Three women named to Central hall of honor
Central Dutch Athletics
PELLA—Three female all-America honorees who shined on the national tournament stage are the newest additions to the Central College Athletics Hall of Honor.
Donell Hotze Kvaal ’00, the 2000 NFCA Division III softball player of the year, will be inducted, along with Molly Parrott ’02, an all-America pick in both women’s basketball and softball, and Angie Nielsen Sears ’02, a three-time all-America volleyball setter and three-time NCAA Division III team champion.
It marks the first time in the hall’s 16-year history that there are three women in the same induction class.
A banquet for the honorees is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22 in the Harry and Bernice Vermeer Banquet Hall in the Graham Conference Center while the induction will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 in the Schipper Fitness Center lobby. Both events are open to the public. Cost of the banquet is $20 and reservations are required. There is no admission charge for the induction ceremony. Contact the athletics department at 641-628-5226 for more information.
Established in 2002, Central’s hall of honor is intended to recognize those who were exceptional performers in the athletics arena as a student-athlete, coach or administrator, and who have distinguished themselves in life after graduation through service and leadership. To be eligible for consideration, a nominee must have graduated or served as a Central coach/administrator at least 15 years earlier. Current Central staff members are not eligible for consideration. This year’s inductions will raise the hall’s membership level to 54.
National player of the year—Kvaal, a hard-hitting third baseman, was a four-time first-team all-Iowa Conference perfomer. In addition to the 2000 NFCA award, she received the Honda Award as Division III’s top player. The 2000 team co-captain led the squad to a 40-20 record and was a four-time NCAA Division III tourney participant, reaching the national finals in 1997. She held Central’s career hits record (198) as well as marks for season doubles (15), career doubles (39), season times on base (83), game home runs (2) and career RBIs (78). She posted a career batting mark of .367 and currently ranks seventh in that category. She ranks third in career hits, third in career at-bats (539), fifth in career doubles (40), 10th in career triples (8) and fourth in career total bases (278).
Following graduation, Kvaal returned to her hometown of Carson, Iowa where she lives with her family and is a community volunteer. She serves several roles at the Carson United Methodist Church, including Bible school coordinator. Kvaal will soon return to work with her family’s business, Hotze Tree Service.
Two-sport All-American—Parrott is the only athlete in school history to receive all-America distinction in both women’s basketball and softball.
She was a four-time all-conference pick as a speedy point guard in women’s basketball, and a two-time first-team selection. A two-time team MVP, she was named to the D3hoops.com all-America squad for the 2001-02 season and served as a Central co-captain.
On the career charts, Parrott ranks second in school history in scoring (1,595 points, 15.8 points per game), first in assists (430), second in steals (198), third in 3-point goals (109), fifth in field goals (533) and second in free throws (420).
A Council Bluffs native, Parrott was a four-year starter at second base in softball, receiving all-league honors twice. She was the 2002 LeRoy Timmer team MVP and a two-time all-Midwest Region selection. Helping lead the team to four NCAA Division III tournament berths, she was a regional and national all-tournament team selection in 2001 when the Dutch finished second in the U.S.
Parrott broke Kvaal’s freshman season and career hits marks and currently ranks second in career hits (201), second in season hits (70, 2001), second in career at-bats (567), third in career runs (137) and ninth in career doubles (29). She posted a career .354 batting mark and stole 95 bases.
Parrott earned a master’s degree in sports administration at the University of Northern Colorado. She was an administrative intern under the senior associate athletics director at Iowa State University for a year before spending 2004-07 as assistant women’s basketball coach at the University of Chicago. She returned to Iowa State as graduate assistant coach from 2007-09 and completed a doctoral degree in educational leadership at Iowa State in 2010. During 2009-10 she was a graduate assistant/postdoctoral associate in athletics academic services before transitioning to coordinator of student-athlete affairs from 2010-14. She was named Iowa State’s Outstanding Student Organization Adviser of the Year in 2013.
In 2014, Parrott assumed her present position as director of development for the College of Human Sciences, leading fundraising efforts there through the Iowa State University Foundation.
