ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME 2022

ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME 2022

On Friday, October 14, 2022 Menlo College inducted six former Oaks to the Athletics Hall of Fame. Vice President for Athletics Keith Spataro hosted the event, and President Steven Weiner opened the event by extending a welcome to the more than 200 alumni, family members, and student-athletes who gathered to celebrate the event.

Ken Bowman – Baseball Coach

Coach Bowman spent 20 years at Menlo College as a coach and administrator. As Baseball Head Coach from 2003 to 2008, he racked up a record 111 wins – the first coach in the history of Menlo College Baseball to reach triple digits. The Bowman family roots run deep at Menlo: Ken’s sons, Jeff ’03 and Scott ’07 both played for their dad, and their names appeared frequently in the Menlo record books.

“I am honored and overwhelmed with joy,” Coach Bo stated. “I found my second home when I was hired by Menlo. I enjoyed going to work daily and being part of the Menlo community. Menlo has meant a great deal, not only to me but to my family as well.”

Fernando Flanagan ’04 – Men’s Wrestling

A member of the first-ever Menlo College Men’s Wrestling team and the first-ever wrestler to sign to Menlo College, Fernando Flanagan came to Menlo from nearby San Jose. He had an illustrious career wrestling in the 141-pound weight class. In his two seasons in a

Menlo singlet, Flanagan wrestled 74 times, amassing nearly 50 victories. He capped his brilliant career with a second-place finish at regionals and an All-American showing at the 2004 NAIA Nationals, where he placed third in the 141 bracket. He graduated as the alltime leader in takedowns and victories by major decision. “There were so many amazing people surrounding me, and without them, this achievement wouldn’t have been possible,” said Flanagan. “My teammates and training partners who pushed me day in and day out, our coaches who set the standards and expectations for all of us, and especially my mother and father, who set aside their own lives to follow the team around the country. I couldn’t have reached my goals without them.”

Keith Larsen – Men’s Basketball Head Coach & Athletic Director

From 1997 to 2003, Menlo College Men’s Basketball was led by the great Keith Larsen. Coach Larsen amassed 79 wins in that time, still the second-most by a head coach in the history of Menlo College

Men’s Basketball. Coach Larsen also led Menlo to two conference titles, in 2000 and again in 2002. Named the CalPac Coach of the Year in 1999, and again in 2000, Coach Larsen coached a plethora of greats while at Menlo, including 2000 CalPac Player-of-theYear Evan Peterson, the first-ever Oak to be honored as a Men’s Basketball Player-of-the-Year. In his time at Menlo, Coach Larsen also served as the Director of Athletics and, for brief periods, coached Volleyball, Cross Country, and Golf! He also helped start the Sports Management academic program at Menlo College, today one of the more popular areas of study for Menlo students. The announcement of Coach Larsen’s election to the Menlo College Hall of Fame took place at the 20th anniversary reunion of the 2002 CalPac title-winning team.

Surrounded by many of the 2002 team members at the Hall of Fame event, Coach Larsen said, “Getting to share this honor with a group of my former players makes it all the more special.”

Greg Menges ’84 – Men’s Tennis

Greg Menges had a stellar collegiate career playing tennis for the Oaks. In 1983, he won the California State Singles Championship, as well as the Coast Conference Singles Championship – the same year that Menlo Men’s Tennis was the California State Champion and the All-Coast Champion! In 1984, Menges was the Coast Conference State Champion and State Singles Champion. That year, he also won the Coast Conference Doubles Championship with teammate Hani Al-Ali.

“Menlo has always had a special place in my heart,” Menges said. “I was a student from South Africa with no network whatsoever – on top of being unfamiliar with American culture. Menlo soon became my home. I was made to feel welcome and part of an extended family. If Menlo did not give me the opportunity to come to the United States, I would never have been able to have the great life I have today!”

Adriane Napp ’82 – Women’s Tennis

A native of Remscheid, West Germany, Adrianne Napp played tennis at Menlo College from 1981 to 1982. Her career reached its zenith in 1981, when she was the California State Singles Champion and

Coast Conference Doubles Champion. In 1982, she graduated from Menlo with an Associate Arts degree. She went on to the University of Colorado, where over two years she won 20 singles matches and 13 doubles matches.

Upon hearing of her induction into the Menlo College Hall of Fame, Napp said, “Tears rolled down my cheeks. I am so grateful and deeply moved that people remember me forty years later. Menlo gave me everything I needed to move on in life, and I take that family spirit with me wherever I go. I will never forget my time on the tennis team with our wonderful coach Anne Gould. Our travels with the team were so much fun, and I am still friends with some of my former team members.”

Kathleen Niemeyer ’99 – Softball

Kathleen Niemeyer played softball at Menlo from 1998 to 1999. She is second on the all-time batting average leaderboard for the Oaks, hitting .435 in her time here. She is also third on the all-time single-season batting average leaderboard, having hit .458 in the 1999 season. She was named to the CalPac First Team for the 1999 season, when she was also named Co-Player-of-the-Year. That season, she hit .510 in the regular season, totaling three home runs, three triples, four doubles, and 24 RBIs. She was the first Menlo College Softball player to hit five triples in her career.

On Niemeyer’s induction into the Hall of Fame, her head coach and Menlo’s All-Time winningest Softball Coach Kyle Brumbaugh stated, “She’s probably the toughest, most disciplined player I ever coached. Kathleen asked me to stay after practice one day to take extra batting practice. She wanted me to set the machine so that the pitch would be way inside. She then started hitting every ball as a line drive to right center field. I had one of the other players run the machine so I could go behind the backstop to watch. Every pitch was on her hands and every ball was a line drive to right center. When I asked her why she was doing this, she said. ‘If they are going to try and jam me or force me to pull the ball, I’m going to make them pay.’ She did.”

Hall of Fame photography by SeungHyun Park ’25