Pacific Lutheran University Athletics

Debbie (Hoddevik) Booth (Softball, 1989-91)

Debbie (Hoddevik) Booth was one of the brightest stars on some of the best teams in Pacific Lutheran softball history, making the most of her three years at PLU as a dominant outfielder for the Lutes.

The Lutes won conference titles and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament all three years Booth played at PLU, compiling a 108-29 combined record and falling one game short of the 1990 national title. Booth finished her career with a .369 batting average and a .587 slugging percentage, along with the single-season team record for triples (8). She is tied for the career record with 19 triples. When she graduated, her 45 career extra-base hits were a team record. She was a two-time All-District I and All-Area I outfielder and a 1991 Second-Team NAIA All-American.

Booth is one of two PLU players to make a USA Team, as she and teammate Brenda Dobbelar won gold medals in the 1991 Pan America Games as the first NAIA players to ever make a national team.

Doug Gardner (Tennis, 1984-85)

Doug Gardner did not need much time to make his mark on the Pacific Lutheran tennis record books, as he transferred to PLU for his final two seasons in 1984-85 after playing at University of Washington.

Claiming All-Northwest Conference and All-District First-Team honors during both of his seasons at PLU, Gardner helped lead the Lutes to a 36-14 overall record and two conference titles. Only his teammate Eddie Schultz prevented him from claiming the district singles title, as the two squared off in the championship match both years, while Gardner and Paul Koessler combined to claim the NWC doubles championship both seasons.

Gardner advanced to nationals twice, reaching the top-16 singles round in 1985 and reaching the doubles quarterfinals to earn Honorable Mention All-America recognition. With 27 wins in 1985 and 26 in 1984, both of his season win totals rank among the top 10 in PLU program history, while his 53 career victories in only two years marked the 11th-highest total when he graduated. It still ranks among the top 25 career totals. His .747 career winning percentage (53-18) ranks sixth.

Gary Nicholson (Athletic Trainer, 1973-2011)

Gary Nicholson came to Pacific Lutheran on a part-time basis in 1973 in the midst of an impressive athletic training career working with Major League Baseball. He spent time as the head trainer for the Chicago Cubs and the Seattle Mariners, PLU outlasted both as Nicholson spent 38 years as the Lutes' athletic trainer.

Nicholson left the Major League ranks for good and became the Lutes' full-time trainer in 1982. He started an athletic training specialization and a weekly sports medicine clinic at PLU, with 83 students graduating from the specialization program to become doctors, nurses, teachers and athletic trainers. He received service awards from PLU, the NAIA, the National Athletic Trainer's Association, the Northwest Athletic Trainer's Association and the American College of Sports Medicine, among many others.

Nicholson crossed paths with many famous names during his athletic training career, including Olympic swimming great Mark Spitz and numerous baseball legends. He remains the only head athletic trainer to serve for both the National League (1973) and American League (1979) All-Star teams. He was also the athletic trainer for the 1987 National Figure Skating Championships and the baseball trainer for the 1992 Goodwill Games.

Kelly Edgerton Richards (Cross Country/Track & Field, 1988-91)

Kelly Edgerton Richards was a dominant runner for Pacific Lutheran, earning a total of five All-America honors between cross country and track & field. She was a member of the Lutes' 1988 NAIA National Championship cross country squad and twice earned All-America recognition with an 11th-place individual finish in 1989 and a fifth-place finish in 1990. She also won the individual conference crown in 1990.

Richards was even more dominant during track season, and her 1989 NCIC performance will stand as one of the best in Lutes history as she claimed conference titles in the 800, 1500 and 3000 meter races. She proceeded to earn All-America recognition in both the 1500 (second place) and 3000 (fourth place) at the NAIA National Championships. She defended her NCIC titles in the 1500 and 3000 each of the next two years to total seven conference titles to go with a pair of district championship in 1989 (1500 and 3000).

Richards' top times still rank among the best in program history. She ranks second all-time in the 3000 (9:43.66 in 1991), fourth in the 1500 (4:28.34 in 1991) and the 5000 (17:15.33 in 1989) and sixth in the 800 (2:13.64 in 1991).

Ted Riddall (Football, 1991-94)

The most dominant sack artist in Pacific Lutheran history, Ted Riddall made quarterbacks' lives miserable and helped lead the Lutes to the most successful four-year run in program history. Riddall helped the Lutes claim three conference championships, post a 43-6-1 record, advance to three NAIA National Championship games and win the 1993 national title with a 50-20 victory over Westminster.

Combining quickness, speed and strength, Riddall finished the 1993 campaign with a school-record 21 sacks, seven more than the previous record and 10 more than his 1992 total. He is the Lutes' career record-holder with 41 sacks. The 1993 CFA Mt. Rainier League Defensive Player of the Year, he was named a First-Team NAIA All-American that season and claimed Second-Team honors in 1994.

Riddall stepped into a leadership role during his sophomore season, ranking second on the team with 69 tackles and three interceptions as the Lutes finished the year 9-2 – the only year in his career that PLU did not play for the national title. He grabbed a team-best four interceptions and ranked second with 79 tackles the following year as PLU finished 12-0-1 and won the NAIA title. He finished his career with 185 tackles and seven interceptions.

Dianne Quast helped establish a standard of excellence among Pacific Lutheran women's athletics, setting the stage for the modern era of women's sports with her hard work, dedication and skill as a multiple-sport standout at PLU.

Quast spent three years at PLU after transferring from San Jose State. The California native came to Tacoma as an experienced field hockey player, and her talent shone through immediately for the Lutes as she became team leader and high scorer in her first season at PLU. Her position of center forward required her to control the play, and she took that role seriously with a rigorous training regimen that required daily runs, calisthenics and sprints along with constant mental training.

Quast finished her three year career as the most prolific scorer in PLU women's field hockey history to that point, and she was also a key contributor on the basketball court. She was one of the top scorers on her team each year and also provided a strong rebounding presence for the Lutes.