STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point athletics department announced the 2024 Athletics Hall of Fame Class on Wednesday (Jan. 31). The 2024 class inductees are: Dean Bryan (track and field), Shirley Egner (women's basketball), Ben Engelland (wrestling), Kelly Haen (cross country and track and field), Fred Hebert (service to athletics), Kyle Steiner (track and field) and Jill Van Wychen (softball).
 
The 2024 Hall of Fame Induction ceremony will be held on Friday, October 4 in the Laird Room at the Dreyfus University Center. The inductees will also be recognized at halftime of the Homecoming game on Oct. 5 versus UW-Stout.

Dean Bryan (1990-1995, Track and Field)
Bryan ran track for head coach Rick Witt and played football for head coach John Miech. Bryan is a six-time All-American, three in indoor and three in outdoor. He was the national runner-up in the 400-meter dash in both 1991 and 1992 during indoor season. His outdoor All-American honors were one each in the 400-meter dash, the 1600-meter relay and the 400-meter relay. In 1991, Bryan set the WIAC indoor record for the 400-meter dash at 48.23, winning the conference title, the first of six WIAC championships he won in his career. He still holds the UWSP indoor and outdoor record for the 400-meter dash. On the football team, Bryan was a three-year starter and a team captain. He was a receiver with 93 career catches, 1,573 yards and 18 touchdowns and was named to the All-WIAC team as a senior. 
 
Shirley Egner (1990-2022, Women's Basketball)
Egner coached the UWSP women's basketball team for 33 seasons from 1990 until her retirement in 2022. She led the Pointers to the National Championship in 2002, the second in program history. Egner is the UWSP and WIAC all-time winningest coach racking up a 572-292 record while coaching the Pointers. She was the WIAC Coach of the Year four times – 2003-04, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11. The Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) named her Division III Women's Coach of the Year three-straight years from 2010 to 2012. In 2010, she was inducted into the WBCA Hall of Fame. The Pointers made 10 trips to the NCAA Tournament under Egner. In addition to the National Championship in 2002, her Pointers took fourth in 2004 and reached the Sweet 16 three other times as well as going to the Elite 8 in 2010. Egner led the Pointers to regular season WIAC titles in 2004, 2005, 2009, 2011 and 2012. Her team won the WIAC tournament seven times, including in 2008 when her Pointers became the first non-No.1 seed to win the WIAC Tournament championship. Egner won her 700th game as a basketball coach on Feb. 10, 2021.  In 2019, she became the first coach to win 300 WIAC league games. Off the court, Egner was instrumental in her program raising $50,000 for the Hope is Building initiative without the aid of corporate money. Six women's basketball players earned the Judy Kruckman WIAC Scholar-Athlete award during Egner's tenure at UWSP.  Egner also served as the chair of the NCAA Division III women's basketball committee from 2006-08.
 
Ben Engelland (2007-2011, Wrestling)
Engelland wrestled for head coach Johnny Johnson from 2008 to 2011. A three-time All-American, Engelland culminated his career as the NCAA Runner-Up in 2011. He finished fourth at nationals in 2010 and was fifth in 2009. He was an NCAA qualifier all four years. Engelland won the WIAC title at 184 in 2010 and 2011 and was a finalist all four years. As a senior, Engelland went 25-2, the seventh-best single season in program history. His career record of 107-15 still stands as the best in school history for winning percentage (0.877). Engelland was also a three-NWCA Scholar All-American earning the honor in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
 
Kelly Haen (2009-2012, Cross Country, Track and Field)
Haen ran cross country and track and field for head coach Rick Witt from 2009 to 2012. Haen finished second at the WIAC Cross Country Championships in both 2010 and 2011. She advanced to the NCAA Championships both years finishing 21st in 2010 and 13th in 2011. Haen won the 10000-meter run at the WIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2010. She was the runner-up in the 5000-meter run at the WIAC Outdoor Championships in 2011. In 2012, Haen was an All-American, placing eighth in the mile run at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
 
Fred Hebert (Service to Athletics)
Hebert served as Assistant Football Coach and Defensive Coordinator for UW-Stevens Point football from 1984 to 1998, and as Associate Dean and Head of the School of Health Exercise Science and Athletics from 1998 to 2009. His career is marked by outstanding leadership, dedication, and support of Pointer Athletics. Through his coaching tenure, it is clear the totality of his contributions and his excellence have made a profound impact on his athletes, the Pointer Championship Football teams of the 1980's and on all UWSP Athletics thereafter. 
 
Although primarily serving in support roles for athletics (first as defensive coordinator then as Head of Health Exercise Sciences and Athletics) Hebert always seemed to be making a positive impact, which showed up as wins and championships.  It is no coincidence that the most successful Pointer football teams over the past 50 years happened when Hebert was involved.  Working in partnership with now retired Athletic Director Frank O'Brien, Hebert oversaw an Athletics program that was recognized as one of the nation's most successful in NCAA Division III. Under the leadership of O'Brien and Hebert, UWSP teams won more than 50 WIAC championships, took more than a dozen different athletic teams to Final Four appearances, and brought several national championships trophies to Stevens Point. During this period, Hebert was a spokesperson for athletics, lobbyist for support among campus administration and one of athletics biggest volunteers.  He attended or served as volunteer games manager at many, many athletics events. Regardless of his role, Hebert was a coach's coach, a hard worker, full of integrity, and someone who cared about his programs, coaches, and student-athletes.  
 
Kyle Steiner (2006-2008, Track and Field)
Steiner competed in track and field for head coach Rick Witt from 2006 to 2008. A seven-time All-American, Steiner won a national championship as a member of the 4x400-meter relay in 2008 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. He was national runner-up in the decathlon in both 2007 and 2008. In 2008, Steiner was named the National Field Athlete of the Year. He was twice the outdoor Regional Field Athlete of the Year in 2007 and 2008. Five times during his career, Steiner won a WIAC Championship – twice in the decathlon, twice in the heptathlon and in the indoor high jump in 2007. Steiner still owns the school record for the decathlon, heptathlon and indoor 4x400-meter relay.
 
Jill Van Wychen (1999-2003, Softball)
Van Wychen played four years of softball at UWSP as an outfielder for head coaches Dean Shuda, Kelli Harms and Paul Caufield. The 2003 WIAC Player of the Year, Van Wychen was also named a second-team All-American that season. She was an All-WIAC first-team selection in both 2002 and 2003. The program's all-time stolen base leader, Van Wychen swiped 41 bags in her four seasons, including a school record 23 in 2003. Her .401 career batting average is second in school history. As a senior, Van Wychen hit .467, the second-highest single season batting average in program history, with 63 hits and six triples, both top-three marks in school history.