Concordia University Chicago announced its 2011 class to be inducted into the Cougar Athletic Hall of Fame Sept. 10. Four athletes will join the 72 previous inductees from the classes of 2002 through 2010.
The inductees for the class of 2011 are:
Phil Kershner '78 – Kershner, of Marine, Ill., lettered four years in cross country and track. He holds several Concordia track records and was the conference champion four consecutive years in the 880-yard run. For 17 years, Kershner coached cross country and track at Lutheran High School South in St. Louis and led the team to consecutive state championships in 1993 and 1994.
Susan (Backsmeier) Kloess '79, MA '07 – Kloess, of Park Ridge, Ill., is acknowledged as the catalyst for the birth of women's track at Concordia in 1976-77. She captained the team for its first three seasons and led it to an Illinois State Small College Division Championship in 1978. Over the years, Kloess has served as a grade school teacher, coach and athletic director as well as a committee member, author and lobbyist for several physical education related activities.
Peter Lark '99 – Lark, of Orange, Calif., lettered four years in basketball and scored 1,819 points, the second-highest in Concordia men's history. Through 2011, he holds single-season records in points, scoring average and free throws made and attempted. Since graduation, Lark has served as a Lutheran educator and coach and has helped lead student service trips to New Orleans in 2005 and Malawi in 2007.
Lonnie Pries '93 – Pries, of Elmhurst, Ill., lettered four years in football and earned numerous awards including the conference's Defensive Lineman of the Year honor in 1992. He was a 1992 honorable mention Champion All-American and a second-team CoSIDA Academic All-American, the latter making him the third Concordia athlete to receive the honor. For 13 years, Pries taught at Lutheran high schools in Florida and Wisconsin before returning to Concordia as head football coach in 2006. He led the Cougars to all-time best season records of 8-2 in 2009 and 2010.
The ceremony for the class of 2011 will be held Sept. 10 at 9 a.m., in the Oak Park-River Forest room of the Koehneke Community Center. The inductees will also be the guests of honor at the tailgate prior to the home football game at 1:30 p.m. between the Cougars and the University of Chicago.
Reservations for the Hall of Fame ceremony can be made online at
http://www.cucougars.com/halloffame. The deadline for reservations is Sept. 7. For further information, contact the Concordia athletics office at (708) 209-3116.