For the Rapids City Times

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – The Lincoln High School (LHS) Athletic Hall of Fame is welcoming three new members, as Heather Ironside-Erickson, Scott Utech and David Van Wormer are inducted.

Heather Ironside Erickson

Erickson is a 1992 graduate who excelled as a two-sport athlete during her time at Lincoln High School. Heather was a four-time letter winner in both cross country and track & field, where she was named team MVP a combined total of five times.

She earned All-Conference honors in Cross Country all four years. She was named to the All-State Cross Country team in 1989, and she was the 1991 individual conference champion. In track & field, Heather earned All-Conference honors a total of six times during her career, including being crowned the 1992 champion in the 1600-meter run.

In 1989, she became the first female athlete in LHS school history to earn All-State honors for track & field, duplicating the feat again in 1992. After high school, Heather continued her career at the University of Wisconsin for two years, where she was a member of the 1992 Big Ten Championship team and the 1992 NCAA Great Lakes Regional championship team.

She earned all-conference honors at UW in 1992. She then transferred to UW-Stevens Point (UWSP) to conclude her running and academic career. At UWSP, she was a member of the 1994 WIAC Conference runner-up team and the 1995 team that qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championship meet. Heather joins her father, Larry Ironside (HOF Class of 1993) in the LHS Athletic Hall of Fame.

Scott Utech

Utech was a decorated three sport athlete – football, basketball, baseball – during his LHS career. A 1989 graduate of LHS, Scott earned nine varsity letters during his career.

He was a captain of all three sports and was named to the Channel 7 All-Star basketball team and played in the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association All-Star game following his senior seasons.

Scott was a major contributor to WVC Conference Championships, won by basketball in 1987 and baseball in 1988. He helped lead the baseball team to back-to-back WIAA state tournament appearances in 1988 and 1989.

After his high school career, Scott played baseball at the University of Wisconsin. His career at the UW was cut short due to the budget cuts that eliminated the baseball program, which led him to transfer to Valdosta State University (VSA). As a junior at VSU, Scott led the team in hitting and was voted captain as a senior.

Scott now lives in Oregon, where he is the North American sales director – young athletes for Nike. Scott and his wife, Christine, have three children; Connor, Sydney, and Mason.

David Van Wormer

David graduated from LHS in 1952 after, in his own terms, “an undistinguished athletic career. My highlights came from reporting on those athletes who did!”

Dave did participate on the 1951 WVC Conference Championship cross country team. He also participated in track & field, 1951- 52.

He used his love for athletics to make his mark as a sports journalist, where he spent the majority of his career covering Lincoln and Assumption High School sports teams.

After graduating from LHS, Dave served in the United States Navy as a submariner from 1952-1956. After his enlistment period ended, Dave remained a member of the military in the National Guard for 22 years, when he retired as an E6.

After his stint in the Navy, David graduated from UW-Stevens Point with a degree in journalism. This began his journey into sports reporting. He started at WFHR radio in Wisconsin Rapids before moving to the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune. After two years, he went to work for the Sporting News in St. Louis, MO, as a statistician. In 1966, he returned to Wisconsin Rapids where he became the General Manager of the Wisconsin Rapids Twins baseball team.

In 1971, Dave returned to the Daily Tribune, where he remained for 25 years, before retiring in 1995. Dave Van Wormer is synonymous with Wisconsin Rapids area sports. He is being inducted into the LHS Athletic Hall of Fame posthumously.

For more information about the Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln Athletic Hall of Fame or for nomination materials please contact Kim Schenk at 715-424-6760.