DCC Announces 5th Class of Hall of Fame Inductees
The next class of Dawson Community College Legends will be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame on February 3-4, 2024. This will be the fifth class to be inducted. All-American pitcher Greg Barnett, local women’s basketball legend Cheryl Van Dusen Peterson, men’s basketball All-American Doug Frederick, and player/coach/supporter Mike Wilondek will be honored at the banquet on February 3rd and again during a home basketball game on February 4th. The Hall of Fame is part of DCC’s mission to foster a culture of excellence, and the college is excited to honor the individuals and teams who have achieved excellence in athletics over the past 65 years. Longtime sports anchor and sports director from KULR8 in Billings, Chris Byers, will be the Master of Ceremonies for the weekend.
A committee of six members, made up of former DCC coaches, student-athletes, supporters and administrators, reviewed and deliberated over the nominations and came to the final consensus. DCC Athletic Director Joe Peterson raved about this class, “It is so much fun to look back on the rich history of DCC Athletics. There are so many deserving players, coaches, administrators and contributors. This class represents the best of DCC. Barnett, Van Dusen, and Frederick are, without a doubt, three of the best players in their sports to ever come through this college. Mike has been a fixture within DCC athletics for over five decades. We are excited to celebrate their successes!”
Anyone interested in purchasing tickets for the Hall of Fame Banquet on the evening of February 3rd can do so online at https://dawsonbucs.com/
You can be a part of honoring these great Buccaneer Legends by giving a tax-deductible financial contribution to help offset the costs of the banquet, travel and other costs associated with our Hall of Fame Weekend. To donate, you can click here: https://dawsonbucs.com/sports/
Inductees
Greg Barnett
Barnett played baseball at Dawson from 1999-2001. In his freshman year he pitched 60 innings and totaled 62 strikeouts while finishing 8-2. He was named 2nd Team All-Conference. During his sophomore year he was named 1st Team All-Conference and became a 1st Team NJCAA Division III All-American. That special year he pitched 93 1/3 innings, striking out 74 batters and posting a 2.94 ERA. He won 11 games and lost only 3 while saving 1 game. More importantly, he helped lead the Bucs to a 33-16 record, winning the conference tournament, region tournament and qualifying for their first and only trip to the College World Series in New York where they finished 7th place in the nation.
He set a school record by collecting 19 wins in his two years at Dawson with only 5 losses. He was also named as a Mon-Dak All-Academic performer in 2000. Barnett was a member of the 2001 team that was inducted into the DCC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2020, the first baseball team to be inducted.
His coach at Dawson was Brent Diegel who was inducted into the DCC Athletics Hall of Fame last year. Coach Diegel had great things to share about Barnett, “Greg was a big-time competitor who took great pride in his development and growth. His work ethic is what made him into a great pitcher. He was also a great teammate. He was always supporting his teammates each and every day whether he was on the mound or not. ”
After Dawson, Barnett transferred and played at the NCAA Division I level for Drexel. For his senior season, he played for Nebraska Omaha where he was named a captain.
Barnett now resides in Missoula, MT and brews for Kettlehouse Brewing.
Cheryl Van Dusen Peterson
Van Dusen was Dawson’s first All-Region women’s basketball player in 1980. After winning a state championship at Dawson County High School, Van Dusen, Sue Goroski, Lani Unruh, Geri Lohman and Bonnie Schepens were recruited to DCC by administrator Paul Fasting before Dawson even had a women’s basketball team. Because of these ladies' success in high school, DCC was motivated to revive their women’s basketball program so they could continue their success in college. After assembling most of the team, the college hired Dave Oswald from Wibaux to coach them for the 1978-1979 season. The newly formed Lady Bucs tied for 2nd place in their sub-region and finished 5th place in the Region IX Tournament with a 70-51 win over McCook Community College. Van Dusen led them to a 13-9 record. She averaged 12.5 points, and 12.7 rebounds while shooting 46% from the field.
