The newest Hall of Famers are men's track and field All-American Jason Breitzman (1996-99); national award-winning women's basketball player Jayne Even Gust (1996-2000); softball All-America shortstop Nikki Gregg (1997-2000); women's track and field high jump national champion Andrea Jeseritz Pearson (1995-98), and wrestling national champion George Thompson (1994-98).
The induction will take place at the Holiday Inn in Fargo. Lunch will begin at 11 a.m. with the induction ceremony to start at 11:30 a.m.
A limited number of tickets will be available from the NDSU athletic department for a cost of $25 per ticket. Please contact Helena Johnston at (701) 231-6172 or email Helena.Johnston@ndsu.edu.
The group will also be recognized at halftime of NDSU's homecoming football game Saturday, Oct. 10, against Northern Iowa.
Here's a look at the inductees:
JASON BREITZMAN, Men's Track & Field, Sprints/Relays, 1996-99
Nine-time NCAA Division II All-American ... Member of third place 1,600 meter relay at 1999 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships ... Placed fifth in 400 meters and fifth in 1,600 meter relay at 1998 NCAA Indoor ... Placed third in 400 meters at 1997 NCAA Indoor ... Placed seventh in 400 meters and seventh in 1,600 meter relay at 1999 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships ... Placed eighth in 400 meters at 1998 NCAA Outdoor ... Placed fourth at 1997 NCAA Outdoor ... Member of fifth place 1,600 meter relay at 1996 NCAA Outdoor ... Five-time North Central Conference individual champion, ran on seven championship relays ... Two-time NCC indoor 400 meters champion (1998-99) ... 1997 NCC indoor 500 meters champion ... Member of three NCC indoor championship 1,600 meter relay teams (1997-98-99) ... Two-time NCC outdoor 400 meters champion (1998-99) ... Member of four NCC outdoor champion 1,600 meter relay teams ... Ran on three Drake Relays champion relay teams ... Part of two NCC indoor track & field championship teams, two runner-up, and member of three NCC outdoor track & field championship teams, one runner-up ... Named the 1999 Regional Athlete of the Year … Three top 10 NCAA indoor track & field team finishes in 1998 (T8th), 1999 (6th) and 2000 (7th) ... School record holder in the indoor 400 meters (47.65, 1997 NCAA Indoor) ... On the NDSU indoor charts, No. 1 in 400 meters, No. 3 in 500 meters (1:03.85, 1996 NCC Indoor) and No. 4 in 1,600 meter relay (3:12.70, NCAA Indoor) ... On the NDSU outdoor charts, No. 3 in the 400 meters (47.08, 1997 NCAA Outdoor), No. 5 in 200 meters (21.13, 1998 Ron Masanz), in 800 meter relay (1:25.35, 1998 Drake Relays prelims, 1 of 3) ... Born and raised in Bismarck, he lettered in both baseball and track and field at Bismarck High School ... Breitzman competed at the state track and field meet and the high school Nationals all three years ... He was selected the Bismarck High School Athlete of the Year in 1995 ... He was inducted into the North Dakota High School Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2009 ... After graduating in 2000 from North Dakota State, he began his career as an exercise specialist at the NDSU Wellness Center ... Since 2003, he's been with Ziegler CAT, based out of Bloomington, Minn. ... Currrently, Breitzman is the Product Manager for the Ag Division, where he is responsible for inventory management, pricing and programs for the sales team ... Jason and his wife, Sarah (Hartness), have two sons, Jack (10) and Miles (7) ... His family recently relocated to Alexandria, Minn. ... Breitzman enjoys coaching and watching his boys play sports ... An avid outdoorsman, he likes to hunt and fish.
