MORRIS, Minn. – A five-person Class of 2024 has been announced as the newest inductees into the Cougar Athletics Hall of Fame. Following the success of last year's brunch, the format will continue with the ceremony for these individuals taking place on the Saturday morning of Homecoming Weekend, which this year will be on September 7. The Class of 2024 inductees are:
- Diane Blommel '11
- Mark Freitag '96
- Patrick O'Connor '10
- Nic (Rettig) Remer '07
- Todd Vanek '94
Diane Blommel
Diane Blommel wrote her name all over the Cougar softball record book in a four-year career from 2008-11. The all-time leader for Minnesota Morris in runs scored (118), Blommel is also ranked third in career batting average (.396) and stolen bases (37), fourth in hits (143) and on-base percentage (.423), tied for fourth in career RBIs (78) and triples (seven), and fifth in career doubles (28). In her senior season of 2011, she batted what was then a school record of .482 for the year while setting single-season records in runs (44) and stolen bases (22) that still stand. An Honorable Mention All-UMAC selection in her first year of 2008, Blommel followed that up with Honorable Mention and All-UMAC Defensive Team honors in 2009 and 2010 before earning First Team All-UMAC and UMAC All-Defensive Team accolades in 2011.
Mark Freitag
Mark Freitag was named the winner of both the 1994 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Indoor Athlete of the Year and Outdoor Athlete of the Year for the men's track & field program. Thirty years after graduating from Minnesota Morris, Freitag remains the record-holder in the indoor 400 Meter Dash (50.20) and the long jump (24-7.50, 7.50m), as well as the outdoor 200 Meter Dash (21.50) and 400 Meter Dash (48.81). He also held the school record in the decathlon with a point total of 5,384 at the 1994 NSIC Outdoor Championships until that was broken nearly two decades later.
Patrick O'Connor
A First Team All-UMAC selection in each of his four seasons from 2006-09, Patrick O'Connor remains one of the most prolific offensive players in the history of the Cougar men's soccer program. O'Connor set the single-season record for assists in a season with 19 in 2009 and his 45 career assists are the best in program history. Much more than just a distributor, O'Connor is second in career goals at Minnesota Morris with 36 (12 game-winners) and the all-time leader in shots attempted (323) and shots on goal (141). His 36 goals and 45 assists combine for 117 points, which is also second all-time for the Cougars.
Nic (Rettig) Remer
A three-time First Team All-UMAC selection (2005, 2006, 2007), Nic (Rettig) Remer is the Minnesota Morris softball career leader in home runs with 17. They are also second in Cougar history in career total bases (217) and RBIs (93), while also ranking among the top 10 in program history in career doubles (27), hits (135), batting average (.344), and on-base percentage (.400). Playing the hot corner at third base, they rank as the Cougar all-time leader in defensive assists with 337 and were a UMAC All-Defensive Team selection as a senior. Nic added a batting average of .470 as a senior in 2007 that at the time was a program record and still ranks third in Minnesota Morris history.
Todd Vanek
Twice named All-NSIC in his career (1993, 1994), Todd Vanek was the driving force in the middle of the batting order for the Cougar baseball team. Setting records that stood until recently, Vanek still ranks fourth all-time in career hits (176) and RBIs (86) and is tied for fourth in home runs (11) in program history. He is also among the top ten in program history in runs (95), doubles (28), and stolen bases (29). At the time, his 51 hits in the 1993 season broke a single-season school record that had been set two years earlier by fellow Hall-of-Famer Shane Pribyl.
