Submitted by Saint Martin’s University
Saint Martin’s University will induct five people, including two former coaches, a pair of former basketball players and a longtime supporter, into the Athletics Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor on Saturday, Feb. 8, as part of the University’s Homecoming 2014 festivities scheduled for Feb. 7-9.
The Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor Celebration is an annual event that recognizes those who have contributed to the excellence of the Saint Martin’s athletics program.
A reception for the inductees will be held at 3:30 p.m. in the Norman Worthington Conference Center, in advance of the 5:15 p.m. start of the women’s basketball game in Marcus Pavilion against the University of Alaska. A formal presentation will take place during halftime of the men’s basketball game against Central Washington University. That game begins at 7:30 p.m. in Marcus Pavilion.
The 2014 inductees are as follows:
Hall of Honor
Joe Alongi (HS ’62, ’66 )
A dedicated supporter of Saints Athletics, Alongi has worked tirelessly to support Saint Martin’s in its efforts to strengthen intercollegiate athletics. He has chaired the Saint Martin’s University golf tournament for 27 years. In 1985, Alongi helped found the Saint Martin’s Athletic Foundation, which established funds for athletic scholarships and other needs of the athletic department. He also played an integral role in the development of Marcus Pavilion, purchasing 120 seats for the Pavilion’s remodel while his efforts allowed for the completion of the upstairs offices, which now house athletics staff, coaches and administration personnel.
High School Hall of Fame
Dale Behles (Head Boys’ Basketball Coach)
Behles served as a teacher and coach at Saint Martin’s High School. During his first two years, he was an assistant coach under Monte Walker for both the football and basketball team while also coaching junior varsity basketball. In 1962, he became the varsity basketball coach and posted a record of 9-10. In his second season, his team finished with a record of 17-8 and earned a fourth-place finish at the state tournament. Behles’ third, and most successful, season ended with an 18-10 record and a third-place finish at the state tournament. In four seasons as head coach (1962-65), he posted a record of 51-41. Behles has the distinction of being the only coach at Saint Martin’s High School to guide a team to the state tournament. His teams were also the first in school history to win a league and regional championship.
Hall of Fame
Beth (Layton) Jochim ’06 (Women’s Basketball)
Layton was a three-year starter from 2003 to 2006, after transferring from the University of Texas-San Antonio. During her career, she scored 1,425 points, which ranks her second all-time at Saint Martin’s University and 11th in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. In the GNAC career record books, she holds the fourth-best scoring average (17.17 points per game), ranks third in three-point field goals made (228) and second in three-point field goals made per game (2.75). Beth was a three-time All-GNAC selection, earning first team honors as a senior, second team honors as a junior and honorable mention accolades as a sophomore. As a senior, she was named Daktronics second team all-region. She was also named CoSIDA first team academic all-district, as she led the conference in scoring at 20.3 points per game, which also ranked 14th in Division II. Beth has the distinction of holding SMU’s single-game record for three-point field goals made in a game (8).
Brad Hooper (Head Men’s and Women’s Cross Country / Track and Field Coach)
Hooper introduced the cross country and track and field programs at Saint Martin’s, serving as head coach from 1996 to 2006, putting together an impressive résumé. He coached four Saints who have been inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame, including All-Americans Andy Prentice and Nate Carlson, as well as 12 GNAC individual champions, 46 All-GNAC athletes, the 2006 NCAA West Region Athlete of the Year, a GNAC Athlete of the Year, GNAC Championships Athlete of the Meet, Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. Under Hooper’s guidance, the men’s track and field team placed 24th at the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championships. Academically, his teams were strong performers, yielding two NCAA post-graduate scholarship award winners, 10 top-five coaches association academic finishes, 11 coaches association Academic All-Americans and a CoSIDA Academic All-American. He also had 11 athletes on the GNAC all-time best list, four All-GNAC performers in cross country and two all-region performers.
Chris McGee (Men’s Basketball)
McGee was a member of the Saint Martin’s College men’s basketball team for three seasons, from 1978 to 1981. In his first season with the Saints he ranked third in the district in rebounding (9.4) and shot 52.9 percent from the field. As a junior during the 1979-80 season, McGee was named all-league and all-district, and finished the season ranked second in the district in rebounding (9.5), sixth in scoring (17.0) and seventh in field goal percentage (.592). That same season, he was named honorable mention Little All-Northwest. In his final season, McGee averaged 14.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, earning all-league, all-district and second team Little All-Northwest honors. He finished his career with 1,158 career points, 725 career rebounds and a 56.1 percent field goal percentage, which at the time of his induction ranks him 15th in all-time scoring, third in rebounding and fourth in field-goal percentage.
Those wishing to attend the reception are asked to register in advance.