JAYNE EVEN GUST, Women's Basketball, Forward, 1996-2000
First-team Kodak Division II All-American ... 2000 Honda Award Division II Female Athlete of the Year ... 2000 CoSIDA College Division Academic All-America® Second Team ... Recipient of NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship ... Top 10 Finalist for 2000 NCAA Woman of the Year ... Recipient of 2000 NCC Stan Marshall Award ... 2000 NCC All-Academic Team ... 2000 WBCA/Rawlings and Division Bulletin II Player of the Year ... Two-time Kodak Division II All-District and All-American (1999, 2000) ... Two-time Division II Bulletin All-American (1st Team 2000, 4th Team 1999) ... 2000 Daktronics Division II first-team All-American ... Two-time Daktronics first-team all-Region ... 2000 NCAA Elite Eight All-Tournament Team ... Two-time all-NCAA North Central Regional team (1999, 2000) ... 2000 North Central Conference Player of the Year ... Two-time all-NCC selection (1999, 2000) ... Eight-time NCC Player of the Week ... On the NDSU career charts, finished No. 2 in three-point field goal shooting (.376, 120-319), No. 6 in three-point field goal attempts (319), and No. 7 all-time in points scored (1,490) and three-point field goals (120) ... During the 1999-2000 season, set the second-highest single-season totals in NDSU history in scoring (20.5 ppg), points (656), FG made (240), FG attempted (535), fourth highest total in rebounds (309) and most games scoring 20 or more points (18) ... Sits No. 5 for three-point percentage in a season (.455, 46-101, 1998-99) ... Helped lead Bison to NCAA runner-up finish in 2000, dropping an overtime decision to Northern Kentucky … Following in the footsteps of her dad, Jerry, older sister, Jen, and brother, Jason, Jayne learned the game of basketball and developed a love for the game that would eventually lead to great things ... Gust began playing varsity basketball for Sioux Falls (S.D.) O'Gorman High School as a freshman for head coach Leo Lorang ... Culminated her career with the Knights winning their first and only girls' state basketball title in 1995 under the direction of head coach Gregg Talcott ... She set 21 of 27 school records including 1,228 career points and 786 rebounds ... Gust averaged 20.5 points per game during her senior year and scored a record 35 points against Sioux Falls Roosevelt in October 1995 ... Three-time all-conference selection in 1993, 1994 and 1995; all-state (both academic and athletic) in 1994 and 1995; and all-tournament in 1995 ... Gust was the 1995 Argus Leader Player of the Year, South Dakota High School Coaches Association Female Athlete of the Year, USA Today South Dakota Player of the Year, honorable mention on the USA Today All-USA Team and runner-up for South Dakota Miss Basketball ... Volleyball was another sport in which she excelled; as a three-year letter winner, she helped O'Gorman win region championships in 1995 and 1996 ... She broke the Class AA kill record with 95 kills at the state tournament – capped by a three-hour championship match ... Gust graduated from NDSU in 2000 and was inducted into the O'Gorman-Cathedral Alumni Hall of Fame in 2006 ... Jayne and her husband, Michael, live in Fargo, N.D. ... They have two daughters, Addyson and Elyn, and two sons, Graham and Jude..
NIKKI GREGG, Softball, Shortstop, 1997-2000
One of two seniors on 2000 NCAA Division II National Championship team ... 2000 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division II All-America first team ... 2000 NCAA Division II National All-Tournament team ... 2000 NCAA Division II all-North Central Regional Tournament team ... Three-time NFCA All-North Central Region first team (1998-99-00), second team in 1997 ... 2000 North Central Conference Player of the Year ... Three-time all-North Central Conference ... Five-time NCC Player of the Week ... NDSU advanced to NCAA Division II tournament three times, including regional titles in 1999 and 2000 ... NDSU won the 1999 North Central Conference tournament ... Bison compiled records of 68-10 in 2000, 53-12 in 1999, 64-17 in 1998 and 45-19 in 1997 ... NDSU had a school record 27-game winning streak from April 2 to April 28, 2000 ... Played in 285 games ... Still holds sixteen of NDSU's career, single-season and single-game records ... Collegiate (all-division) career leader with 442 hits and 304 runs scored from 1997-00, and ranks second with 250 stolen bases and third with 952 at-bats ... Has two of the top three collegiate single-season hit marks (126, 1998 / 124, 2000) and the second best for runs in a season (98, 2000) ... NDSU career records include batting average (.464), on-base per-centage (.514), fielding assists (619) and stolen base attempts (282) ... NDSU single-game records include hits (tied, 5 vs. MacMurray, 3-15-98), stolen bases and stolen base attempts (5 vs. North Dakota, 4-22-00 / vs. Edinboro, 3-8-99) ... Hit .438 in 1997 with 68 runs scored and 60 stolen bases ... Batted .486 in 1998 with 83 runs scored and 75 stolen bases ... Hit .419 in 1999 with 55 runs scored and 47 stolen bases ... Batted .506 in 2000 with 98 runs scored and 68 stolen bases ... Following her collegiate career, she played overseas representing the USA ... Graduated from NDSU in 2001 ... Grew up in Esko, Minn., where Gregg remembers playing softball ever since she was able to walk ... Moved into the starting lineup for Esko High School as a seventh grader ... Played in numerous leagues and tournaments year-around across the country throughout her prep career ... Gregg has spent the past 13 years at Microsoft in Fargo and has held eight different roles throughout her tenure ... Currently, she is the Director & Global Cluster Lead for the SharePoint & Office organization in Customer Service and Support ... She has received many awards for leadership excellence and service delivery management ... Extensive participation in the High Potential (HIPO) program throughout her career ... She received the ESGR (Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve) Patriotic Employer Award for leading an effort for flood relief within her team at Microsoft ... Nominated and graduated from the Barnesville Leadership class of 2014, partaking in numerous leadership seminars and partnering with a team on a community project ... She was previously a member of the Board of Properties and currently serves as Director of the Board of Outreach at St. John's Lutheran Church, in Barnesville, Minn. ... Happily married for 16 years to high school sweetheart, Ace Gregg ... They reside in Barnesville and have three children, Trinity, Dawson and Alexa.
