M E R I D I A N M A G A Z I N E
Five Inducted into Ricks College Athletic Hall of Fame
REXBURG, Idaho — A former coach and four former athletes have been inducted into the Ricks College Athletic Hall of Fame at Brigham Young University-Idaho.
They include former head track and field and cross country coach Ferron Sonderegger of Rexburg; track and field standouts Marsha Mark Baird of Provo, Utah, and Jason Williams of Twin Falls, Idaho; and football stars Greg Robertson of Houston, Texas, and Marc Dunn of Kansas City, Kansas.
The Alumni Association awards were presented Friday, June 6, 2008, at a luncheon hosted by BYU-Idaho Vice President Garth Hall.
Ferron Sonderegger competed has been wandering the athletic fields and facilities since he was four years old, tagging along with his father. He came back to Ricks College in 1987 as a member of the P.E. Department and Head Coach of Track and Field, and Cross Country.
His women's cross country teams ran away from the competition with three region championships and two national championships. His track and field teams were dominating, winning 13 consecutive Region 18 championships and an NJCAA championship in 1997.
He coached 17 individual national champions, and more than 200 All-Americans. He was particularly successful coaching the throwing events. He was named National Coach of the Year multiple times in Cross Country and Track, for both men's and women's competition.
Ferron and his wife Paula Benson continue to live in Rexburg. They are the parents of five children; Emily, Lynn, Diane, Evan, and Shelley. They have four grandchildren.
When Marsha Mark Baird left Trinidad in December of 1993, it was 90 degrees. When she arrived in Rexburg, it was minus 10 degrees. Running was a good way to keep warm and fight off the cultural shock.
Marsha discovered track and field in elementary school. She soon won a championship as a member of the Junior National Team. She continued to excel at Ricks College . In 1994, she won the NJCAA title in the javelin. The next year, she was a member of the school's record-setting 400 and 1600 meter relay teams and set a school record in the heptathlon with 5137 points. She was also an Academic All-American, with a 3.5 GPA.
Marsha and her husband Greg live in Provo, Utah, and are the parents of sons Mark Allan and Ty Matheson.
For Jason Williams, one sport just wasn't enough. He was a three-sport letterman at Meridian High School in Meridian, Idaho, earning honors in football, baseball, and track and field. He brought his all-around athletic skills to Ricks College and found his place on the track and field team in the decathlon.
In his freshman year, Jason dominated regional competition and went on to earn All-American status by finished second in the NJCAA decathlon finals. He improved on that his sophomore year by winning the decathlon in the national finals. He was an Academic All-American with a 3.72 GPA, and earned the Inspirational Athlete Award as a sophomore at Ricks.
Jason went on to Kansas State University, where he was the Big 12 Champion and an NCAA All-American Decathlete in 1999. He was also a USA Track and Field National Qualifier, but was unable to compete due to injuries. Jason and his wife Karen Marchant live in Twin Falls and are the parents of two daughters — Sadie and Abigail.
Greg Robertson found his way to Ricks College after leaving his mark at Skyview High School in Smithfield, Utah, where he was a three-sport letterman and a member of the National Honor Society. At Ricks, he stepped into the starting roll as quarterback in 1997, and earned All Conference First Team honors, and was named All-American.
His 37 touchdown passes (in 1997) ranks second in the Vikings record book.
Greg was an Academic All-American, with a 3.8 GPA. He was named recipient of the Clyde P. Packer Ideal Male Athlete award in 1998. He was also named the Outstanding Offensive Football Player as a sophomore.
Greg and his wife, Colette, live in Houston, Texas, and are the parents of five children — C.J., Ethan, Gracie, and twin boys Riley and Brock.
Marc Dunn's sports résumé was impressive long before he arrived at Ricks College . He was a three-year letterman at Box Elder High School in Brigham City,Utah, in football, basketball, and track and field.
As quarterback and team captain of his state championship football team, Marc was named team MVP, All Region, All State and All Area First team; Utah 4-1 MVP, All-American Honorable Mention, and won the Stephen M. Josephson Memorial Award as an Outstanding Athlete, Scholar and Citizen.
He took over as starting quarterback at Ricks as a sophomore in 2000, and re-wrote the record books. He set two single-game marks and ended the year with four season records: Most Total yards, 4237; Most Passing Yards, 4351; Most Pass Attempts, 465; and Most Pass Completions, 281.
He was named First Team All League, All-American and in 2000 was the NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year. Then topped it all off with the Clyde P. Packer Ideal Male Athlete Award.
Marc and his wife Elizabeth live in Kansas City, Kansas, and have two sons, Dylan and Bronson.
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