National champions, program pillars enter Athletic Hall of Fame at 2025 ceremony

One of the most decorated student-athletes in Bemidji State history, Sheena Devine established herself as one of the greatest to walk through the hallways of Bemidji State University. Competing in the field, Devine was a three-time national champion, five-time All-American and seven-time all-conference performer for the Beavers while also earning national recognition for her work in the classroom. She was the NCAA’s individual champion in the shot put in both the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2007 and repeated as champion in the indoor shot put in 2008. Her mark of 52-02.50 still remains the program’s top throw and was the third-best winning mark at the championship at the time. Devine still holds seven of the best 10 throws of shot put in outdoor track history at BSU. Along with her records on the field, Devine is also the program’s only USTFCCCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Dennis Prosen was a seven-time NAIA All-American and six times was under NAIA All-American Consideration (top-12 in an event) for the Bemidji State men's swimming and diving program from 1975-79. He helped the Beavers reach their highest finish at the NAIA nationals in the program’s history in 1979 after the team placed fourth. An 18-time All-NIC swimmer, Prosen set multiple NIC records and varsity records during his time at Bemidji State. He was the conference champion and record holder in the 200 freestyle and helped the 400 freestyle and 800 freestyle relay teams earn conference championships. In total, Prosen was a conference champion seven times in his collegiate swimming career.

Matt Read helped take the Bemidji State men’s hockey program to new heights in its Division I era. During his four years at the university, the Beavers achieved three College Hockey America regular season championships, one CHA Tournament championship and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2009-10, including the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Frozen Four. Read captained the Beavers in their transition to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association from the CHA, leading the team to its first of three WCHA Final Five appearances. Read led the Beavers in point production in three of his four years and is the program’s Division I era leader in points, goals and assists. He is the only Beaver skater to post two 40-point seasons in the D-I era, posting back-to-back 40-point seasons in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Read was the second fastest Beaver to reach 100 career points in BSU D-I history and ended his career with 143 career points off 65 goals and 78 assists. He was the 2010 CHA Player of the Year, RBK Second-Team All-American, two-time First-Team All-CHA and the 2008 CHA Rookie of the Year.

A unique two-sport student-athlete at Bemidji State, Lance Rongstad competed on the gridiron and the court for the football and men’s basketball programs. On the football field, Rongstad was a weapon with his arm and legs, quarterbacking the Beavers and earning All-NSIC Honorable Mention twice in his career. He threw and ran himself into 15 different top-10 lists in Bemidji State’s record book, including setting career rushing yard and touchdown records as a quarterback. Rongstad also earned All-NSIC Second Team honors on the basketball court. The guard/forward was the 16th member of the men’s basketball program to reach 1,000 career points and ended his career ninth all-time with 1,225 career points while also finishing 10th with 472 career rebounds. During his senior year, Rongstad captained both the men’s basketball and football programs and earned all-conference honors in both sports and was named BSU’s Male Student-Athlete of the Year. 

Judith (Smith) Stoker is the second legacy inductee to the Bemidji State Athletic Hall of Fame. She participated in volleyball, women’s basketball and women's track and field between 1976-80, becoming a pioneer participating on some of the Beavers’ first intercollegiate women’s athletic teams. She was a four-year letter winner for the volleyball team, helping the Beavers to a 138-46-3 record and Minn-Kota Conference Championships in 1977 and 1978. She was the team’s top attacker in 1980 by totaling 453 kills, a mark that still remains third on BSU’s single-season kills list. Stoker was also a four-year letter winner for the women’s basketball and track and field programs. 

Dr. Tom Richard earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics education from Bemidji State in 1966, a master’s in mathematics from Colorado State in 1968 and a doctorate in mathematics education from the University of Northern Colorado in 1971. He continued his education in computer science taking graduate-level courses at Utah State in 1974 and the University of Oregon in 1978 and 1981. Richard spent his entire professional career teaching mathematics, mathematics education and computer science at Bemidji State University, and he was known as an outstanding instructor who made learning fun. He served on many campus organizations, including the Campus Scholarship Committee, the BSU Faculty Association Board of Directors, the Alumni Association Board of Directors, the Beaver Pride Advisory Committee and the BSU Foundation Board of Directors. He was BSU's Faculty Athletic Representative for men's hockey for 29 years, women's hockey for 10 years and was the first executive chair for the Women's Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Richard also served as the public address announcer for Beaver Football for 25 years.

These teams won four Division II national championships within five years for Bemidji State University, and they remain the four most recent national titles in school history.

1992-93 team record: 24-7-0
1993-94 team record: 21-9-3
1994-95 team record: 24-7-2
1996-97 team record: 25-7-2