The Dawson Community College Athletic Department will be honoring its fifth Hall of Fame Class on February 3-4. Baseball pitcher Greg Barnett, local women’s basketball legend Cheryl Van Dusen Peterson, men’s basketball All-American Doug Frederick, and player/coach/supporter Mike Wilondek will be honored at a banquet on February 3rd and again during a home basketball game on February 4th. The Hall of Fame is part of DCC’s mission to foster a culture of excellence, and the college is excited to honor the individuals and teams who have achieved excellence in athletics over the past 65 years. Longtime sports anchor and sports director from KULR8 in Billings, Chris Byers, will be the Master of Ceremonies for the weekend.
There are tickets available for the banquet on the campus at Dawson Community College on February 3rd. Tickets are $50 each. Anyone interested in purchasing a ticket can do so online at: https://dawsonbucs.com/sports/
You can be a part of honoring these great Buccaneer Legends. Partial sponsors include Bravera Bank, Gust Hauf, Bob’s Body Shop, Alan Mapes and Astoria Hotel. Your tax-deductible financial contribution will help to offset the costs of the banquet, travel and other costs associated with our Hall of Fame Weekend. To donate, you can click here: https://dawsonbucs.com/sports/
Greg Barnett set a school record by winning 19 games as a pitcher at Dawson from 1999-2001. As a sophomore, he was named 1st team all-conference and became a 1st team NJCAA Division III All- American. That special year he pitched 93 ⅓ innings, striking out 74 batters and posting a 2.94 ERA. He won 11 games and lost only 3 while saving 1 game. More importantly, he helped lead the Bucs to a 33- 16 record, winning the conference tournament, region tournament and qualifying for their first and only trip to the College World Series in New York where they finished 7th place in the nation.
Cheryl Van Dusen was Dawson’s first All-Region women’s basketball player in 1980. After winning a state championship at Dawson County High School. The newly formed Lady Bucs tied for 2nd place in their sub-region and finished 5th place in the Region IX tournament with a 70-51 win over McCook Community College. Van Dusen led them to a 13-9 record. She averaged 12.5 points, and 12.7 rebounds while shooting 46% from the field. As a sophomore, the Lady Bucs lost to McCook in the semifinals, but bounced back to beat Southeast Nebraska for 3rd place at the Region IX Tournament. Van Dusen averaged 15.7 points and 11.9 rebounds that season and was named All-Region as well as All-Tournament.
Doug Frederick was the 2nd ever NJCAA All-American basketball player for Dawson for his accomplishments in the 1978-1979 season. The 6’3” forward averaged over 30 points per game in the Region IX Tournament while leading the Bucs to the championship game against Western Nebraska. Frederick was a major factor in Dawson winning both the Mon-Dak Conference and Empire Conference Championships during that season. He was an All-Region IX selection and a 3rd Team NJCAA All-American selection. Frederick averaged 18.5 points per game.
Mike Wilondek came to Dawson as a player in 1967 and returned to DCC in 1974 as an Institutional Research Officer and reunited with Coach Perryman to help coach the Buccaneers until 1978. In those four seasons, the Buccaneers won 96 games, averaging 24 wins a year. They also won 2 Mon-Dak Conference Championships, 1 Empire Conference Championship. In 2015, Wilondek was elected to the DCC Board of Trustees where he served the college for nine years. He has also served on several boards within the athletic department and been a long time Bucs Club member. Wilondek has also helped with fundraising efforts, promoting the Bucs Club and volunteering in several different capacities.
For more information on the Dawson Community College Athletic Hall of Fame, visit https://dawsonbucs.com/sports/