ANDREA JESERITZ PEARSON, Women's Track & Field, High Jump/Triple jump, 1995-98
Pearson was the 1996 NCAA Division II Indoor high jump champion ... NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient ... Two-time CoSIDA College Division Academic All-America® earning first team honors in 1998 and third team in 1997 ... She was 1998 NCAA Woman of the Year state winner ... 1998 NDSU Albrecht Presidential Trophy recipient ... Three-time United States Track Coaches Association (USTCA) All-Academic team selection ... Eight-time NCAA Division II Track & Field All-American overall ... At NCAA indoor, placed third in 1995, first in 1996, tied for fifth in 1997 and second in 1998 … At NCAA outdoor, placed seventh in 1995, third in 1996, tied for fifth in 1997 and placed third in 1998 ... Four-time North Central Conference track & field champion ... Won the 1995 and 1996 NCC indoor high jump crowns ... Won the 1995 and 1998 NCC outdoor high jump ... Member of two NCC indoor track & field championship teams and a pair of NCC outdoor championship teams ... Bison had three top 10 NCAA indoor finishes including third in 1995 and fourth in 1996 ... NDSU also had three top 10 NCAA outdoor finishes including sixth in 1996 ... NCC Indoor Athlete of the Week ... On the NDSU indoor charts, ranks fifth all-time with jump of 5-feet, 9-1/4 inches at the 1998 NCAA indoor track & field championships ... Outdoors, listed at fourth with jump of 5-feet, 9-1/4 inches at the 1998 NCC outdoor track & field championships ... Served as vice-president for the NDSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee ... Received the 1998 Prairie Rose Achievement and Blue Key Doctor of Service Awards ... Member of the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society ... Graduated from NDSU with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1998 ... Earned her master's degree from St. Cloud State (Minn.) in 2004 ... Born and raised in Hutchinson, Minn., Pearson was a two-time Minnesota state high jump champion in 1993 and 1994 ... She held the state's high jump record for two decades, from 1994 to 2014 at 5-feet, 10-1/4 inches ... That mark still stands as Hutchinson High School's record ... Selected Senior Female Athlete of the Year in 1994 ... Currently, Pearson works as a school counselor and coach at Cameron Middle School in Cameron, Wis. ... Her coaching resume includes working with young athletes ranging from six-and-under to middle and high school to the Junior Olympic level in soccer, volleyball and track & field ... She was the head girls' track & field coach for her alma mater, Hutchinson High School, from 2004-06 ... Andrea and her husband, Preston, have two children, Jacob and Lauren.
GEORGE THOMPSON, Wrestling, 126-134 pounds, 1994-98
NCAA Division II national champion (1997) at 134 pounds for North Dakota State, coached by Hall of Fame head coach Bucky Maughan ... One of four NDSU wrestlers to receive an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship … NCAA Division II champion at 134 pounds in 1997 ... Four-time NCAA Division II All-American... At the NCAA championships, he was runner-up at 126 pounds in 1995 / sixth at 134 in 1996 / the 134 national champion in 1997 / third at 134 in 1998 ... Member of NDSU's 1998 NCAA Division II national championship team … Nationally, the Bison placed third in 1995 and seventh in 1997 ... North Central Conference champion in 1997 … NDSU won conference championships in 1995 and 1998 … Selected to the 1998 NCAA Division II Wrestling All-Academic Team … Amateur Wrestling News All-Rookie fourth team in 1995 ... Compiled a 99-35 record during his career, including 34-9 in duals and 17 pins … Compiled 21-8 record overall, 9-1 in duals in 1994-95, including a pair of pins … Finished 30-11 in 1995-96, including a 9-2 dual record and four pins ... During the 1996-97 national championship year, Thompson went 20-7 overall, 8-3 in duals with six pins ... Completed 1997-98 with 28-9 record, including 8-3 dual record and five pins … Thompson went 13-5 in four NCAA competitions ... Following graduation with honors from NDSU in 1998, Thompson went to the University of Northern Colorado and earned his master's degree in sport administration ... Alongside then UNC head coach and current NDSU senior associate AD for development Jack Maughan, he served as the top assistant at Northern Colorado for seven years ... Thompson coached several All-Americans and helped guide the Bears' program through their transition from Division II to Division I classification ... Thompson also co-founded the Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament (one of the largest high school sanctioned tournaments in the country) in 1999 and served as tournament director through 2014 ... Inducted into the South Dakota Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2014 ... Graduated with honors from Milbank (S.D.) High School ... Won first individual South Dakota state title as freshman as member of Milbank's 1990 state championship team ... That was after Milbank's head coach Bob Hirsch convinced Thompson to wrestle instead of playing basketball ... His high school accomplishments included earning four varsity letters, twice elected team captain, a pair of individual conference titles, four individual region titles, a State "A" individual runner-up finish, and three State "A" Individual titles ... Over that span, the Bulldogs won four conference team championships, had four top six State "A" team finishes, including the 1990 State A team championship and 1993 team runner-up finish ... Currently, Thompson is the Director of Operations for Colorado Orthotic and Prosthetic Services and resides in Greeley, Colo., with his two children, daughter Leila and son Chayse.
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