February 12, 2008
 
 
Montana State Billings to Induct Six to Athletics Hall of Fame and Distinction

BILLINGS, Mont. – Montana State Billings has announced that six former athletes will be added to its Athletics Hall of Fame and Distinction. The 19th annual induction ceremony will take place Friday, February 15, at 5:30 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom.
Tickets for the event, which includes dinner, will be $20.00 and can be purchased in advance by calling the Montana State Billings Athletic Ticket Office at:  657-2369.

Since MSUB created its Athletics Hall of Fame and Distinction in 1990, 115 members have been inducted. The Class of 2008 will see the roster increased to 121 with the addition of Bart Bauer, Abby (Farmer) Wright, John Kramer, Codi (Schmitz) Austreim, Jamie Stevens and Titus Warmsley.

Bart Bauer played men’s basketball for the Yellowjackets from 1978-1982. During his career, he scored 1,547 points which ranks him fifth in the school’s annals. He is 14th in school history in assists with 230 and owns the third-highest number of field goals (252), during the 1979-80 season. Bauer earned postseason accolades in being named first team all-Frontier Conference in 1980 and in 1981 he was second team all-West District. He was a member of the 1980 Frontier Conference championship team, as well as the first two Yellowjacket NCAA Tournament teams in 1981 and 1982.

Abby (Farmer) Wright played women’s soccer for MSUB from 1997-2001. Ranking third in school history in scoring with 31 goals and eight assists for 70 points, she is second in the record books in goals in a career (31) and consecutive games with at least one point (5). She ranks first in school history in assists in a game (4), as well as in consecutive games with at least one goal (5). She was the starting forward on the Yellowjacket squad that ranks second all-time for offense in 1999. She was a team captain in 1998, 1999 and 2001. Farmer was named to the inaugural MSUB Women’s Soccer All-Decade Team (1996-2005).

As a member of the men’s gymnastics team from 1984-1988, John Kramer is one of the most decorated men’s gymnastics athletes in school history.  His second-place finish in the floor exercise and the vault at the 1987 Nationals, as well as fifth in the horizontal bar and seventh in the all around, garnered him the title of EMC Gymnast of the Year. During his senior year, Kramer’s crowning achievements included attaining the national champion title in the vault and leading the Yellowjackets to a fourth-place finish. In addition, he was fourth in the all around and fifth in the horizontal bar that year. Kramer ranks in the top three in school history in the floor exercise (1), parallel bars (1), all around (2), floor exercise total (30) and vaulting total (3).

Codi (Schmitz) Austreim, who played basketball at MSUB from 1996-2000, also had a career worthy of recognition.  Ranking ninth in points with 1,324, she is 10th in points per game at 13.2 and seventh in field goals made with 528. She ranks third in field goal percentage with a 55.6 career average (528 of 950). During her senior year, she scored the fourth-most points in a season in school history with 568 and was named Daktronics first team all-West Region. She was a member of two conference championship teams and went to the NCAA Tournament each of her four years at MSUB.

Best known for his electrifying no-look pass, Jamie Stevens owns just about every assist record in school history. This men’s basketball star played and started for four years (1994-1999), dazzling fans with his passes and setting the school record for assists in a game with 16. He also ranks first in assists in a career with 805, which nearly doubles the next closest mark. He helped lead the Yellowjackets to 40, 100-point scoring totals. During his time at MSUB, he and the Yellowjackets won two conference championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances, including a regional championship berth.

Titus Warmsley, who played men’s basketball at MSUB from 1997-1999, ranks seventh all-time in scoring with 1,467 points, fourth in points per game with an average of 20.4 and second in free throws with 472.  He holds the school record for free throws in a game, going 22 of 24 against Queens College (11/14/98).  During the 1997-98 season, he was a first team all-America selection and an all-region selection.  In addition, he was named Pacific West Conference Player of the Year.  Warmsley was a key contributor to the Yellowjackets’ conference championship and advancement to the NCAA Tournament in 1998.