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BSU Hall of Fame selects inductees
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Five former Boise State athletes, and one former head coach, have been selected for membership into the Boise State Athletic Hall of Fame.
Women’s basketball players Tricia Bader and Lidiya Varbanova, wrestler Charles Burton, women’s track and field athletes Kathy Karpel and Crystal Young, and former head men’s tennis coach Greg Patton have been were elected to this year’s Hall of Fame class. Bader, Burton, Karpel and Patton will join Hall of Fame during ceremonies on Nov. 15 (Thursday) at the Boise Centre on the Grove. A reception will be held beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 15, followed by the dinner and program starting at 7:30 p.m.
Bader, Burton, Karpel and Patton will be inducted next month, with Varbanova and Young to be inducted at a later date. Varbanova is currently playing professional basketball in Europe, and Boise State has been unable to locate the whereabouts of Young. Anyone with information on Young is encouraged to contact the Boise State Athletic Department.
A member of the women’s basketball team from 1991 to 1996, Bader was a three-time All-Big Sky Conference honoree, and a four-time Big Sky Conference All-Academic selection. In four seasons as the point guard for the Bronco women, Bader helped Boise State to an overall record of 76-36, two regular season championships (1992 and 1994) and the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Women’s National Basketball Tournament as an at-large selection in 1994. Bader still ranks it the top 10 in 13 different statistical categories at Boise State, including the school record for season and career assists at 139 and 448, respectively. In 1996 she was selected as Boise State’s NCAA Woman of the Year.
Following her Bronco career, Bader played professionally in Australia for two years. This past summer she completed her fifth season in the WNBA, and her third as a member of the Cleveland Rockers.
Originally from Varna, Bulgaria, Varbanova was a member of the women’s basketball team from 1990 to 1994. A four-year starter at center, Varbanova was the first player of the women’s team to earn Kodak All-American honors. Twice she earned the national award as a honorable mention selection in 1993 and 1994. She was a four-time All-Big Sky Conference selection, a three-time All-Academic award winner, the 1991 Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year, and the 1994 Big Sky Conference Regular Season Most Valuable Player. She continues to hold nine Boise State records including career scoring average at 17.2 points per game. During her career at Boise State she scored 1,834 points and pulled down 770 rebounds in helping the Broncos to two regular season league titles, and the school’s first NCAA Women’s National Tournament Appearance.
Burton has the distinction of being the first Boise State athlete to become a member of a United States Olympic Team. Following an outstanding collegiate career for the Broncos, Burton earned a spot on the 2000 United States Olympic Wrestling Team at the 187.25 pound weight class. At the Sydney Games, Burton posted a 3-1 record and placed fifth.
During his collegiate career at Boise State, Burton advanced to three NCAA Wrestling Championships with his highest finish coming in 1996 with a third place finish at 167 pounds. He also competed at the national collegiate tournament in 1994 and 1995. Burton put together three straight seasons of 20 or more victories at Boise State, and ended the 1996 season with one of the top won-loss records in school history at 34-6. He ended his Bronco career with an 86-37-1 dual match record.
Karpel is one of the greatest distance runners in Boise State history. Three times she won Big Sky Conference individual championships including the mile run at the 1991 indoor meet, the 3,000-meter run at the 1990 outdoor championships, and as a member of the conference winning 4 x 800 meter relay team at the 1990 indoor meet. In cross country, Karpel finished among the top five at the 1988, 1989 and 1990 Big Sky Championships, including a runner-up finish in 1990. Karpel was the first member of the Bronco women’s cross country team to qualify for the NCAA Championships competing in 1989 and 1990. Her final individual honor as a member of the track and field program came in 1992 when she was named to the Big Sky Conference All-Decade Team.
Young is one of the top all-around track and field athletes in Boise State history. In 1989 and 1989, she earned NCAA All-American honors in the heptathlon. She won individual Big Sky Conference championships in the long jump in 1988, and in the heptathlon in 1988 and 1989. She continues to hold the Boise State record in the heptathlon with 5,743 points.
Patton coached the Bronco men’s tennis team for six seasons (1992 to 1998), winning five consecutive league championships from 1993 to 1997. Four times his team advanced to the NCAA Regional Tournament as a an at-large selection, and in 1997 his team received an automatic berth. He is a four-time Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year selection, and also received the same honor from the Big West Conference in 1997. In 1994 and 1997 he received the NCAA Region VII Coach of the Year honor, and in 1997 was named the NCAA National Coach of the Year.
His 1997 team was the most successful in Boise State tennis history as the team achieved a ranking as high as second during the regular, before finishing the season tied for fifth at the NCAA National Championships. During his tenure at Boise State he coached 20 league All-Academic selections, 34 all-conference honorees and two All-Americans. His overall record at Boise State was 135-48 for a winning percentage of 73.8.
Bronco Sports Information