The Midland University Warrior Athletic Hall of Fame will induct six new members during a banquet Friday, September 17th, at the Fremont Golf Club as part of Homecoming weekend. Inductees are Eric Eddie ’00 (Basketball), Cindy Ohme Gabriel ’96 (Volleyball), Jerald Mason x’88 (Football), Kelly Sladek Rischling ’10 (Softball), Eric Risinger ’09 (Track and Field), and Ben Zuch ’11 (Track and Field). The Hall of Fame Banquet will also include the presentation of the Petrow and Bracker Awards for Outstanding Male and Female Student Athletes. Honorees are Joseph Pena (Powerlifting) and Katlin Anders (Softball).
Hall of Fame honorees:
Eric Eddie – Eddie was a four-year standout on the Warrior basketball team from 1996-2000 and concluded his career with 1,508 points, 10th all-time at Midland. He earned first-team Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference honors and honorable-mention NAIA All-American honors during the 1999-2000 season, in which he averaged 18 points per game in helping the Warriors capture the NIAC Tournament title and reach the NAIA National Tournament. Eddie would contribute 358 rebounds, 188 assists, and 135 steals in his career and his 246 3-point shots ranked him second all-time at the conclusion of his career. He and his wife, Dreia, live in Lincoln, Nebraska along with their four children (Jaxon, Layna, Gracyn, and Aubrey).
Cindy (Ohme) Gabriel – Gabriel was a first-team Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference honoree in both 1994 and 1995 as a member of the volleyball team. She was an All-District performer each of those seasons while earning honorable mention NAIA All-American status her junior year and third-team All-American honors during her senior campaign. For her career, Gabriel accumulated 1,201 kills, 1,293 digs, 172 solo blocks, 318 assisted blocks, and 68 ace serves in helping the Warriors rack up nearly 90 victories during her four years. She was named Midland’s Outstanding Woman Athlete in 1996. Gabriel and her husband, Alan, live in Ord, Nebraska, and have two sons (Ethan, Ryan).
Jerald Mason – Mason was a dominant fullback for Coach Don Watchorn’s wishbone offense from 1984-86. During the 1985 season, Mason led the Warriors with 1,227 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns, earning first-team honors from the Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference and honorable-mention NAIA All-American honors. His 279 yards rushing against Chadron State remains a Midland single-game rushing record. For his career, Mason finished with 2,158 total yards and 15 touchdowns. Mason lives in Denver, Colorado, and has two children (Alexandra, Joshua) along with two grandchildren (King, Harmony).
Kelly (Sladek) Rischling – As a four-year member of the Warrior softball team, Rischling was selected three times to the first team of the All-Great Plains Athletic Conference squad. She posted a career-best 19-3 record as a pitcher in 2009 with eight shutouts and was named the GPAC Pitcher of the Year as well as earning honorable mention NAIA All-American honors. In her senior season in 2010, Rischling helped guide the Warriors to their second-ever appearance in the NAIA National Championships. For her career, Rischling earned 60 victories in the circle, second all-time at Midland, along with being the all-time strikeout leader with 705. She also holds the single-season record for ERA of 1.23. Rischling and her husband, Mitch, live in Milligan, Nebraska, and have three children (Kash, Kyah, Maelynn).
Eric Risinger – Risinger excelled as a hurdler for the Warriors’ track and field team from 2006-2009. Risinger finished his career as a two-time NAIA All-American in the 60-meter hurdles at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships, earning a sixth-place finish in 2009 and a fourth-place finish the following year. Risinger set a meet record in the 2008 Great Plains Athletic Conference Indoor Championships with a time of 8.18 seconds, then broke his own record a year later with a time of 8.05. He also qualified for the semifinals in the 110 hurdles at both the 2008 and 2009 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Risinger also earned a first-place finish in the 100 hurdles at the 2008 GPAC Outdoor Championships. Risinger and his wife, Carin, live in Windsor, Colorado, and have two children (Tara, Gabriel).
Ben Zuch – Zuch was a standout high jumper for the Warriors, qualifying for eight NAIA Track and Field Championships (four indoor and four outdoor) in his career. In 2011, he earned NAIA All-American honors at the indoor meet with his first-place finish. He would earn All-American status on two other occasions, placing second at the 2011 outdoor meet and fourth at the 2010 outdoor meet. Zuch was a six-time Great Plains Athletic Conference champion, sweeping both the indoor and outdoor meets from 2009-11. He set a GPAC indoor record with his leap of 7 feet, ½ inch in 2011 and was named NAIA National Athlete of the Week for Indoor Track and Field twice. Zuch and his wife, Teal, live in Fremont.
