UF Athletic Hall of Fame to Induct Six

The University of Findlay’s Athletic Hall of Fame will induct six former student athletes during a brunch to be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 17 at Winebrenner Theological Seminary’s TLB Auditorium.
The 2015 inductees will include Doug Coate, Class of 1983; Tim Hamen, Class of 1999; Kati (Stedcke) Hunt, Class of 2001; Damien Spates, Class of 1999; Nate Weihruach, Clas of 1997; and Michelle (Biclawski) Williams, Class of 1996.
Terry Wymer, Class of 1982, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding athleticism during his time at UF. More about Wymer can be accessed here: http://tinyurl.com/kcehfdb.

Doug Coate

Doug Coate began his athletic career at Findlay as a baseball third baseman and football quarterback. He earned four baseball letters, and was a member of the 1979 National Association of Intercollegiate (NAIA) Division II national championship football team. As a quarterback, Coate was 18-2 and led the Oilers to a Hoosier-Buckeye Conference title in 1982. Elected a team captain while a senior, he was named NAIA All-District 22 in 1981 and ’82.
Coate then received the Founders’ Son Award in 1983. Coate continued to contribute to both programs, serving as an assistant football coach for 14 seasons and head coach for one. When the Oilers claimed the NAIA title in 1997, Coate had participated in all four championships, three while a coach. He also has been on the sideline for three other national title games, plus 16 conference championships, and has coached two national players of the year, one at Findlay and one at The University of Saint Francis, Indiana.
Coate served as head baseball coach at Findlay from 1986 to ’97, posting a record of 198-182. In 1996, Findlay finished 25-11, including a berth in the NAIA playoffs. The broad experience of this player and coach is reflected in his belief that “sports and athletics bring together more people from diverse backgrounds than any other activity in our country.”
Currently serving as the recruiting coordinator and as an assistant football coach at St. Francis, Coate and his wife, Julie, reside in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. They have adult children, Kylene and Seth.

Kati (Stedcke) Hunt

Kati (Stedcke) Hunt experienced great success in the gym and on the track at Findlay. She participated in a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) basketball Final Four (1998 and 2000) and was an NAIA National champion in the outdoor 4 x 800m relay (2000). Hunt earned NAIA All-America Scholar Athlete honors in 2000 and received the Mancuso Trophy as the outstanding female student-athlete at Findlay in 2001.
A member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) South Division champions in basketball in 1998, Hunt scored over 1,000 points and holds the Oilers’ record for most assists in a game with 16. She was named both First Team All-GLIAC and First Team All-GLIAC South Defensive in 2000 and 2001. She is ranked second in career steals and eighth in career rebounding at Findlay. On the track, Hunt was a GLIAC champion in the outdoor 4 x 400m and the outdoor 4 x 800m relays in 2000, in addition to earning a national title in the outdoor 4 x 800m.
Hunt offers her philosophy: “Sports provided an avenue to develop commitment, a will to win, perseverance, teamwork, passion and leadership. All of these qualities are essential in every area of life”.
The third-grade teacher lives in Perrysburg, Ohio, with her husband of 12 years, Kyle, and children, Kasey, Kamryn and Kali.

Tim Hamen

Tim Hamen earned four letters in basketball at Findlay while twice serving as team captain. Hamen’s leadership is evidenced by his balance of 1,420 career points, eighteenth all-time at UF, and his 471 assists, third all-time for the Oilers. He was named Second Team All-Mid-Ohio Conference and honorable mention All-Great Lakes Region in 1994-95. In 1995-96, Hamen was named National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I honorable mention All-America, First Team All-Mid-Ohio Conference, and First Team All-Great Lakes Region. He earned honorable mention All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) honors in 1998-99.
Hamen was an accomplished student-athlete, receiving the Dana Scholar Award for Business in 1998 and earning National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Academic All-America honors for 1998-99. The talented left-handed point guard lost a season to injury, but returned to complete four banner seasons. The Oilers posted an 85-36 record during Hamen’s career, including two appearances in the NAIA Division I national tournament, going 2-2. While he was a junior, the Oilers won the South Division during their inaugural season in the GLIAC.
Hamen can attribute his fine career to his philosophy, “It’s not the success that an athlete experiences but rather the challenges, the failures and the adversity that makes participating in sports so valuable.”
A technology project manager for Fidelity Information Systems in Indianapolis, Indiana, Hamen has also served as an independent consultant on technology initiatives in the financial services industry. He and his wife of eight years, Mishawna, reside in Indianapolis.