In her sophomore season, Van Dusen and the Lady Bucs went 16-12. In the Region IX tournament, they won 70-68 in an exciting quarterfinal against Eastern Wyoming. They lost to McCook in the semifinals, but bounced back to beat Southeast Nebraska for 3rd place. Van Dusen led the way with 27 points and 14 rebounds in the 70-56 win. She averaged 15.7 points and 11.9 rebounds that season and was named All-Region as well as All-Tournament. Schepens also joined Van Dusen on the All-Tournament team. The three local heroes from Glendive combined to average 40 points and 25 rebounds for the Lady Bucs. In that special season, Coach Oswald’s Lady Bucs beat Rocky Mountain College twice and came back from 17 points down to beat Eastern Montana College, which was a big highlight for the new two-year program to beat established four-year schools.
When asked about Cheryl, Coach Oswalt shared, “Cheryl was so consistent, I counted on her all of the time and didn’t have to say anything because she knew what she needed to do. She had a quiet personality and was very humble. She didn’t need the glory, but I knew she would always come through. She put everything she had into it. It was very noticeable when she wasn't in the game. She was the hub of the team.”
Cheryl’s mother, Rita, still resides in Glendive. Cheryl and her husband Rod live in Sidney, Montana. They have three grown children and six grandchildren.
Doug Frederick
Doug Frederick was the 2nd ever NJCAA All-American basketball player for Dawson for his accomplishments in the 1978-1979 season. The 6’3” forward played on the perimeter as well as inside. After that great season, Dawson Head Basketball Coach Dennis Perryman said, “Doug was outstanding all season but elevated his status for All-American at the Region IX tournament.” Frederick averaged over 30 points per game in the tournament while leading the Bucs to the championship game against Western Nebraska for the right to go to the NJCAA Division 1 National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. The Bucs had a 6 point lead at halftime, but ended up losing a close one by 2 points.
Frederick was a major factor in Dawson Community College being ranked #18 in the nation and winning both the Mon-Dak Conference and Empire Conference Championships during that season. He was an All-Region IX selection and a 3rd Team NJCAA All-American selection.
Frederick averaged 18.5 points per game. He made 78 percent of his free throws and was third on the team in rebounding average. Frederick distinguished himself as a jumper with exceptional quickness. These two qualities enabled him to lead the Bucs to a school record 31-5 season.
Coach Perryman once said, “Frederick was extremely consistent, played solid in every game, and his outstanding play on both ends inspired his teammates to become better players. He made everyone around him better.”
Frederick hails from South Whitley, Indiana. He was inducted into the Whitko High School Hall of Fame. He graduated from The University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota and began his career in Oil and Gas with Shell Oil Company in Glendive, Montana. He became the Director of Engineering and Operations for Kinder Morgan CO2 Company in Houston, Texas. Frederick was the keynote speaker during the grand opening of the Toepke Center.
Doug is married to Claudia Kron of Glendive and they reside in Montgomery, Texas. They recently celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary. They have 3 children and 6 grandchildren.
Mike Wilondek
Originally from Kendallville, Indiana, Mike Wilondek came to Dawson as a player in 1967. Wilondek played for Coach Dennis Perryman in the coach’s first year at Dawson and was the first player he had ever recruited for the Bucs. Wilondek was also the first in a long line of outstanding basketball players from Indiana to play for Dawson. During his two years as a Buccaneer, Wilondek started at point guard. He graduated in 1969 with an Associate of Arts Degree in history and business. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree at Eastern Montana College in Billings.
He returned to DCC in 1974 as an Institutional Research Officer and reunited with Coach Perryman to help coach the Buccaneers until 1978. In those four seasons, the Buccaneers won 96 games, averaging 24 wins a year. They also won two Mon-Dak Conference Championships and one Empire Conference Championship. In his final two years as assistant coach for Dawson, they lost in the Region IX semifinals by four points in 1977 and in the Region IX Championship game by 4 points in 1978. Both of those season ending losses happened against the host teams of the tournament.
After his time working at Dawson, Wilondek settled into a 29 year career in the insurance business in Glendive. In 2015, Wilondek was elected to the Dawson Community College Board of Trustees where he served the college for nine years. He has also served on several boards within the athletic department and been a long time Bucs Club member. Along with his wife Carole, they have been a part of the Adopt a Buc program for many years. Wilondek has also helped with fundraising efforts, promoting the Bucs Club and volunteering in several different capacities.
Wilondek and his wife Carole still reside in Glendive and have three grown children and four grandchildren.
For more information on the Dawson Community College Athletic Hall of Fame, visit https://dawsonbucs.com/sports/