Three former Montana State University-Northern athletes have been selected for the MSU-Northern Athletic Hall of Fame Shelly Hermanson-Burcaw, Patti (Weed) Franklin-Norby and Scott Filius.
The three will be honored at the Lights' and Skylights' final home games on Feb. 16.
Since its inception in 1994, 37 coaches and athletes have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame inductions honor a 73-year tradition of excellence both in the classroom and on the playing field.
This year inductees include the first All-American in the Skylight basketball program, a 1991 national champion and four-time All-American wrestler, and a 1991 NAIA All-American Skylight volleyball and basketball player.
Shelly Hermanson Burcaw of Brantwood, Wis., was the first All-American athlete in MSU-Northern Skylight history. She was selected first team Frontier All-Conference and All-District player of the year in 1989-90 and 1990-91. Hermanson-Burcaw still holds four school and individual records. She set the record for most points in a single game with 38 by breaking her own record of 34 points in a game with Central Washington University. She tied the Skylight individual record for most field goals set in that same game with 13. She owns the records for most career free throws with 383 and for most free throws attempted in a single season with 191. A co-captain of the 1990-91 record-setting team, she lead them to a 30-5 season in which the Skylights set five new school records and tied two others.
A Billings Senior High School graduate, Scott Filius began his four-time All-American collegiate wrestling career at North Idaho Junior College before transferring to Northern Montana College his junior year. At Northern, he carried a 4.0 grade point average and earned a third-place finish in the NAIA National Wrestling Championships in Hays, Kan. A three-time Academic All-American, he was selected for a Student Excellence Award in 1990.
In 1991, while maintaining his Academic All-American status, Filius achieved his individual national championship as Northern coasted to its first ever team NAIA national wrestling championship in Butte.
The team, coached by Jason Liles, advanced seven team members in the third round and four in the semifinals, with three wrestling in the finals to protect the lead and the team championship.
Filius has been the head coach at Havre High School since 1995, when his team took second at the divisional tournament and seventh at the state tournament. Since then, his teams have won five straight divisional championships and three state championships. His teams also have one second-place and one third-place finish at the state tournament in the same five years.
He has been Class A Coach of the Year three times. Held in high regard by the students at Havre High School, he was selected as the graduation speaker by the Class of 2001.
Patti (Weed) Franklin-Norby was a co-captain of the 1991 Skylight volleyball team that advanced to the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in school history. She was selected to the six-member National All-Tournament team.
Franklin-Norby was selected as a second team All-American volleyball player. She also was named Frontier Conference MVP, District 12 MVP, was named to the Northwest Region All-Region team, and was selected to several all-tournament teams throughout the season.
Her athletic abilities played a significant part in the MSU-Northern women's volleyball and basketball teams' appearances in the NAIA national tournaments. She was named Frontier Conference Academic All-Conference in both 1990 and 1991. A transfer from Western Montana College, she played on the Skylights basketball team that won two Frontier Conference championships, two District 12 championships, and made two NAIA National Tournament appearances.
Having played in only two seasons at Northern, she holds the school records for most kills in a single season with 623, set in 1991; most kills in a single five-game match at 35, set in 1990; most kills in a single three-game match at 25, set in 1991; highest kill efficiency at .320, set in 1991; career aces at 96; and second in career kills at 918. Franklin-Norby was awarded the Little Sullivan Award in recognition of her achievements.
Ceremonies are scheduled for halftime of the men's game with Montana Tech on Feb. 16. In honor of the awardees, a reception following the games will be hosted by the Northern Alumni Association in Donaldson Commons on the MSU-Northern campus.
