Judson to induct 5 into Hall of Fame

Judson University will induct five former athletes into its Athletic Hall of Fame on Jan. 27.

Gary Shelley, Nancy Smith Binger, Janes Gregory Kazda, Rob Eastland and Shawna Jensen Sipes will take their place as hall of fame Eagles at the induction ceremony at the Holiday Inn & Suites in Elgin.

Shelley was a 3-year letter winner in basketball in the early 1970s. He is in Judson’s top 10 of all time for assists and assists per game and was a 1,000-point scorer. He also participated in tennis and cross country.

Smith Binger was the 1996-97 Judson Female Athlete of the Year. She played 115 career women’s basketball games at Judson and was a member of the first Judson team to advance to the NAIA National Tournament in 1996. She scored 987 career points and was an NCCAA all-American.

She then became involved in athletic administration at Judson for 10 years, including 4 years as athletic director, and introduced many new programs to the school for students and student-athletes alike. During her 4 years as AD, Judson won 11 CCAC championships and added 12 new sports.

Kazda was part of Judson’s best ever women’s volleyball team in 1997. She was a four-time NCCAA all-region pick and a three-time all-CCAC selection. She is Judson’s all-time leader in kills (1,568) and kills per game and is third in career hitting percentage. In 1997, she led the Eagles to a 33-win season that included a 27-match winning streak.

Eastland, the 2000 CCAC men’s soccer player of the year, is Judson’s all-time leader in assists. He was a part of Judson’s NCCAA National Championship team in 1997 and the program’s first CCAC title in 2000. He finished his career with 173 points.

Jensen Sipes led Judson to the NAIA national finals in women’s basketball in 2000-01, where coach Tory Gum’s Eagles finished in the Elite Eight in the country. Sipes has her names in 13 career top 10 lists at Judson and the Eagles went 97-35 in her career, winning four CCAC titles and playing in the NAIA nationals three times. She holds the record for free throws made and scored 1,609 career points. She was a four-time all-CCAC player and an NAIA second team all-American. She was also a two-time NCCAA all-American.

For more information on Judson’s Hall of Fame banquet, contact Jan Andresen at (847) 628-1580 or email jandresen@judsonu.edu.