DILLON — The University of Montana Western will hold its 2012 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 15. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 9 a.m. in the Lewis and Clark Room at the University of Montana Western.
This year’s inductees include Holly Costello, Jake Hayworth, Randy Spaeth, Pat Yeager and the 1999-2000 women’s basketball team.
Holly Costello
Costello earned a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts from Montana Western in 2001.
As a rodeo athlete at Montana Western, Costello was a College Nationals Final Rodeo (CNFR) qualifier in 1998; the 1999 Big Sky Region All Around Cowgirl and Reserve Champion Barrel Racer; a CNFR Barrels and Goats Qualifier in 1999; the 2000 Big Sky Region Champion All Around Cowgirl and Goat Tier; a CNFR Qualifier 2000 in Barrels, Breakaway, and Goats; the 2001 Big Sky Region Champion, All Around Cowgirl, and Goat Tier; and a 2001 CNFR Qualifier in Barrels and Goats.
Costello and her husband Jake now live on a ranch south of Buffalo, S.D. and have two children, Cade (7) and Kelsi (9). Holly is currently finishing a second degree at Black Hills State University.
Jake Hayworth
Hayworth earned a Bachelor’s in Secondary Education from Montana Western in 1999.
As a rodeo athlete at Montana Western, Jake was the 1999 CNFR Bareback Champion and Reserve All Around; the 2000 Big Sky Region All Around, Bareback and Saddle Bronc Champion; and the 2000 CNFR Saddle Bronc Champion and Reserve All Around.
Since graduating, Hayworth was a four-time Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Wilderness Circuit Qualifier; a seven-time PRCA Montana Circuit Qualifier; a three-time Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo Qualifier; was ranked 21st in the 2001 Bareback World Standings, 19th in the 2005 Saddle Bronc World Standings and was 16th in the 2007 Saddle Bronc World Standings. He was the 2007 Montana Circuit Saddle Bronc Champion and a mentor to 2009 world champion Jesse Kruse.
Hayworth currently starts and trains horses in St. Anthony, Idaho and is the co-owner of the Dark Horse Rodeo Company.
Randy Spaeth
Spaeth earned a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education from Montana Western in 1997.
Spaeth was a member of the Frontier Conference Champion Bulldog football teams from 1993 to 1995. He played in the NAIA semifinals in 1994 and 1995, was a First Team All Conference athlete in 1993 and 1994, a 1994 Frontier Conference Player of the Week, a 1994 Booster Club Player of the Week and an All American Honorable Mention in 1994.
After leaving Montana Western, Randy spent 15 years as a teacher and head coach at Raft River High School in Malta, Idaho. His football teams have gone 103-47 with two state titles, three runner-up trophies and five third-place trophies. He was the head girl’s basketball coach for five years and the head wrestling coach for three years (with one state title). He also served as the head track coach for three years and assistant track coach for eight years with a total of seven titles.
Pat Yeager
Yeager earned a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Montana Western in 1969.
Pat coached cheerleading at Montana Western for six years. She was a member of Save Our College and fought to keep UMW open when the Montana Legislature considered closing the campus.
Pat went on to earn a double major in business and physical education. She taught business and coached cheerleading, drill team and girl’s basketball and track at the high school level for eight years. After working in the private sector, she began working in the UMW Foundation office in 1997 before transferring to the athletic department where she served as the associate athletic director for the past nine years. She retired in 2012.
Yeager is a 20-year member of the Dillon Soroptomists. She and her husband Jon rarely miss home or away Bulldog events, traveling with teams to playoff games and national tournaments.
The 1999-2000 Women’s Basketball Team
The University of Montana Western 1999-2000 women’s basketball team will be inducted into the Montana Western Hall of Fame on Sept. 15, 2012.
The Bulldogs won the Frontier Conference Tournament by defeating the previously undefeated, first-ranked team in the country, Lewis-Clark College.
The Bulldogs went on to win the first round game at their first-ever national tournament appearance and advanced to the Sweet 16.
The team led the Frontier Conference in free throw percentage (73.4 percent), had the single game highest team free throw percentage versus Montana State University-Northern (95.2 percent) and the single game highest team three-point percentage versus Western Oregon University (63.6 percent).
Alison Burlingame was named First Team All Conference while teammates Bobbi Konen (Suhr) and Trish Gustin (Jones) were honorable mentions.
Alison Burlingame was second in the conference in steals (2.9 per game) and fourth in assists (3.1 per game), tallied the most steals in a season (86) as well as the most steals in a single game (eight) and made the most three-point field goals in a single game (seven). Tanya Romer was fifth in the conference in rebounding with six per game. Bobbi Konen (Suhr) was second in the conference in field goal percentage with 58.3 percent and fourth in the in free throw percentage with 77.5 percent. Trish Gustin (Jones) was third in the conference in three-point percentage with 37.4 percent and second in assists with with 3.9 per game.
The team’s most memorable moment of the season came in the Frontier Conference Championship game when Alison Burlingame hit a half-court shot at the buzzer to beat previously undefeated and nationally first-ranked Lewis-Clark State.
— UM Western Sports Information
