MINOT, N.D. – This fall, the Minot State Athletic Hall of Fame grows with the addition of three new individuals who have impacted Beaver Athletics, along with the addition of one championship team.

Minot State Athletics is proud to announce that former football great Carmen LoRe, long-time "Voice of the Beavers" Scott Kittell, longtime assistant coach Gary Walhaug, and the 2016 NSIC regular season champion Beaver Women's Soccer Team have been selected as the Minot State Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

All four will officially be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 18, at the Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet at 5 p.m. on the Minot State campus in the Student Center's 3^rd Floor Conference Center.

All four will also be honored at halftime of the Beavers' Homecoming football game on Saturday, Sept. 19, against Southwest Minnesota State. Kick-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Carmen LoRe, Football and Wrestling
A star multi-sport athlete from Nutley, New Jersey, who played football for the Minot State from the fall of 1965 through 1968, Carmen LoRe easily overshadowed his deceptive 5-foot-3, 140-pound stature, leading the way on the gridiron for the Beavers, while also competing on the wrestling mat.

A two-way star for the Minot State football team, LoRe was named an All-North Dakota College Conference performer at defensive back as a sophomore in 1966, and named to the NDCC all-star squad as a junior at both defensive back and halfback as a junior, earning NAIA All-District 12 honors at halfback in 1967, as well.

Named the most valuable back as a junior by the Minot State coaching staff for the 1967 season, LoRe led Beavers in scoring with 54 points on 9 TDs, ran for 359 yards on 83 carries, led the Beavers in punt returns averaging 23.3 yards per return, and was second on the team in receiving with 244 yards. Defensively, LoRe had 3 interceptions and returned two for touchdowns (70 and 52 yards).

The Beavers finished the 1967 season with a 6-2 overall record, and during LoRe's four seasons in Minot, the Beavers compiled a 21-9-2 record on the gridiron.

Also competing for the Minot State wrestling team, LoRe went 4-1 during the 1965-66 season for the Beavers, who won the North Dakota College Athletic Conference (NDCAC) and finished 9th as a team at the NAIA National Tournament.

Scott Kittell, Special Achievement Award
A devoted community member who has been involved with Minot State Athletics for nearly 40 years, Kittell is being honored with induction into the Hall of Fame with the Special Achievement Award.

Working in both television and radio in Minot in the 1970s, Kittell's affiliation with Beaver Athletics began when he worked with former Minot State men's basketball coaches Wes Luther and Ken Becker, and spent his early days providing local coverage of Minot State Athletics.

In 1996, Kittell began broadcasting Minot State events on a part-time basis, and in 1998 he became "The Voice of the Beavers," broadcasting Minot State sports events for more than 2 decades.

A longtime member of the Minot State Boosters, Kittell also was voted to the Hall of Fame committee as an at-large community member representative in 2007, has emceed numerous Minot State luncheon events, and co-hosted a Beaver Athletic Sports Show for several years starting in the late 1990s.

Earlier this year, Kittell was inducted into the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NDAPSSA) Hall of Fame.

Gary Walhaug, Coaching
A legend in North Dakota athletics, both at the high school and collegiate levels, Walhaug was a devoted team player in Beaver Athletics as an assistant coach for 19 years with the Minot State women's team, and three seasons with the Beaver men's basketball program.

Walhaug spent all 19 seasons on the Beaver bench as an assistant to Minot State Athletic Hall of Fame head coach Sheila Green Gerding, who called Walhaug the "Brains" behind Minot State's offense. During their partnership, the Minot State women's basketball program went 305-253, claimed the 1998-99 North Dakota College Athletic Conference (NDCAC) title and the 2005-06 Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) title, and the duo guided the Beavers through the transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II play.

During his time on the Beaver bench, Walhaug also helped 9 Minot State women's basketball players earn All-American honors (Carol Hayes, Kayla Blom, Jenn Sundahl, Kendra Meyer, Lashay Bagby, MacKenzie Mack, Ari Hendrix-Roach, Caroline Folven, and Carly Boag).

A 1970 graduate of Minot State, Walhaug began his coaching career at Tolley High School before moving to Surrey High School, where he served as athletic director for 28 years, coached the girls basketball team for 17 seasons, and the boys basketball team for 16 seasons.

Walhaug was honored for his career as a high school coach when he was inducted into the North Dakota High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 2009, and honored again for his dedication to high school athletics when he was inducted into the North Dakota Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Hall of Fame in 2012.

2016 Women's Soccer Team
Led by NSIC Offensive Player of the Year Ninfa Ramirez and NSIC Goalkeeper of the Year Erin Rafferty, the 2016 Minot State women's soccer team went undefeated in conference play with a 14-0-1 record, winning the regular season championship, the first NSIC regular season title for any Minot State athletic program.

Matching the program-record for wins with a 16-3-1 overall record, the Beavers qualified for the NCAA Division II National Tournament for the second straight year and third time in program history. Minot State won a program-record 10 straight games during the season, and was unbeaten for 16 consecutive games (15-0-1).

The 2016 Beavers set team single-season records for points with 129, goals with 45, assists with 39, and shots with 373. The team also recorded 11 shutouts, 3rd-best all-time in a season, and posted a 0.63 goals against average (13 goals allowed in 1,850 minutes), which ranks 4th-best for a single season.

The team's greatness was powered by a deep and talented roster as seven Beavers earned All-NSIC honors, led by 1st Team All-NSIC players junior defender Kelli Creese, junior defender Yesenia Piceno, redshirt-freshman goalie Rafferty, and senior forward Ramirez. Senior forward Chloe Melton and senior midfielder Dalia Tapia earned 2nd Team All-NSIC honors, and sophomore defender Ashley Franco was named 3rd Team All-NSIC.

Piceno, Creese, Melton, Ramirez, and Rafferty all were named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Central Region Team, while Ramirez and Erin Rafferty also were named to the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Central Region Team.

Rafferty was also named NSIC Freshman of the Year, and Ramirez was named a 2nd Team All-American by the D2CCA and NSCAA.

Members of the 2016 NSIC Champion Minot State women's soccer team were senior goalie Leila Torres, redshirt freshman goalie Erin Rafferty, junior midfielder Carissa Schlesinger, junior defender Kelli Creese, freshman midfielder Ashley Hunter, sophomore midfielder Meagan Kawahara, senior defender Ryann Rafferty, sophomore defender Ashley Franco, sophomore defender Andrea Franco, junior forward Jannely Rangel, junior forward Sydnee Canales, freshman defender Kyara Brown, junior defender Jennifer Mada, junior defender Gabrielle Kwiatek, sophomore forward Taryn Love, senior forward Chloe Melton, senior forward Ninfa Ramirez, redshirt freshman Autumne Haskell, freshman midfielder Hannah Mitchell, senior midfielder Dalia Tapia, junior midfielder Maritssa Perez, junior defender Yesenia Piceno, sophomore midfielder Rimke Eurlings, senior midfielder Brianna Ramsey, sophomore midfielder Kayla Howard, junior midfielder Kellie Piazza, freshman defender Alyssa Holtz, senior forward Gemma Biasetto, freshman forward Sami Pine, and freshman midfielder Lana Hudson. The 2016 Beavers were led by head coach Jason Spain, who was assisted by Aaron Daley, Nate Gutierrez, Tyler Schochenmaier, and Jordan Foley.