MILWAUKEE – A pair of storied volleyball sisters, two Milwaukee basketball standouts, and a former Panther who starred for the track & field program over 60 years ago will be inducted into the Bud K. Haidet Milwaukee Athletics Hall of Fame February 15.
The members of the Class of 2024 include
Leanne Williamson [Felsing](volleyball) and
Lauren Bartsch [Felsing] (volleyball),
Ed McCants (men's basketball), and
Ashley Green (women's basketball).
Wally Winter (track & field), who passed away in 1978 at an early age, will be honored posthumously.
The Hall of Fame ceremony has regularly been held in November but will be moved this year to February to be held in conjunction with UWM Homecoming.
Interested parties can now make plans to join the festivities and register through the following attendance
LINK. The Hall of Fame banquet honoring these individuals will take place with an afternoon program and luncheon beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 15, at Pilot Project Brewing Milwaukee (1128 N. 9th Street). Any questions can be directed to Zach Beaschler, Director – Panther Fund, at
beaschle@uwm.edu.
Leanne Williamson (Felsing) and
Lauren Bartsch (Felsing) were standouts for the Milwaukee volleyball program, running from the 2004 through 2009 campaigns while their time on campus overlapped.
Leanne was on center stage for Milwaukee from 2004-07, capping her career by being named Horizon League Player of the Year. Her teams compiled an overall record of 89-26 (.774 winning percentage) in her time on campus, including a stellar .914 winning percentage in regular-season conference games, going an impressive 53-5 in her four seasons.
Williamson put together one of the best all-around seasons in school history in 2007, leading the nation in triple-doubles while earning American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Region and honorable mention All-America honors for a second-straight season. Williamson finished her career with 1,146 kills, 1,329 digs and 2,264 assists while helping the Panthers to four regular-season league titles and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2006. She was a two-time national player of the week honoree and claimed League Newcomer of the Year recognition after her freshman campaign.
Williamson also excelled in the classroom throughout her career, collecting academic all-league and all-region recognition. Williamson was named the Horizon League Player of the Year, an All-Horizon League honoree, ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection and to the Horizon League All-Academic Team.
Lauren was right behind (2006-09), as the sisters were able to enjoy two seasons as teammates. Milwaukee went 89-33 in her career (.729 winning percentage), posting a league ledger of 51-11 (.823). Her teams claimed three regular-season Horizon League championships and played in the NCAA Tournament following the 2006, 2008, and 2009 campaigns.
Lauren was one of the best liberos in the Midwest throughout her career, culminating with Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year honors in her final season in 2009. She was a six-time winner of the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week award and also earned First-Team All-Horizon League status as well as AVCA Honorable Mention All-Region as a senior, capping the campaign with Horizon League Tournament MVP honors to lead the Panthers back to the NCAA Tournament for what was a second straight season.
She ended her career with 1,929 digs to finish as the all-time program leader and the only player to ever top 1,900. She concluded her time in league play by reaching double-figures in digs her final 55 consecutive matches and also had a streak of 61 in a row in double-figures snapped prior to her final stretch. She still holds the school's single-season record of 645 digs set back in 2008 and did hold the No. 2 spot with 572 at the time it was set in 2009. She wrapped up her career with the second-most matches played in school history at 122, a number that still ranks fourth.
Felsing was also a standout in the classroom earning CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American accolades in each of her last two seasons (second team in 2008/third team in 2009) and league all-academic honors each of her final three seasons.
Ed McCants (2003-05) burst on the scene in 2003, helping Milwaukee to a 20-11 record and a date in the National Invitation Tournament. The team knocked off Rice, 91-63, before falling in the second round to Boise State by a score of 73-70.
Named the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year that season, he averaged 17.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, shooting 48.2 percent from the floor, 42.8 percent on 3's and 82.1 percent from the line.
As a senior, he led the Panthers on a memorable trip to the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament during a 26-6 season, earning Horizon League Player of the Year honors after averaging 17.4 points per game. Milwaukee topped Alabama and Boston College in a magical postseason ride, with McCants leading the charge as the team made national 'March Madness' headlines on its Cinderella run before bowing out to Illinois – the top-ranked team in the country. He scored over 1,000 points in just two seasons and still holds the program record for most three-pointers made in a season. McCants was also named to the All-Decade Team (2000-2010).
In two years in the Black & Gold, McCants made 62 starts in his 63 appearances. He scored 1,087 points for an average of 17.3 points a game. He shot 43.7 percent (368-of-842) from the floor overall, 40 percent (211-of-528) from three-point range, and 81.4 percent (140-of-172) from the free throw line. He also added 195 rebounds (3.1 rpg), 120 assists (1.9 apg), and 86 steals (1.4 spg).
Ashley Green (2011-15) became just the sixth player to record over 1,500 points for the Milwaukee women's basketball program all-time and finished her career with 1,653 points to now rank in fifth place (fourth at graduation) on the all-time scoring list. She is one of just five players to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career and capped her time as a Panther with an impressive senior campaign.
Green was named First-Team All-Horizon League in 2014-15 after enjoying one of the best seasons statistically in the history of the program. She averaged a career-best 19.3 points a game – highest for any Panther in seven seasons – to go along with a team-high 7.9 rebounds per game. She finished in the Top 10 in the league in numerous categories, including points per game (second), rebounds (sixth), minutes played (sixth), field goal percentage (seventh), free throw percentage (eighth) and steals (tenth). Green also broke the school record with five games of 30-or-more points her final campaign, including a career-high 36 when she set a school record for points in a season opener against North Dakota.
She concluded her career with 119 games played and 111 starts, shooting 43.3 percent (605-of-1,398) from the floor, 35.9 percent (102-of-284) from three-point range, and 68.8 percent (341-of-496) from the line. In all, she averaged 13.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest, with her 781 total rebounds ranking No. 7 on the career list. She also earned a spot on the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team as a freshman.
Wally Winter was a very decorated and high-performing member of the Milwaukee track & field program, graduating from UWM with his degree in education before passing away much too young in his mid-30's. He earned varsity letters eight times in his career from 1958 to 1961, while being a consistent scorer on the Panther Wisconsin State College Conference Championship teams each campaign. Upon graduation, Winter owned school and conference records in both the shot put (51'9 ¼") and discus (145'8").
Regarded as one of the best shot putters in the history of the school, the Wisconsin State College Conference, and the Midwest, Winter claimed eight conference championships in his time with the Panthers, winning four in shot put, three in discus, and one in the 880-yard relay. He remains one of just nine conference athletes all-time to have won a league championship in a single event all four years of his career. He is the only athlete to win the shot put all four years and one of just three to claim three career crowns in the discus.
In 38 career track meets at the collegiate level, Winter finished in first place in his main event – the shot put – an incredible 31 times, taking top honors in over 80 percent of his competitions. In 25 career outdoor competitions (no indoor meets were held at the time), Winter claimed the top spot in the discus 11 times. A back injury affected his senior campaign, yet he still claimed three WSCC championships at his final meet.