Parrott is also well-known as a sports broadcast analyst. She was the radio analyst for Iowa State women’s basketball with Cyclones Sports Properties from 2008-15 and still provides the color for most home games. She was also the analyst for telecasts of the Iowa state girls’ high school basketball and softball tournaments.the past two years.
She also remains active with Central, serving on the college’s National Advisory Council since 2012 and as a tri-chair for the Forever Dutch initiative for athletics facilities enhancements, including a $12 million expansion of P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium.
Parrott and her family live in Ames.
Three-time NCAA champ—Sears was a three-time AVCA Division III all-America pick as a setter and helped Central capture three straight NCAA national volleyball titles (1998, 1999, 2000). She was a first-team all-America pick in 1999 and 2000 and a second-team honoree in 2001 while also receiving all-region recognition all four years.
The 2001 team and Iowa Conference MVP, Sears was a four-time all-conference honoree, including three times on first team. She was also a third-team CoSIDA Academic All-America selection and a two-time academic all-district pick.
The Dutch won four league titles during her career and posted a 148-12 overall record.
An Ankeny native, Sears holds school marks for career assists (5,828, 11.63 per set) and has the top four spots on the chart for most season assists, including a record 1,585 in 2000. She ranks fifth in career service aces (175).
Following graduation, Sears taught English for a year in Japan, then coached volleyball and taught social studies for a year at Boone High School. She then spent four years abroad while her husband, Ryan, played professional basketball in Kosovo, the Netherlands and Belgium. She and her family returned to Ankeny from 2009-15 and now live in Bellevue, Nebraska where she is active in children’s ministry at the family’s church and home schools her children.
Central College Athletics Hall of Honor inductees
2002
Vern Den Herder football, men’s basketball
Dr. Camilla Ratering McCalmont cross country, track and field
Ron Schipper football coach, athletics director
Dick Schultz baseball, basketball, football
Richard “Babe” Tysseling baseball, basketball, football, track and field; football coach; athletics director
Jeff Verhoef men’s basketball
2003
Dr. Richard Dykstra football
Gertrude Beintema athletics department office manager
Marcie Thurn Rohach track and field
Clarence Wilkins basketball
Brian Goldsworthy golf
2004
Denise Boll basketball
Dr. Kenneth Weller Central president
Dana Snoap basketball
2005
Tom Stone football
Nancy Cisar Wright track and field
Scot Storjohann football, wrestling
2006
Laurie Sutten Flynn softball, basketball
Joe Jaspers golf, basketball
Scott Lindell football
Lori Nolte cross country, track and field
2007
Eldon Schulte.football, baseball, basketball, track and field
Lisa Broek women’s track and field
Rich Thomas football
2008
Bruce Heerema football, baseball, track and field
Harold De Bie basketball
Christi Van Werden softball, women’s basketball
2009
Dick Bowzer football, basketball, baseball, tennis, coach
Kim Doyle golf
Mark Muyskens men’s cross country, men’s track and field
Jamie Mahnke Zyzda softball
2010
Jeff Blythe football
Gary Boeyink baseball, basketball, coach
Emilie Hanson Brown women’s basketball
2011
Shannan Mattiace women’s tennis
Rich Kacmarynski football, coach
Kevin Sanger track and field, football, coach
2012
Tim Hackel wrestling
Jon McGovern wrestling
Emily Grimes Rottinghaus softball
Jack Walvoord basketball, coach
2013
John Bermel men’s golf
Mark Kacmarynski football
Brian O’Donnell football
Cindy (Kline) Olson women’s golf
2014
Megan Clayberg coach
Rick Sanger football, men’s track and field
Jeff Schneekloth men’s tennis
2015
Randy Busscher football, men’s track and field
Jason Christenson wrestling, coach
Chris Hulleman football
Abbie (Brown) Sogard volleyball, women’s basketball
2016
Candace Wilson DuRegger volleyball
Al Dorenkamp football, athletics director
Rick Perry, football, men’s basketball
2017
Donell Hotze Kvaal softball
Molly Parrott women’s basketball, softball
Angie Nielsen Sears volleyball
