The Nevada Wolf Pack Hall of Fame celebrated 100 years of women’s athletics with a historic all-female class induction on Sept. 12 inside the Reno Ballroom at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Nevada’s nine-person class included players, coaches and athletic administrators from different sports who helped shape and represent the Wolf Pack’s culture.
The Nevada women’s sports 2019 Hall of Fame inductees included:
Teal Ericson – Volleyball – 2004-07
Ericson established herself as one of the top offensive players in Nevada women’s volleyball history. She ranks second all-time in kills and her 1,653.5 career points ranks third in school history. She was a driving force in Nevada’s NCAA Tournament appearances in 2004 and 2005. Ericson was selected to the All-Tournament teams six times in her career and earned first-team All-WAC honors in 2007.
Meghann Morrill – Rifle – 2004-08
Morrill made the most of her tenure with the Nevada rifle team. She earned first-team All-America honors in 2006 and 2008. Her individual air score of 593/600 was the highest score at the NCAA Rifle Championships in 2005. She also represented the university during the APLU’s Convocation for the 150th Anniversary of the Morrill Land Grant Act in 2012. Along with her success off the field, she was a four-time letter winner and two-year captain for the Nevada Wolf Pack rifle team.
Brittany Puzey – Softball – 2006-09
Puzey wreaked havoc on the diamond with the Nevada softball team. In four seasons, she is Nevada’s career leader in stolen bases. Puzey ranks second all-time in doubles, 54, home runs, 34, total bases, 389 and RBIs, 166. She is the first player in school history to earn first-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors in each of her first three seasons. Puzey was a consistent force on the team. She played in 245 games with 244 starts, which are the most by a Nevada Wolf Pack softball player in the modern era.
Pat Hixson – Volleyball, Women’s Basketball and Softball – 1974-77, Softball Assistant Coach – 1978-79, Softball Head Coach – 1980-89
Hixson was a key cog in the development of Wolf Pack women’s athletics. She helped lead Nevada to three NCIAC titles in volleyball, women’s basketball and softball in 1976-77. Hixson also helped propel the Wolf Pack softball team to its first AIAW Division II World Series in 1980. During her volleyball tenure, she led Nevada to its first and only conference championship in the Northern California Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1975.
Hixon earned some hardware along the way, being named conference coach of the year in 1988 with the Nevada softball team. With a jam-packed resume as both a coach and player, Hixson helped raise Nevada women’s athletics to new heights.
Karly Sipherd – Volleyball – 2004-07
Joined by Ericson, Sipherd helped Nevada make the NCAA Tournament in 2004 and 2005. She earned first-team All-WAC honors in 2007 and was named to the second team in each of her first three seasons. Sipherd stuffed the stat sheet during her tenure with the Wolf Pack. She holds the school record for block assists, 532, third all-time in points, 1,504, and sixth in hitting percentage, .277. Sipherd was another key force in Nevada volleyball’s reign in the early 2000s.
Regina Ratigan – Women’s Basketball, Softball and Volleyball – 1977-80
Ratigan was another influential figure with Nevada women’s athletics. Sheed led the Wolf Pack to three NCIAC titles in 1976-77 in women’s basketball, softball and volleyball. Ratigan held the single-season scoring record with 399 points in 1979-80 and dished out 57 assists that same season. To end her collegiate career, she finished with a .801 free throw percentage, which set a school record.
Angie Taylor – Women’s Basketball – 1981-85 and Athletics Administration – 1987-2000
Taylor kept her roots in Reno, dating back to her high school days at Hug High School. She played for the Nevada women’s basketball team and joined the athletics staff for her alma mater as a women’s sports information officer. Taylor was promoted to assistant director of athletics and senior woman administrator in 1990. She was again promoted to senior associate athletics director and second in command in athletics in 1999. During her tenure in administration, Taylor helped secure additional funding from the Nevada State Legislature that funded college scholarships for existing women’s sports programs at the university. She also helped increase Nevada’s women’s athletics budget from $700,000 to $2 million in the 1990s to provide additional expenses toward new practice and training facilities. Taylor left Nevada athletics in 2000 and has continued to serve the Northern Nevada community through both leadership and community service positions. Her dedication toward improving Nevada women’s athletics has paved the way toward a bright future ahead.
Ellen Townsend – Volleyball, Softball – 1976-77 and Women’s Basketball – 1976-79
Townsend was another instrumental player to Nevada women’s athletics. The three-sport standout played third base for the softball team and led the Pack in on-base percentage, .531, and RBIs,15, as a freshman in 1976. In volleyball, she led the team with 230 assists in 1977 and had eight aces that same season. Townsend became a teacher in the Washoe County School District and still serves as a volleyball official.
Cindy Rock – Women’s Basketball, Softball and Volleyball (1977-79)
Rock set the school record with 44 points in a single game for women’s basketball. The three-sport athlete averaged 17.6 points per game in 1978-79 and 17.4 points per game in 1977-78. Originally from Portland, Oregon, Rock was one of the first Nevada student-athletes to receive an out of state scholarship. She made the most of her tenure on the court, finishing her career with 799 points. She also played professional basketball for a short period after her tenure with Nevada.
Isaiah Burrows can be reached at rfreeberg@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @SagebrushSports.