Hastings College to induct 2016 national championship teams, stars into Athletic Hall of Fame

(Hastings, Nebraska) – Ten years after sharing one of the greatest single days in Hastings College sports history — capturing two NAIA national titles on December 3, 2016 — seven standout student-athletes and two legendary teams will be enshrined as the 37th class of the Hastings College Athletic Hall of Fame.

The induction reception and banquet will take place in conjunction with Hastings College Homecoming on Saturday, September 26.

The celebration begins with a social hour at 5:00 p.m. in Kiewit Gymnasium (715 E. 7th Street, Hastings), followed by a banquet at 5:30 p.m. Reservations are $50 for adults, $20 for children ages 4-12 and free for children ages 3 and under, and can be purchased online at hastings.edu/homecoming or by contacting the Hastings College alumni office at 402.461.7363 or alumni@hastings.edu.

The Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1989 to honor and preserve the memory of athletes, teams, coaches and those who have contributed meritorious service to Hastings College and its athletic programs.

The 2026 Hastings College Athletic Hall of Fame class includes:

Logan Drueppel ‘17 of Denver, Colorado, for volleyball
Katie Placke ‘18 of Lincoln, Nebraska, for volleyball
Marc Tautz ‘18 of Limburg, Germany, for men’s soccer
Erik Tello ‘19 of Webster, Texas, for men’s soccer 
Joe White ‘18 of Grand Rapids, Michigan, for men’s soccer
Daniel Whitehall ‘19 of South Hampton, United Kingdom, for men’s soccer
Jill (Bax) Whitehall ‘18 of South Hampton, United Kingdom, for volleyball
2016 Volleyball Team, which captured the GPAC regular season and Tournament Championships and the NAIA National Championship with a 33-3 record
2016 Men’s Soccer Team, which captured the GPAC regular season and Tournament Championships and the NAIA National Championship with a 24-0 record
Previous Hastings College Athletic Hall of Fame recipients can be found at hastings.edu/halloffame.

Biographies of the 2026 Inductees

Logan Drueppel is the all-time school leader in career hitting percentage (.333) and fourth all-time in career blocks (565). During her career, she recorded 782 kills, 59 solo blocks and 506 block assists. Drueppel was a three-time First Team All-Conference selection, a two-time NAIA All-Tournament Team selection in 2015 and 2016, Second Team All-American in 2015 and First Team All-American in 2016. During the 2016 season, she led the country in blocks per set (1.79), hitting percentage (.418) and total blocks (218), and was named the National Tournament MVP, GPAC Player of the Year and AVCA Regional Player of the Year. 

Katie Placke was a four-year starting setter/right side hitter, finishing her career with 3,493 assists, 920 kills and 1,034 digs. She ranks third in all-time career hitting percentage (.291) and fourth in school history for a single season hitting percentage (.330). Placke earned GPAC Freshman of the Year and AVCA Region Freshman of the Year in 2014, was a three-time First Team All-Conference selection, a two-time First Team All-American (2016 and 2017) and a two-time NAIA All-Tournament Team selection (2016 and 2017). She was named the NAIA CoSIDA Player of the Year (2016), GPAC Player of the Year (2017) and AVCA Regional Player of the Year (2017).

Marc Tautz finished his career with 29 goals, 23 assists and 81 points for the Bronco men’s soccer team. He was a three-time First Team All-Conference selection (2014, 2016 and 2017), a Third Team All-American selection and an Honorable Mention All-American Selection (2017).

Erik Tello was a three-time First Team All-Conference selection and a Third Team All-American for the Bronco men’s soccer team. During the 2016 season, he was named to the NAIA All-Tournament Team and recorded three goals and three assists in his career as a defensive back, including the game winner in the semifinals of the Broncos’ National Tournament victory against Grand View.

Joe White recorded 120 saves and .78 goals against average with 21 career shutouts. He was a two-time First Team All-Conference selection, two-time Second Team All-American selection and named GPAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017. White was named the 2016 National Tournament MVP.

Daniel Whitehall’s career resume includes an impressive 93 goals, 32 assists and 218 points; he currently holds the school record for career goals and points, and is also the school record holder for most goals in a season (34) and points in a season (77). He is a two-time First Team All-American selection and a Second Team All-American selection in 2018. A four-time First Team All-Conference selection and four-time GPAC Offensive Player of the Year, Whitehall was named the National Tournament Offensive MVP and the NAIA National Player of the Year, both in 2016. 