Damien Spates

Damien Spates competed in cross country for three seasons, and four seasons each in indoor and outdoor track and field, serving as team captain while a senior. Spates was a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national champion in the outdoor 4 x 800m relay in 1998. He was a Mid-Ohio Conference champion in the 4 x 400m relay in 1996 and ’97, and a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) champion in the indoor 800m (1999) and outdoor 4 x 400m relay (1998 and ’99). Spates was named All-GLIAC in the indoor 400m (1998), indoor 800m (1999), outdoor 800m (1998 and ’99), indoor 4 x 400m relay
(1999) and outdoor 4 x 400m relay (1998 and ’99). He earned NAIA All-America honors five times; indoor 600m (1999), indoor 4 x 400m relay (1996, ’97 and ’98), outdoor 4 x 400m relay (1996), indoor 4 x 800m relay (1998 and ’99), and outdoor 4 x 800m relay (1998). Spates was named an NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete for cross country in 1998, and for track and field in both 1998 and 1999. He remains a record-holder at Findlay in both the indoor 4 x 800m relay (7:42.70, 1999) and the outdoor 4 x 800m relay (7:34.05, 1999).
An accomplished student, Spates served as vice president and later president of the Black Student Union, received the UF African-American Student Leadership Award, was named Aristos Eklektos Outstanding Senior, was selected as the Outstanding Senior in Marketing and received the Mancuso Trophy as the outstanding male student-athlete at Findlay.
Spates is a certified internal auditor for PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and resides in University Heights, Ohio, with his wife of three years, Lecia.

Nate Weihruach

Nate Weihrauch was twice named a First Team National Association of Intercollegiate (NAIA) All-America defensive back at Findlay and helped the Oilers win the NAIA National Championship in 1995. The following season he was voted the top NAIA defensive back in the nation. The Liberty-Benton graduate was a three-year starter at free safety for UF. He intercepted 15 passes during his career, during which the Oilers compiled a record of 36-9-2.
Weihrauch was named NAIA Player of the Week on three occasions, was a two-time FirstTeam All-Mid States Football Association (MSFA) selection (1995 and 1996), a GTE Academic All-American in 1996, and was named to the All-Time MSFA team in 2013. Weihrauch holds UF records for the most touchdowns on interception returns in a game (two), season (three) and during a career (five). His 476 interception return yards include UF records for the longest return in a game (100 yards) and return yardage during a season (219 yards).
Weihrauch’s humble approach is reflected in his belief that “it is amazing how much can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit.”
For the past eight years, Weihrauch has served as the director of athletics at Findlay High School in Findlay, Ohio. He also has served as a teacher and an assistant principal. He was inducted into the Hancock Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. Weihrauch and his wife of 12 years, Sarah, and three young children, Sam, Luke and Joselyn, reside in Findlay.

Michelle (Biclawski) Williams earned National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Second Team All-America honors in 1995, NAIA honorable mention, plus First Team Great Lakes Region and Region Most Valuable Player in 1996, and National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Second Team All-America, also in 1996. She still holds records at Findlay for the most goals (28), most points in a season (64), most hat tricks in a career (7), and is second in career goals with 69. Oilers soccer posted a record of 70-15-5 during Williams’ career, and appeared in three NAIA tournaments.
Williams was recognized at the 1996 NSCAA Convention for her outstanding career, and was invited to participate in the NSCAA Umbro Invitational Tournament in 1997, which was attended by scouts from the professional soccer leagues.
Williams, remembered as an aggressive and tireless player, states her philosophy that “teamwork is essential to achieving the task; it takes individual dedication and heart to win!”
She and her teammates demonstrated this dedication to winning in 1996 when the Oilers posted a school record 20 victories, and concluded the season ranked seventh in the nation.
Currently the director of the American Red Cross of Putnam County, Ohio, Williams received the Presidential Award for Excellence in 2014. She and her husband of six years, John, live in Ottawa, Ohio, with young children, Jocelyn and Jacquelyn.
Those interested in attending the brunch and awards ceremony must register by Monday, Jan. 12 by calling the Wolfe Center for Alumni, Parents and Friends at (419) 434-4589. The cost is $25 for adults and $15 for children. Children under the age of five will be admitted free.