By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Bedford North Lawrence will induct six new members into its ultra-exclusive athletic Hall of Fame.
The second class, following the original five inductees in 2010, includes legends in four sports, headlined by Hoosier basketball icon Damon Bailey. The rest of the newest additions include girls basketball stars Marla (Inman) Eltrevoog, Amy (Walker) Sundt and Kristin (Pritchett) Messmore, golfer Craig Bowden and swimmer Dan Schultz.
This sixsome represents the first athletes to be enshrined, following coaches Dan Bush, Orval Huffman, Max Ramey, Bob Lee and Pete Pritchett. Earning the coveted invitation to the Hall of Stars requires the strict criteria that the honoree must first be inducted into the Hall of Fame for their respective sports, which explains the 14-year gap between the classes. It’s the best of the best.
“It’s truly an honor to represent Bedford North Lawrence, considering all of the outstanding athletes that pass through its doors,” Sundt said.
Here’s an introduction (although they certainly don’t need one) to the latest, and greatest:
Damon Bailey: Bailey, inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016, is the most famous of the new members. He scored a state record 3,134 points during his celebrated career and powered the Stars to the 1990 state championship (plus he won the Mental Attitude Award) before a world-record crowd (41,046) in the Hoosier Dome.
Listing all of his achievements would require extra bandwidth. He was named Mr. Basketball and the Naismith National Player of the Year in 1990, plus he was a McDonald’s All-American. He played college basketball for Indiana University and scored 1,741 career points during his four years with the Hoosiers. He was drafted by the Indiana Pacers. He later coached the BNL girls team to the Class 4A state title in 2014.
The basketball court in BNL Fieldhouse is named in his honor.
Marla Eltrevoog: Eltrevoog, enshrined in the state Hall of Fame in 2018, was a key contributor to BNL’s 1991 girls basketball state title and named Miss Basketball as a senior in 1992. She scored 1,658 career points, then totaled 1,107 points during her outstanding tenure with the University of Louisville.
“I’m humbled to be chosen,” Eltrevoog said. “I was fortunate to play with many excellent players throughout my career. The 10-year run we had from 1982-1992 will go down as one of the best in high school basketball history and Coach Pritchett gets all the credit for that. I’m happy to see that success continue in our current girls program, knowing that our teams were a large part of that foundation that has continued 30-plus years later.”
Kristin Messmore: Messmore was added to the state Hall of Fame in 2022. She scored 1,017 career points and still holds the single-game record of 53 at BNL. She later totaled 1,.342 points during her four-year career at IUPUI. When she entered the Hall of Fame in New Castle, she and her father Pete became only the third father-daughter duo to be enshrined. She now coaches West Washington’s girls program.
“I feel honored to be with other Hall of Famers,” Messmore said. “I think I’ve said in the past, I was just a country girl that loved basketball. I also have a bit of competitiveness. I don’t like losing, so I did what I thought I needed to help my team win games. I feel blessed.”
Amy Sundt: Sundt (Hall of Fame in 2020) was another star for Pritchett’s legendary teams, which recorded three straight undefeated regular seasons and claimed the state title in 1991. She was named an Indiana All-Star and later scored 1,333 career points at Indiana State, leading the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring as a senior.
“There were a lot of great competitors and teammates over the years,” Sundt said. “Of course it is an honor. I really never thought I would have had this opportunity back when I was playing. I think everyone that comes through the basketball program, or any of the programs at BNL, does it because they enjoy what they do. The camaraderie you get and a healthy dose of competition made us all better.”
Craig Bowden: Bowden was inducted into the IHSGCA Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Indiana Golf Hall of Fame in 2021. After leading the Stars to the state finals as senior in 1986, he made his mark as a professional. He won three Indiana Open titles and three tournaments on the Korn Ferry Tour. He also played six seasons on the PGA Tour and competed in 10 professional majors, including five U.S. Opens and two PGA Championshps.
“I am excited,” Bowden said. “Any time you get that kind of award, it’s special.”
Dan Schulz: Schulz was a swimming sensation for the Stars. He won back-to-back state championships in the 100-yard backstroke, setting state records both times, and was the Mental Attitude Award winner as a senior in 1995.
Schultz swam for Stanford University, earning All-American honors three times, and he was a key member of the 1998 national championship squad for the Cardinal. He was inducted into the Indiana Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame in 2015.
“It is certainly humbling to be associated with this group,” Schultz said. “That’s a pretty inspirational group of BNL alumni. Coach Dean (Voyles) really set all that up when he started at BNL. Our group wanted to be as good as the groups before us.”
BNL will honor its second class during the boys basketball game against Terre Haute North on Jan. 27.
