ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Lewis University will induct former student-athletes Beth Bayser (women's cross country and track and field), Chris Doran (men's soccer), J.J. Furmaniak (baseball), Katie Gilman (women's volleyball), Uno Lapimaa (men's tennis) and Jim Whitesell (men's basketball coach) into the Lewis Athletics Hall of Fame (March 28) as part of the third annual Flyer Red Dinner.

Neil Carey, Lewis class of 1954, will be honored as the Lasallian of the Year.

"The success the Lewis Flyers enjoy today has been forged by the accomplishment of those who have gone before us," Lewis University Director of Athletics Dr. John Planek said. "These individuals help us accomplish our athletic feats today and for that we celebrate them and their accomplishments."

The Flyer Red Dinner will be held at Drury Lane Theatre & Conference Center in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

To register or for more information on partnership opportunities follow the link below or contact Tim McBride. Come join us in a celebration of Lewis Flyer Athletics.
Flyer Red Dinner Online Registration
Tim McBride
Email: tmcbride1@lewisu.edu
Office: (815) 836-5228
 

Beth Bayser
Women's Cross Country and Track and Field (1996-99)
Bayser is one of the top runners in the history of the Flyer women's track and field team earning a total of seven All-American honors during her three year career. She still holds three school records in Indoor Track and Field in the 800 meter, 1000 meter and mile runs. Bayser set the school record in the 800 meters in 1998 with a time of 2:08.63 besting the previous record of 2:09.0 which was set the year before. She also set the school records in the 1000 meter and mile runs in 1998. Her time in the 1000 meters of 2:49.63 broke the previous school record by over three seconds while her time in the mile of 4:46.50 is two seconds faster than second place. Bayser also holds the third fastest times in school history in both the 400 and 600 meter runs.

On the outdoor side, she still holds the school record in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:05.92 and the third fastest times in the 400 meter and 1500 meter runs. She helped lead the Flyers to three straight GLVC Titles in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and three top 10 finishes at the NCAA Track and Field Championships, including the program's best finish of third with 68 points in 1997.

 
 


 

  Chris Doran
  Men's Soccer (1995-98)
 Doran finished his career as one of the most prolific scorers in Flyer history scoring 34 goals and recording 23 assists for a total of 91 points during his four year career. His 91 points are tied for sixth all-time in school history while his 34 goals are ninth best in school history. He was a four-time All-GLVC First Team selection and was the GLVC Player of the Year in 1998 after leading Lewis to a 10-1 record in league play that season and an overall record of 11-5-4. Doran helped guide the Flyers to three GLVC regular season titles in 1995, 1996 and 1998 and two GLVC Tournament titles in 1996 and 1998. As a freshmen, he led the team with 12 goals and 28 points. During his sophomore season, Doran contributed five goals, four assists and 14 points to a Flyer attack that scored 51 goals and had 140 total points that season. In his junior campaign, he again led the team in scoring with 21 points recording seven goals and seven assists. As a senior, he once again led the team in scoring with 10 goals and eight assists for a total of 28 points. He was a four time National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Midwest Region selection earning three first team honors and one second team honor.

 

  J.J. Furmaniak
  Baseball (1998-2000)
  Furmaniak was a standout on the diamond for three seasons for the Flyers capping his collegiate career by earning Third Team All-American honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association in 2000. He was also a      First Team ABCA North Central All-Region selection in 2000 and a First Team All-GLVC selection as well. Furmaniak is tied for the school record for home runs in a game with three, which he did twice in his career, against IPFW in 1998 and against Barry in 2000. He's also tied for the school record in total bases in a game with 13 against IPFW in 1998. He ranks in the Top 20 all-time in hits, batting average, home runs and doubles.

Furmaniak was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 22nd round of the 2000 MLB June Amatuer Draft where he played six seasons in its minor league system before moving onto the Pittsburgh Pirate organization where he spent parts of three seasons. He made his major league debut with the Pirates on Sept. 13, 2005 in St. Louis playing second base. He appeared in 29 games with Pittsburgh and Oakland in 2005 and 2007 recording eight hits with three of those going for extra bases.

 

  Katie Gilman
  Women's Volleyball (2000-03)
Gilman finished her playing career as one of the All-Time greats in Lewis women's volleyball history earning All-GLVC First Team honors in 2001, 2002 and 2003 and was an All-GLVC second team selection in 2000. She was a two-time American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and Daktronics All-Region selection in 2002 and 2003 and was the AVCA's Great Lakes Region Freshman of the Year in 2000. Gilman was named Lewis' most valuable player in each of her four seasons.

