Byron’s Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2023 named

This year’s Hall of Fame class for Byron High School will be different than any previous class. All members inducted this year will be women. This is in celebration of 50 years of girl’s athletics which began in Byron in 1973. Three former athletes, two of the first female coaches, an athletic booster and a girl’s track team will all be recognized.
They will be announced at the September 8 football game and inducted during ceremonies at the high school on September 9. A social hour will be from 5:30-6 p.m. with the induction ceremony to follow. This is open to the public.
While women’s athletics as we know them began in the early 1970s, there were women’s sports before that. In the 1920s and 1930s Byron had girls’ basketball as a varsity sport. Mabel (Siewert) Lienau, class of 1924, was on the varsity team for five years and a starter from her freshman year on. Mabel was the star player for Byron and led the 1923-24 team to an undefeated 16-0 record. In a game against Eyota, she scored 21 of the team’s 23 points.
Sally (Trygstad) Rud was a 1977 Byron graduate and a five-time letter winner. She played basketball and was a valued member of the track team. As a junior, she was the basketball team’s high scorer and pulled down the most rebounds. As a senior, she was co-captain and was the team’s MVP and was All-Conference.
She lettered in track from her sophomore to senior year. In her junior year, she set a high jump record and helped the 880-relay team take first at the conference meet. During her senior year, she and her teammates set school records for the 440-relay as well as the mile relay. At the district meet, she won the 440-yard dash and the mile relay team qualified for the state meet. That year she helped her team win the first conference championship as well. In addition to her athletic abilities, Sally also played clarinet for five years in the Byron Band and was co-editor of the school newspaper.
Nina (Petersen) Kreofsky, class of 2001, was a three-sport athlete at Byron. In volleyball, she won two letters. As a junior she led the team with 56 ace blocks. As a senior she increased that to 89 ace blocks and is ranked #7 in Byron history. In her senior year she was All-Conference.
During her junior year, she led the basketball team in scoring and rebounding. As a senior she was co-captain, the team’s MVP, and the team’s offensive MVP. She led the team in scoring and rebounding again. That same year she was named All-Conference.
In the spring, she was on the track team. In her junior and senior years, she was tri-captain and was named All-Conference. She was on the 4x800 HVL Championship team as a junior. As a senior, she took 2nd place at the HVL in the triple jump and won the long jump. At the Section 1 meet, she won the triple jump and set a school record. That year she also was named a part of the All-State team. Fresh out of college, this Wanamingo native started teaching in Byron in 1973. In addition to being a new teacher, she also became head coach of two girls’ sports. Martha (Syverson) Gehrking taught English during the day and coached basketball and softball after hours. For three years she was the head basketball coach for female athletes just starting out and served as B squad coach another two years. Wins were scarce during those early years, but skill levels constantly increased. She was always proud of the girl’s determination to work harder to get better.
In the spring she coached softball for four years. They won one game the first year, a few more the second, and by the third year finished second in the conference. By the fourth year they qualified for district play. She admired the early athletes that paved the way for those that followed. As a pioneer in girls’ athletics, she helped get the ball rolling for so many gifted girl athletes that would follow in the next 50 years.
Martha met and married Ted Gehrking, a Byron graduate and athlete. Together they had four children who graduated from Byron. She taught at Byron High School for 33 years, retiring in 2008.
Another new teacher in 1973 was Marlene (Voss) Syverson. The Worthington native was hired to teach math and science and was also convinced to coach. She coached B-squad basketball for three years and varsity track for her first four years. She was especially proud of the 1977 Wasioja Conference Championship track team. Between taking time off for having children, Marlene continued coaching. She coached C-squad basketball for three years, C-squad volleyball for several years, B-squad for five years, and was head coach for three years.
She continued to cheer on her own four children as they competed for Kenyon-Wanamingo. Marlene retired in 2009 after 34 years of teaching but continued to substitute for another nine years. She remained active over the years playing slow-pitch softball and also played on a granny basketball team. She and her husband Henry enjoy their retirement and their seven grandchildren.
Each year, the Hall of Fame Committee selects a booster to recognize. This year Sonya Mansfield was selected for the amount of time and effort she has given to extra-curricular activities in Byron. She has been a member of the Booster Club for 20 years and is the current president. She has been instrumental in fund raising efforts and promotes the Booster Club which supports 25 activities at the school. She and her husband Pat have two sons who graduated from Byron, and one still works and coaches in the district.
Every year the Hall of Fame Committee also recognizes a former outstanding team. The 1977 Girl’s Track Team was selected this year. While only having a track program for four years, this group of outstanding athletes won the conference championship in 1977. Led by five seniors, Cindy Dahle, Rose Daley, Liz Haukom, Nancy Nelson, and Sally Trygstad, they won 10 of the 11 meets they competed in. Even though they competed on a cinder track, which was not favorable under many weather conditions, they set school records in almost all their events. One of those records still stands.
They placed third at the district meet and qualified five individuals and a relay team for the regional meet. They ended up fourth out of 31 teams at regionals and sent an individual and a relay team to state. To this day, 11 of the girls on that team still have their names listed on Byron’s Track Records and Top Ten Honor Roll list.