Madison, Wis. - The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) has announced the members of its 2018 Hall of Fame class.  The WIAC established a Hall of Fame to coincide with the conference's celebration of its 100th anniversary, which took place during the 2012-13 academic year.  Three former University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student-athletes, Jim Drews, Barbara Gibson and Jennifer Tischaefer-Ignacio have been selected to the WIAC Hall of Fame.  Former UWL student-athlete Jason Church has also been named to the 2018 WIAC Hall of Fame representing the WIAC for lifetime achievement and inspiration.

The 27-member class for 2018 will be inducted at the WIAC Hall of Fame Banquet to be held July 28, 2018, at UW-Eau Claire.

In announcing the 2018 class, WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner noted once again how difficult the selection process is given the 105-year history and incomparable success of the conference. "Quite frankly, there are dozens, if not hundreds, more individuals deserving of this honor. Therefore, it remains our intention to continue to induct future Hall of Fame classes every three years with the ultimate goal of recognizing those student-athletes, coaches, administrators, officials and others whose contributions and achievements have established and solidified the WIAC's status as the most accomplished Division III conference in NCAA history," added Karner.  

Drews, Gibson, Tischaefer and Church join six other UWL representatives in the WIAC Hall of Fame. Phil Esten, Mark Guthrie and Roger Harring were inducted in the inaugural class in 2012 while Tori Neubauer-Muesing, Tom Newberry and Andrew Rock were inducted in 2015. 

Drews was a member of UWL's cross country and track & field teams from 1970-74. He won four individual conference cross country titles and was a three-time National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-American, placing sixth at the national meet in 1971, ninth in 1972 and 13th in 1973. Drews was a 14-time conference champion in track & field and named the NAIA District 14 Most Valuable Player in track & field and cross country.

UWL's annual cross country meet is named in his honor (Jim Drews Invitational).  He qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1987. In 2012, he was selected to the WIAC Men's Cross Country and Track & Field All-Time Teams in conjunction with the conference's Centennial Celebration. Drews was inducted into the UWL Wall of Fame in 1985.

Gibson was a member of the gymnastics team from 1974-78, winning the 1975 conference title on the balance beam and the 1978 championship on the floor exercise. She served as UWL's women's gymnastics coach from 1986-2016 and led the squad to 17 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) championships and 20 conference titles.  Gibson was chosen the NCGA Coach of the Year six times and the WIAC Coach of the Year on six occasions.

She coached 32 NCGA individual champions, 78 conference individual champions, 209 All-Americans and posted a career record of 806-205, including 774-201 at UWL. In 2012, she was selected the WIAC Women's Gymnastics All-Time Coach in conjunction with the conference's Centennial Celebration. Gibson was inducted into UWL's Wall of Fame in 2007.

Tischaefer Ignacio was a member of the soccer team from 1996-99, earning All-WIAC First Team honors all four seasons. In 1999, she was named the WIAC Judy Kruckman Women's Soccer Scholar-Athlete. Ignacio tied a conference single-game record with six assists against Viterbo University (Wis.) October 2, 1996, and is tied for second with five goals against UW-Superior October 23, 1999.

She owns school records with 68 career goals, 19 single-season goals, 172 career points and 50 season points. In 2012, she was selected to the WIAC Women's Soccer All-Time Team in conjunction with the conference's Centennial Celebration. Tischaefer Ignacio was voted into the UWL Wall of Fame in 2012.

Church was a two-way player and four-year letter winner in football at UWL. Upon graduation, Church was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army and following completion of Army Ranger School, Army Airborne School and Stryker Leader Course was deployed as a platoon leader to Afghanistan. On August 23, 2012, Second Lieutenant Church was injured in an IED explosion that resulted in the loss of both legs below the knee. After undergoing 21 surgeries and a prolonged recovery, Church has gone on to earn a Master's degree in international relations from Georgetown University and is currently enrolled in law school at UW-Madison.

On November 10, 2012, at his request and less than three months after he sustained his injuries, Church was awarded his purple heart by his father (a US Army colonel) at a UWL home football game. He was medically retired from the US Army with the rank of Captain and was the 2014 Recipient of the NCAA Inspiration Award.

For more information on the WIAC Hall of Fame, please visit http://www.wiacsports.com/hof.aspx.