{"id":2552,"date":"2023-08-25T19:25:34","date_gmt":"2023-08-25T19:25:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/?p=2552"},"modified":"2024-08-26T13:30:17","modified_gmt":"2024-08-26T13:30:17","slug":"lssu-hall-of-fame-2024-inductees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/lssu-hall-of-fame-2024-inductees\/","title":{"rendered":"LSSU Hall of Fame 2024 Inductees"},"content":{"rendered":"

Keith Aldridge (1992-96 ice hockey), Eric Menk (1992-96 men\u2019s basketball) and Chris Nance (1991-96 women\u2019s basketball) are set to be inducted into the Lake Superior State Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2024 on Saturday, October 19th<\/sup> at the annual Alumni Awards and Hall of Fame Induction ceremony beginning at 11:30 a.m. in the Walker Cisler Center as part of Great Lake State Weekend 2024.\u00a0 All recipients will also be recognized on-ice during the first intermission of the Friday, October 18th hockey game vs. Stonehill College.\u00a0 The Class of 2024 LSSU Athletic Hall of Fame event marks the 20th<\/sup> induction ceremony at the university.\u00a0 Tickets for the event can be purchased on the LSSU Alumni webpage.<\/p>\n

\n

Keith Aldridge ’96<\/h4>\n

\"Keith<\/p>\n

Keith Aldridge attended LSSU from 1992-1996 where he played hockey for all 4 years and was a member of the 1994 NCAA National Championship team coached by Jeff Jackson.<\/p>\n

During Aldridge\u2019s time with the Lakers, he amassed several notable statistics including leading the Lakers in assists for both the 1994-95 (31A) and 1995-96 (36A) seasons, making him tenth in career assists (102) as a Laker, as well as tenth in single-season points by a defenseman (41).\u00a0 He was the Laker Assistant Captain for the 1995-96 season, and voted the CCHA Best Offensive Defenseman for that same season.\u00a0 Aldridge also racked up several school records in the February 23-24 1996 series against the University of Michigan including most assists by a defenseman in one series (7), most points by a defenseman in one series (9), and tied for most assists by a defenseman in one game (4 on February 24, 1996).\u00a0 Aldridge\u2019s career totals included 37 goals, 102 assists and 139 points.\u00a0 He made the NCAA Second Team All American in 1995 and NCAA First Team All American in 1996.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to recognize and thank <\/em>Coach Jackson for bringing us in as kids and helping us leave as young men<\/em>,\u201d commented Aldridge, reflecting on the legendary Laker Hockey coach\u2019s profound impact on him.<\/p>\n

Following graduation from LSSU, Aldridge played 10 years of professional hockey between the American Hockey League, International Hockey League, and the National Hockey League, where he played in 4 games with the Dallas Stars during the 1999-2000 season.\u00a0 Aldridge also played 4 seasons overseas in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany from 2000-20004.<\/p>\n

Aldridge now lives in the Metro Detroit area where he owns and operates a large family entertainment business.\u00a0 He is married to Angie (Acree) Aldridge \u201998, who was also a student athlete at LSSU where she ran Cross Country. They have three sons: Laker (23), Gunner (22) and Walker (20).<\/p>\n

\n

Chris Nance ’96<\/h4>\n

\"Chris<\/p>\n

Chris Nance attended Lake Superior State University from 1991-1996 where she was a varsity letter winner for the LSSU Women\u2019s Basketball team for 4 years.\u00a0 She was recruited by the Lakers after a stellar high school basketball career at Newberry High School that made her the #2 junior player in the state of Michigan.<\/p>\n

Nance was named the 1992 GLIAC Freshman of the Year, before sustaining a knee injury that forced her to take a redshirt year.\u00a0 Upon returning, she and her teammates had successful years in the conference and also made it to the 3rd<\/sup> round of the NCAA Tournament in 1994 before bowing out.<\/p>\n

Nance led her team in both scoring and rebounding for the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons, with 1.532 career points (6th<\/sup> most in program history) and 258 rebounds for both the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons (tied for 6th<\/sup> most in a season in program history).\u00a0 Along with her GLIAC Freshman of the Year honors, Nance made Second Team All-GLIAC in 1993-94, and First Team All-GLIAC in 1994-95 and 1995-96. Nance ranks second in career free throw (436) and second in career rebounds (882).<\/p>\n