Jill (Bax) Whitehall currently ranks second in school history in career digs (2,102) and recorded 124 service aces and 288 assists throughout her volleyball career. She was a two-time First Team All-Conference selection, a Second Team All-American in 2016 and First Team All-American in 2017. Her career culminated with being named the NAIA Libero of the Year in 2016 and 2017, GPAC Libero of the Year in 2017 and the AVCA Regional Libero of the Year in 2016 and 2017.

The 2016 Volleyball Team completed a 33-3 record (14-2 in the GPAC Conference), capturing the GPAC regular season and tournament championships and completing a historic comeback to win their first ever NAIA National Championship with a reverse sweep of GPAC rival Dordt College (Iowa) in a five-set thriller. Members of the team included Mikayla (Bax) Callaghan ‘17/MAT ‘19, Clare (Hamburger) Kitten ‘19, Sage Meyer ‘19, Jill (Bax) Whitehall ‘18, Cailyn (Ostrand) Grabill ‘18, Rielyn Hoffman ‘19, Emily (Lenners) Lipovsky ‘20, Andrea (Jameson) LaVene ‘18, Katie Placke ‘18, Jennifer (Klaudt) Teten ‘17, Abbey (Preissler) Poppen ‘17, Catherine (Williams) Barber ‘18, Cassidy (Ostrand) Stevens ‘20, Jamie (Isaacson) Burr ‘18, Emily Filsinger ‘18, Casey Krolikowski-Molifua ‘19, Matti Dabovich ‘19, Logan Drueppel ‘17, Casey (Sutherland) Wallace ‘20, Kortney Allen-Williams ‘19, Jenna (Denney) Fago ‘20, Josie Dominguez ‘20, Ally Ginkens ‘20/MAT ‘22, Sophie (Gruwell) Hadwiger ‘20, Emily (Herbek) Strotz ‘19, Jessica (Klaudt) Dea ‘20, Madeline (Pelster) Ondrak ‘20, Danielle Shenk ‘19 and Lindsy (Siegel) Stohlmann ‘19. The team was coached by Matt Buttermore, Laura Buttermore, Melissa Avila MAT ‘17 and Kelly O’Connor MAT ‘17; Amanda Teter served as the team’s athletic trainer. 

The 2016 Men’s Soccer Team completed a 24-0-1 record (9-0 in the GPAC Conference), capturing the GPAC regular season and tournament championships. The team sealed the NAIA National Championship with a 1-0 victory over the University of Rio Grande. Members of the team included Mateo Cuartas ‘20, Carlos Carmona ‘19, Brandon Hedgecock ‘17, Matt Post ‘17, Josh Horne ‘17, Nick Hinds ‘18, Daniel Fragachan ‘18, Kristian Moore-Cowell ‘19, Daniel Whitehall ‘19, Murilo Ceruli ‘18, Adam Knight ‘17, Miguel Mendoza ‘17, Joe White ‘18, Daniel Shonka ‘18, Jake Ridpath ‘18, Thomas Guthrie ‘17, Daniel Linstead ‘19, Cesar Herrera ‘19/MAT ‘21, Damien Austen ‘18, Lucas Venegas ‘18, Erik Tello ‘19, Bruno Moreira ‘19/MAT ‘21, Marc Tautz ‘18, Bryant Toro ‘20, Tor Trosten ‘20, Eric Birighitti ‘20, Bruno Trindade ‘18, Blake Willis ‘20, Dmytro Chepura ‘17, Charley Dukes ‘19, Jack Royston ‘19, Trent Boyer ‘18, Allen Castaneda ‘20, Austin Allen ‘18, Henry Finnis ‘19, Patrick Madden ‘20, Shevon Williams ‘19, Stefan Foulke ‘20 and Nate Miller ‘19. The team was coached by Aaron Champenoy, Scott Robertson MAT ‘17 and Marco Carvalho MAT ‘18; Simon Brown MAT ‘17 served as the team’s events coordinator, and Josh Church was the team’s athletic trainer.