced in his Los Angeles upbringing. 

“Coming to Portland was a culture shock, being the only Black [person] in the classroom, which was something different,” Jeter said. “At the same time the love that I was getting on this campus and from everybody that [wasn’t] looking at race, everybody was [saying] we're all together. We are a family. We’re all Pilots.” 

This experience ultimately gave Jeter the ability to fit in anywhere, a skill that came in handy during the 18 seasons he played professional basketball in six different countries. 

“The time here, going through that experience allowed me to be the only Black player on the Ukraine National Team or the only Black person on my team in Spain with Menorca,” Jeter said. “In order to gain wisdom, you have to have the experience, right? Once I was able to go through that, I can fit in wherever. So no matter the color, as long as that love is represented, that's all that matters.” 

The UP Athletics Hall of Fame is now 131 former Pilots strong. With inductions typically happening every two years, the UP community can expect the next night of celebration in 2026. 

Maggie Dapp is the Sports Editor at The Beacon. She can be reached at dapp26@up.edu.