\u201cI have kept in contact with several of my LSSU teammates, especially the girls in my class of 1991, Tammy (Albon) Graham, Darcy (Fraylick) French and Jill (Wetthuhn) Beaudo,<\/em>\u201d said Nance.\u00a0 \u201cMore recently I have been gathering with the classes of 1991-1993.\u00a0 I can honestly say meeting with my teammates to reminisce and enjoy each other their company has surpassed all of my previous LSSU experiences. \u00a0I am so very honored to be included in such good company of successful, capable and hilariously funny women who never exaggerate, talk loud or make fun of each other.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

After leaving LSSU in 1996 with her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, she went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Wayne State University.\u00a0 Nance said, \u201cI have been working as a registered nurse in the massively chaotic world of the hospital setting for the last 24 years.\u00a0I am most satisfied when I can bring a sense of calm assurance and safety to all patients in my sphere of influence.<\/em>\u201d Nance has received the Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nurses which is a national program that recognizes registered nurses who demonstrate excellence in patient care and professional nursing practice, and who exemplify the values of compassion, courage, integrity, and go above and beyond expectations.<\/p>\n

Nance was part of Newberry High School\u2019s inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame Class in 2013, and elected to the UP Hall of Fame Class of 2022. She is currently living in the tip of the mitten and working for McLaren Northern\u00a0Michigan Hospital.<\/p>\n

\n

Eric Menk ’96<\/h4>\n

\"Eric<\/p>\n

Eric Menk attended LSSU from 1992-1996 where he was a member of the LSSU Men\u2019s Basketball team, having captured the 1996 GLIAC regular season title, and also the GLIAC Tournament Championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoach Terry Smith recruited me out of high school and coached me for my 4 years at LSSU. Lake Superior State was the only 4-year college or university in the state of Michigan to offer me a scholarship out of high school,<\/em>\u201d Menk commented. \u201cThank you, Coach Smith, for the opportunity, the experience, and the guidance you provided me with during my time at Lake State. Thank you, Lake Superior State University, the athletic department, the men’s basketball program, and all of my teammates I played with. I will be forever grateful for my experience as a Laker.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

While at LSSU Menk led the Lakers in scoring for three consecutive seasons (1993-94, 1994-95, and 1995-96) and also led the team in rebounding in all four seasons.\u00a0 He had 1,800 career points and 735 career rebounds in 105 games played.\u00a0 Menk was a 3-time All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference\u00a0performer having made Second Team All-GLIAC (1993-94) and First Team All-GLIAC (1994-95, 1995-96).\u00a0 As a senior, he captained his team, who went on to win the school\u2019s only GLIAC tournament championship.\u00a0That year, 1996, he was GLIAC Player of the Year and MVP of the GLIAC tournament.<\/p>\n

After leaving LSSU, Menk played professional basketball from 1996-2016 in the Danish Elite Division (Ligaen), Philippine Basketball League (PBL), ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), and the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).\u00a0 He was selected as League MVP three times while in the PBL, and has been named as one of the PBA\u2019s 40 Greatest Players and voted PBA MVP in 2005.\u00a0 Menk also played on the Philippine National Team in 2002 in the Asian Games, and in 2007 in the FIBA-Asia.<\/p>\n

Following his professional playing career he worked as a sports commentator and analyst for two television networks in the Philippines, created his own podcast, and did a 2-year stint as an assistant coach in the ABL.\u00a0 Menk then went on to earn an MA in Sports Administration from Northwestern University in 2022.<\/p>\n

Menk is the son of Al and Lucia Menk, and now lives in Wesley Chapel, Florida, with his wife, Erin Campos and children Alexa (11) and Sebastian (8).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Keith Aldridge (1992-96 ice hockey), Eric Menk (1992-96 men\u2019s basketball) and Chris Nance (1991-96 women\u2019s basketball) are set to be inducted into the Lake Superior State Athletics Hall of Fame …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":2727,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[25,24],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2552"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2552\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}