Arnold Gonzalez '90
When Arnold Gonzalez joined the Monmouth
College baseball program in 1986, he posted four of the Fighting
Scots’ wins in an 11-9 season. By the time he was done with his
stellar pitching career, Gonzalez and his teammates were almost
unbeatable.
Things really started to click in the
southpaw’s sophomore season, as the Scots won the first of two
consecutive Midwest Conference titles. Gonzalez recorded a win
in each of the postseason appearances, going 7-2 both years.
Monmouth went 24-3 in his senior season in 1989, and Gonzalez
put an exclamation point on his career with a 2.84 ERA that year
and an 8-0 record, including another playoff victory.
The four-time all-conference selection
posted a career record of 26-7, striking out 228, while
completing 26 of his 31 starts.
At the time of his induction, he had served
as head baseball coach at Galesburg High School for 10 seasons.
Christy Hickey Woodard '97
When Christy Hickey entered Monmouth
College from nearby Galesburg High School, she was joining a
women’s track program that was coming into its own, having won
its first-ever Midwest Conference championship in 1993. By
accumulating 13 individual or relay crowns in MWC indoor and
outdoor meets in her career, Hickey helped the Fighting Scots
add to their collection with five more team titles.
One of the top sprinters in the program’s
history, Hickey succeeded at the national level, too, running on
three All-American 4x100 teams. She qualified for nationals in a
total of nine individual events, including three times in the
100-meter hurdles, where her school-record of 14.74 seconds
lasted 10 years. Her top 100-meter dash time was 12.31 seconds.
Hickey capped her career by winning the
100- and 200-meter dash at the 1997 conference outdoor meet,
helping the Scots win the team title, before earning her final
All-American relay honor.
Michael Blaesing '96
More often than not, Michael
Blaesing could be found on base during his Fighting Scots
diamond career.
While hitting an impressive
.411 over four years, the three-time first team All-Midwest
Conference pick also walked 83 times, giving him a staggering
career on-base percentage of .515. His 49 runs scored in 1994
were a school record.
Blaesing not only set the
table, but he could also clear it. He blasted 12 career homers
and 39 doubles, posting a slugging percentage of .620. The
shortstop/third baseman drove in 98 runs and had 160 hits in 117
career games, helping the Scots reach the MWC playoffs all four
years. With Blaesing in the lineup, Monmouth won one league
title and placed second twice.
Blaesing doubled as a steady
guard on the basketball team, scoring 441 career points,
including a 10.2 average his senior year, when he was named
first team all-conference.
Dwayne Hughes '87
At the professional level,
Lawrence Taylor revolutionized the linebacker position in the
1980s. At Monmouth College, it was Dwayne Hughes who led the
revolution.
The 6-foot-4, 245-pounder
had a combination of speed (4.85 in the 40-yard dash) and
strength (400-pound bench press, 700-pound squat lift) that had
rarely been seen in the Midwest Conference to that point.
Consequently, Hughes had little trouble shedding 270-pound
opposing linemen, posting 97 tackles his senior season and
earning second team Associated Press All-American honors. He led
a Monmouth defense that yielded just 60 points in nine games, a
mark second only to that year’s national champion. The most
points scored in a game against the Scots that year was 16, and
the defense allowed only six touchdowns all season. Monmouth’s
8-1 record was its best in more than a decade.
Hughes, who prepped at
Georgetown High School, was named an All-MWC linebacker three
consecutive years.