She finished her career as the program leader in kills, attack attempts, hitting percentage, total blocks and points scored. Gilman still ranks second in kills per set with 4.09, in points scored (1,871.5), second in points per set (4.91 per set), third in kills with 1,559, third in attack attempts (3,843), fourth in attack percentage (.306), fourth in block assists with 305, fourth in total blocks with 394, tied for seventh in solo blocks (89), 14th in total digs (1,081) and 16th in digs per set with 2.84. She still holds the school single season records for kills per set with 4.71 in 2003 and attack percentage .379 in 2002.

 

  Uno Lapimaa
  Men's Tennis (2007-12)
Lapimaa had a stellar career on the hardcourts for the Flyers amassing over 200 wins in his career and was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Midwest Region 'Senior Player of the Year' in 2012 and was the GLVC's Men's Tennis Player of the Year in 2010 and 2011. During his sophomore season he finished the season with a singles record of 30-1 and had a 24-match winning streak. Lapimaa ended the 2010 season ranked second in the region and 49th in the nation in singles play, while he and doubles partner Tonis Irdoja were also second in the region and 29th in the country. He was at 20-0 at No. 1 singles for the Flyers and was named the ITA 'Midwest Region Player to Watch' for 2010-11.

As a junior, he went 25-1 ending the season on a 21-match winning streak after losing his only singles match on the year due to injury. Lapimaa finished 22-3 overall in doubles action mainly with Irdoja and was named to the All-GLVC East Division Team. During his senior campaign, he finished the season with a singles record of 36-6 and had a combined mark of 32-7 in doubles play. He was the only unanimous selection to the All-GLVC Team and was named to the Capital One Academic All-America At-Large Third Team. Lapimaa finished the year ranked 22nd in the nation in singles play, ranked first in the Midwest Region in singles action and fifth in doubles play with Erik Aunapuu. He we was the first men's tennis player in Lewis history to qualify for the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships where he placed fifth in the singles bracket.
 

  Jim Whitesell
  Men's Basketball Coach (1992-2004)
Whitesell led Lewis' men's basketball team for 12 seasons guiding them to 10 winning seasons, eight seasons with at least 18 wins and four seasons of 20 wins or more and five trips to the NCAA Tournament. His best season came in 2001-02 when he led the Flyers to 25 wins matching the school record set by the 1985-86 team. His squad finished the GLVC regular season tied for second with Northern Kentucky at 15-5 and was seeded third in the GLVC Tournament. The Flyers knocked off six seeded Bellarmine 51-50 in the quarterfinals, then defeated seventh seeded Wisconsin-Parkside 70-58 in the semifinals and upset top seeded Kentucky Wesleyan 77-65 in the GLVC Championship to win the program's first GLVC Championship since 1988. That squad made the first of three straight NCAA Tournament appearances advancing all the way to the Great Lakes Regional Championship game where they were defeated by Kentucky Wesleyan 80-75.

In 2002-03, he led the Flyers to a 23-8 overall record, 14-6 in the GLVC and back to the GLVC Championship game where they lost to Northern Kentucky 58-55. Lewis went back to the NCAA Tournament but was defeated by Southern Indiana 82-63 in the first round. In his final season with the Flyers he led them to a 24-7 record, 16-4 in the GLVC and a regular season championship. Lewis once again advanced all the way to the GLVC Championship before losing to Kentucky Wesleyan 72-71 in overtime. The Flyers hosted the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Tournament that season as the top seed but fell to Wayne State 65-62 in the opening round. Whitesell's 214 wins and his .629 winning percentage rank third all-time in Lewis history.

Neil Carey
Lasallian of the Year
Carey was a member of Gordie Gillespie's first basketball team at Lewis. He would go on to have a highly successful business career with the National Enquirer where he used his marketing expertise placing the Enquirer at supermarket checkout stands which made the Enquirer the success it is today by creating astronomical sales. He received an Alumni Achievement Award in Business and Philanthropy in 1997.

In 1995, Cary very generously established the Carey-Gillespie Endowed Scholarship Fund as a way to honor and thank Coach Gillespie for the difference he made in his life. Since that time, he and other alumni and friends of the University have continued contributing to this fund.

Cary has most generously committed $250,000 through his estate plans toward the $500,000 goal for this effort. He has also pledged his continued support of the fund. His generosity is an inspiration to other alumni and friends whose lives have been touched by Coach Gillespie to participate to their greatest extent possible in making the tribute to Coach Gillespie an overwhelming success.

The sports arena is renamed after him for his $2 million gift to Lewis.