Two individuals and one team to be inducted into Olivet College Athletic Hall of Fame

OLIVET, Mich. – In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX, an all-female class – two individuals and one team – has been selected for induction into the Olivet College Athletic Hall of Fame, Class of 2022. Being inducted are Jill (Shufelt) Tanis and Amber (Conrad) Votava along with the 1998 women’s soccer team.

Tanis, a 2005 Olivet graduate, earned four varsity letters on the softball team. She was a two-time All-MIAA honoree in the outfield for the Comets. Tanis was selected to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Central Region First Team in 2005. She ranks among top 10 all-time at Olivet in career at-bats (tied for fourth, 367), runs scored (fourth, 74), base hits (third, 125), total bases (10th, 145), sacrifice hits (tied for sixth, 14), walks (third, 44), games played (eighth, 128); and games started (fifth, 124).

As a senior in 2005, Tanis posted a .432 batting average which broke the single-season record. The average currently ranks fifth. She was also the first player in school history to hit two triples in one game and steal three bases in one game. The steals record has since been broken but she is still one of two players to hit two triples. Off the field, Tanis was a member of Soronian literary society.

Tanis lives in Hart with her husband, Joe, and their three children, Elyssa, Calvin and Valerie. She works in Muskegon at Fleet Engineers as an expeditor/production scheduler.

Votava, a 2011 Olivet graduate, was a four-time All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) First Team selection on the golf team for the Comets. She was a three-time Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-Great Lakes Region honoree in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Votava competed at the NCAA Division III Women’s Golf Championships each of her four years at Olivet. Individually, she finished as high as 19th and the team placed as high as a tie for 10th-place in 2011.

Votava finished her Olivet career with an 82.8 stroke average over 95 total rounds. Her career low round was a 74 on three occasions on three different courses. At the time of graduation in 2011, Votava held both the school career stroke average and single round scoring records. Off the golf course, Votava was a member of women’s board.

Votava lives in Battle Creek with her husband, Colby, and their two children, Cassie and Callie. She works in Kalamazoo at Mann-Hummel as a manager of sales.

Led by head coach Mark Fales, the 1998 women’s soccer team finished the season with a 16-3 overall record and captured the MIAA Tournament title to become the first women’s team in school history to compete at the NCAA Championships. During the regular season, Olivet posted a 13-2 overall record. The Comets’ two losses were to Calvin and Kalamazoo College, but they avenged those defeats with wins over the Knights and Hornets in the MIAA Tournament. Olivet traveled to Delaware, Ohio, to play perennial NCAA powerhouse Ohio Wesleyan University in the NCAA Championships. The Comets battled tough before falling by a 4-3 score in double overtime.

Three members of the team – Crystal Dye, Laura Fiorino and Tricia McNorton – earned All-MIAA First Team honors, and a fourth player, Tanja Rupert, was an All-MIAA Second Team selection. Fiorino broke the Olivet single-season school record with 27 goals and 60 total points. Dye was right behind her with 25 goals and eight assists for 58 points. Doris Sullivan tallied 22 goals, three assists and 47 points. McNorton was a stalwart on the defense. Rupert logged every minute in goal, posting a 1.16 goals against average.

Other members of the team were Jamila Faraj, Sheri Hause, Gail Hoag, Mary Hoban, Joni Hoffman, Hope Murphy, Jennifer Paczas, Paula Peterson, Martha Vardai and Consuelo Vivas.