The late Del Stoltenberg, left, and the 2000-2001 Women’s Basketball Team, right, will be inducted into the 2026 Peru State College Hall of Fame. Tiffany (Taylor) Anderson (not pictured), a graduate of Fairfax R-3 School, was a member of the basketball team.

Five individuals and one team have been slated for induction into the 2026 Peru State College Hall of Fame. Former three-sport athlete Bev Harris and football standouts Alex Malcom, Cornelius Riley, and Jim Rosenquist (posthumously), along with former football player and extraordinarily successful coach Del Stoltenberg (posthumously), will all be inducted during ceremonies September 18-19.

The Bobcat 2000-2001 women’s basketball team will also join the Hall of Fame that weekend.

Del Stoltenberg, Class of 1957

(Posthumously)

Football/Meritorious Service

Nebraska City native Del Stoltenberg was both the quarterback and the punter for the Bobcats for several outstanding seasons in the 1950s.

He received the Swenson Award as the top PSC Male Athlete in 1957 and was inducted into the PSC Hall of Fame as a member of the unbeaten 1953 football team. He was named All-Conference first team and played in an all-state game in 1957. In his junior season, he was listed as the second-best punter in the state.

After his football playing days, he was a highly decorated coach for Scribner High, Grand Island High, Wayne State College, Tarkio College, and Rock Port High School.

Stoltenberg won five Cornhusker Conference titles in seven seasons at Scribner. He won 62 games at Wayne State which was the record at the time, and he won two conference championships. He was named coach of the year twice at Wayne State and was inducted into the Wayne State Hall of Fame in 2004.

At Rock Port High School, he won seven conference championships, had nine playoff appearances, and 11 winning seasons in his 15 years of head coaching. He also won seven state championships, three state runner-up finishes, and two third-place trophies at state as the track and field coach at Rock Port.

Stoltenberg was inducted into the Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame and into the KMA Sports Hall of Fame. He passed away in 2017.

2000-2001 Women’s Basketball Team

The 2000-2001 season was the Bobcats’ first season in the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference, and they boasted a 20-10 overall record while going 9-1 in conference play. With this record, they were able to win the conference in their inaugural season.

The team made it to the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament for the third time in school history. They won their first game against Evangel 62-54 but dropped a tough game vs Northwestern Iowa, 76-61.

There were many Bobcats recognized for this tremendous season. Tab Jefferson was recognized as the Co-Coach of the Year, Tiffany and Tonya Volk earned MCAC first Team All-Conference, Lexi Ehlers earned MCAC All-Conference Honorable Mention, and there were four NAIA Academic All-Americans.

Tonya Volk was also named the MCAC Player of the Year.

The women’s team set the record for total blocks in a season with 144. There were multiple players that made it into individual record books as well. Tonya Volk had a record 81 blocks and finished second in career blocks with 135. Tiffany Taylor (43%), Lexie Ehlers (39.2%), and Tiffany Volk (38.1%) were all top five in career three-point field goal percentage.Tiffany Taylor is a graduate of Fairfax R-3 School.

The Hall of Fame Banquet will be held Friday, September 18. The individuals and teams will also be recognized at halftime of Peru State’s football game on Saturday, September 19, against Westgate Christian University. Game time is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.