Four to be inducted into 2015 Hall of Fame

2015 to see four inducted into Hall of Fame

Kathy Kent Hug, Larissa Christensen Eyberg, Mike Burkhart, and Ed Larson to be honored at third annual Hall of Fame …

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Four former student-athletes will be honored at the third annual Bellevue University athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony held on Saturday, April 18 at the Margre H. Durham Student Center.

Kathy (Kent) Hug began her Bellevue University athletics career in the fall of 1994, playing volleyball for Coach Doug Feagan.

By the time she graduated, Kathy became the most accomplished three-sport athlete in Bruin history, excelling in volleyball, soccer, and softball. In addition she became the first female three-sport athlete in Bellevue University history.

Kent started her post-secondary career at Iowa Western Community College where she earned her Associate of Arts degree in 1994 before transferring to Bellevue.

She graduated as the school’s all-time leader in assists in volleyball with 2,439 and still ranks sixth all-time in that category. Her 1,074 assists in 1994 and 1,365 assists in 1995 were both records at the time. In two seasons of playing volleyball she also totaled 1,313 digs which still ranks 10^th in program history and was second at the time of graduation. For her excellence on the court, Kent was twice recognized on the All-MCAC First Team.

After exhausting her eligibility in volleyball Kent took her athletic prowess to the soccer field in the fall of 1996 and the softball diamond in the spring of 1997. Kathy proved a solid addition to the soccer team, scoring a pair of goals and adding four assists in 19 games, while helping the team post a 13-6 record and reach the NAIA Region IV Tournament. On the softball field, Kent led the team to a 31-16 record while batting a team-best .427 on the season on her way to earning All-MCAC First Team accolades.

For her dedication and excellence Kent was named Bellevue University’s Athlete of the Year in 1996/97.

In addition to excelling on the playing fields, Kent was also able to earn both a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree and a Master of Business Administration from Bellevue University in 1996 and 2000, respectively.

She is currently the Assistant Athletic Director at the University of Illinois. She is married to Casey Hug and the two have a daughter, Taylor.

Larissa (Christensen) Eyberg began her career as one of Bellevue University’s most-decorate women’s soccer player in the fall of 1999, playing for Coach Sterling Nabours.

By the time she graduated she played for three different coaches – Nabours (1999), Krisann Cihal (2000), and Dan Harvey (2001-02) – and captained three different teams (2000-02), earned All-MCAC honors three times (2000-02), and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication with a minor in Athletic Training.

In her four-year career with the Bruins, Christensen led the Bruins to a 32-36-3 record while appearing in 66 games. She scored seven goals and three assists for a total of 17 career points.

Widely recognized as one of the best defensive players in the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference, Christensen was named All-MCAC First Team in both her sophomore and junior seasons while earning All-MCAC Second Team honors as a senior.

While working as a student-trainer at Bellevue, Christensen was named the 2000-01 Student-Athletic Trainer of the Year.

In addition to her degree from Bellevue, Christensen is also certified as a Registered Radiologic Technologist and specially certified in Computed Tomography (CT), earning her certifications through the Jennie Edmundson School of Radiologic Technology from 2004-06. While in x-ray school she earned the Mallinckrodt Award of Excellence in recognition of outstanding performance in 2006.

Christensen is currently working on a Master’s degree in Healthcare Operations Management through Methodist College.

She is currently employed by Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital and is married to Brian Eyberg. Together, they have two sons, Gray and Coy.

Mike Burkhart started his outstanding Bellevue University basketball career in the fall of 1975 for Hall of Fame Coach Jerry Mosser.

As a senior during the 1978/79 season Mike finished 10^th in the nation in scoring with an average of 27.0 points per game (this coming before the introduction of the three-point line) and led the country in free throw shooting at a blistering 92.7 percent. For his outstanding work on the court, he was named Bellevue University Athlete of the Year in 1978/79.

His 92.7 percent mark from the free throw line was a program record upon his graduation as were his 1,815 career points. In the 36 years since his graduation his 1,815 points still rank second in program history and his 20.4 point per game scoring average ranks fourth.

A four-year letterman, Mike was named NAIA Honorable Mention All-District on three occasions.

In his four years at Bellevue, he led the Bruins to a record of 53-44 (.546). He graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business.

Mike has had plenty of noteworthy accomplishments in his professional career. He was the national director for Pizza Hut for 17 years and a former President/CEO of Papa John’s Pizza in New England and Boston Market in Omaha.

He has also served as a long-time youth basketball coach, working with fourth and fifth graders.

He is currently employed by Disabled Goodwill and is married to his wife of 36 years, Patricia. Together, Mike and Patricia have three sons, Dan, Brian, and Tim.

Ed Larson began his accomplished Bellevue University basketball career in the fall of 1970 for Coach Roger Nieveen, playing two years for him and his final two years for Hall of Fame Coach Jerry Mosser.

Upon graduation from Bellevue, Ed held the program career records in both scoring and rebounding. His 304 rebounds during the 1973/74 season were also a school record at the time of his graduation.

Ed was recognized at the 1973/74 Athlete of the Year and was named to several in-season all-tournament teams while he was a student-athlete at Bellevue.

Ed graduated in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education before entering the workforce.

During his working life Ed was employed by QLT Consumer Lease Services, formerly the Western Electric Company

He is currently enjoying retired life. He has a daughter Lisa Denton, married to Duane, and together they’ve given Ed a grandson named Quinton.

Started in 2013 with the induction of former coach and athletic director Jerry Mosser, the Bellevue Athletics Hall of Fame honors former athletes, administrators and teams who have helped create a proud tradition in intercollegiate competition at Bellevue.