Mount Mercy set to induct first team into Athletic Hall of Fame

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The 1980-81 women's basketball squad will be the first team inducted into the Mount Mercy Athletic Hall of Fame, Athletic Director Paul Gavin announced today. The ceremony will take place at Hennessey Recreation Center on Friday, Sept. 23, during the university's Homecoming & Alumni Weekend.

"It's with great privilege that I welcome the 1980-81 Mount Mercy women's basketball team into the Athletic Hall of Fame," said Gavin. "This honor has never been bestowed upon a team since the inception of the Hall of Fame. It's truly an honor to recognize the accomplishments of these women who set the standard for excellence on the court coupled with a lifetime full of extraordinary triumphs."

Every member of the 1980-81 squad was an Iowa native that played 6-on-6 basketball in high school, and they made school history by becoming the first team to reach a national championship game. The previous season, the 1979-80 women's basketball team reached the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Final Four in Spokane, Wash., for the first time.

A year later, the 1980-81 squad continued their winning ways, compiling a record of 30-7 while defeating several Division I schools. The Mustangs won 25 consecutive games -- including state, district, and regional championships -- before losing to Wisconsin-La Crosse in the AIAW national championship game played in La Crosse, Wis. The team was led by seniors Lia Dielschneider Buursma, Deb Franklin, and Jane Steele-Bolt, junior Jane Meyer, and sophomore Gina Schulte.

From this team, three individuals went on to become all-Americans: Steele-Bolt (1981), Meyer (1981 & 1982), and Schulte (1982 & 1983). These three would also become individual members of the Mount Mercy Hall of Fame. Meyer was inducted in 1989, Steele-Bolt and Schulte in 1990.

The 1980-81 women's basketball team was coached by the late Dr. Leonard Ranson and Bill Connell. Ranson was instrumental in starting the women's basketball program at Mount Mercy and was the inaugural member of the Mount Mercy Hall of Fame. He coached the women's team for 12 years, compiling a record of 236-83.

Ranson passed away earlier this year and his players fondly remember his kindness, dedication, and professionalism on and off the court. Members of the 1980-81 team went on to become teachers, nurses, doctors, college instructors, athletic administrators, successful businesspeople, as well as positive role models in their communities.

The coming year also marks the 51st season of women's basketball at Mount Mercy and the university will also celebrate 50 years of women's basketball on Sept. 23.