Hall of Fame Induction

Norfolk’s very own Sally Stevens was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Midwestern Awards Banquet on Sunday, October 11, 2015.

Sally Stevens has been involved in coaching swimming for many decades in outstate Nebraska. Sally became involved in swimming when she competed at Kearney State in the early 1960s. She has been involved in AAU, USS, YMCA and the NSAA. She began coaching in 1971 when she became coach of the Hastings Swim Club. She would be considered a pioneer in women coaching as there were not many in the 1970s. She was part of the merger of the Hastings Y team and club team and became head coach of the Hastings YMCA swim team in 1974. She also began coaching high school diving in 1973 while still coaching the age group team. She continued coaching in Hastings till 1984. She ended her involvement with the Hastings swim club in 1984 when she moved with her husband Russ to Norfolk in 1985. She began head coaching duties with the Norfolk Aquajet Booster Club in 1986. A year later she also joined the high school swim team as an assistant coach and head diving coach. Her impact was felt immediately with Norfolk High School having its first state champion in 1987.  Sally coached the Norfolk Aquajet Booster Club from 1986 to 2000. She retired from club coaching in 2000. Sally retired from coaching in 2018.

In Sally’s career she has been a zone coach 4 times. She has coached two Olympic trial qualifiers, 3 junior national qualifiers, and been a part of all of Norfolk’s 18 individual high school state champions. She has coached swimmers to zone, sectional, YMCA regional and junior nationals. She coached David Morrow to a Junior National championship in the 100 free in 1997. She has sent numerous athletes to swim at the next level collegiately. She has been a mainstay of the success of Norfolk swimming and was a major part in the development of the Hastings Swim team in the 1970s and early 80s. She has also been a mentor for future coaches. Including Docker Hartfield of Swim Omaha and Kirk Ermels Assistant coach at the University of Wyoming. They all started coaching under Sally Stevens.

Collegiate Norfolk Aquajet Booster Club Swimmers

Dana Baker……………………………………Buena Vista College – Storm Lake, IA

Cameron Carney……………………………. Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, AZ

Elissa Balsiger Carney……………………. University of Nebraska – Kearney

Danielle Bolin Place……………………. University of South Dakota – Vermillion, SD

Jill Brudigan…………………………………. University of South Dakota – Vermillion, SD

Doug Geyer……………………………………. University of Nebraska

Jeff Geyer………………………………………. University of Wyoming

Suzie Geyer……………………………………. Texas A & M University

Chris Hansen……………………………………University of South Dakota

Annika Harthoorn……………………………. University of Nebraska-Omaha

Caleb Harthoorn…………………………South Dakota State University

Kaitlin Harthoorn………………………………University of Nebraska at Omaha

Joslyn Jacobs…………………………………. University of Nebraska at Omaha

Angela Jones……………………………………Truman State University

Jenna Krivohlavek……………………………Rice University

Scott Krivohlavek……………………………. University of South Dakota

Katie Luellen…………………………………… University of Iowa

Tom Luellen……………………………………. Drury College

Katie Maier………………………………………. University of Nebraska at Omaha

Trevor McKeown………………………………. Wesleyan University, Lincoln, NE

David Morrow……………………………………Texas A & M University

Renee Ott…………………………………………University of Nebraska – Kearney

Tighe Paulk………………………………………Morningside College, Sioux City IA

Mitchell Pruss……………………………………St. Cloud State

MacKenzie Ritter………………………………. University of Nebraska at Omaha

Beth Rogers………………………………………Truman State University

Toby Smith………………………………………. University of Nebraska

Audrey Stelling……………………………University of Nebraska at Kearney

Paige Theilen……………………………………. University of Nebraska

Maggie Waddington…………………………...University of Nebraska at Kearney

Kyle Wemhoff……………………………………University of Wyoming

Lisa Wemhoff……………………………………. University of Nebraska

Anna Windedahl…………………………. Midland University – Fremont, NE

Shannon Wright…………………………………University of Nebraska