FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Wednesday, January 11, 2017 Where Are They Now? 2017 HOF Inductee Tanya Hauptman
Set to be inducted into MSUB’s Hall of Fame on Friday, Tanya (Petersen) Hauptman is a Billings native at heart, who gives everything she has to her hometown university. MSUB SPORTS – A strong sense of familiarity overtook Tanya Hauptman as she acquainted herself with her surroundings. The sleeveless No. 34 MSUB jersey felt the same as it had a decade before, hanging proudly off of her shoulders. The echo of dribbling basketballs carried the same thud as they sprung up from the same hardwood that she had stood on countless times before. Everything about the setting at Alterowitz Gym on Oct. 21, 2016 was the same as it had been ten seasons ago when the Billings native hung up her well-worn basketball shoes for good. Or so it seemed.
From 2002-06, then known by her maiden name Tanya Petersen, the 6-foot forward wreaked havoc on the Yellowjackets’ opponents. Last October she may have been the oldest player on the MSUB Alumni squad, but she still possessed the undying competitive fire that ultimately turned her into one of the program’s all-time greats. “You go in thinking you’re going to be competitive and be able to play like you used to,” said Hauptman. “But once you get into the game you start thinking, ‘wow, they’re a lot stronger and faster than I remember.’ Then you wake up sore the next day. But just being back in the gym and being part of the group is really nice.” When Hauptman is introduced as one of three new members into MSUB’s Hall of Fame on Friday night at the Hilton Garden Inn, she’ll reflect on her past at MSUB. From the time she graduated from Billings West High School to her most recent encounter playing again on her home court last fall, the memories are sure to flow back into the front of her mind as she accepts the ultimate award presented by the athletic department. “I never could have anticipated this,” said Hauptman. “To be grouped with the other hall of famers, some of whom I played with, is something I will cherish and remember forever.” In a most fitting gesture, it will be Hauptman’s longtime coach, mentor, and friend Kevin Woodin who will introduce his former star at the induction ceremony. The 24th women’s basketball player to be enshrined will be just a bit more special to the 12th-year veteran coach, whose relationship with Hauptman extends back since before she ever suited up in the navy and gold. BOUND FOR MSUB Born in Lewistown, Mont., Hauptman moved to Billings in fourth grade and grew up playing softball, basketball, and volleyball. Always seeming to stand a head above her peers, Hauptman took advantage of her size and her love for basketball grew as quickly as her height. “I met Tanya for the first time when she was in eighth grade, when she showed up for a high-school open gym,” said Woodin, who was the head coach at Billings West upon Hauptman’s arrival. “She played three years of varsity basketball for me there, and then I followed her to MSUB. We have quite a history.” A knee injury suffered at the beginning of Hauptman’s senior year at West High dampened her spirits temporarily, but she battled back to lead the Golden Bears to a second-place finish at the state tournament. By the next fall, she was on the court for the ‘Jackets, while Woodin came on as a volunteer assistant in addition to his role at West. It wasn’t long before Woodin took over the head job at MSUB at the start of Hauptman’s junior season, and now the school’s all-time wins leader cites his connection with his former player as being crucial to his transition. “It was great because I could bounce ideas off of her and I trusted her a lot,” Woodin said. “I’m sure there were times when some people were wondering if I was the right one for the job, and I’m sure it was a little harder on her because she had to defend me.”
If there was any doubt in Woodin’s ability to move directly from the high-school level to college, Hauptman helped silence it with stellar play on the court. Saving her most well-rounded season for last, Hauptman averaged 12.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as a senior, helping lead the Yellowjackets to a Heartland Conference Championship with a 9-3 record in league play and 18-9 finish overall. She added a personal-best 50 blocks that season, contributing to her career total of 117 which ranks third in MSUB program history. Hauptman’s name continues to stand strong in the record books, as she is currently No. 9 in career field-goal percentage (48.1) and rebounds (649), and No. 13 in career points with 1,264. “I wouldn’t change my opportunity to play here at MSUB for the world,” Hauptman said. “The women’s basketball program here has always been so successful. It doesn’t matter who the players or coaches are, but they always turn out good teams. That is something that has been passed on year-to-year between the players, and it is cool to see the traditions stay the same.” HALL-WORTHY CLASS Hauptman had a wealth of top talent among her peers on the court throughout her career, starting her freshman season in 2002-03 when she played next to then-senior and future hall of famer Natalie Visger. Hauptman’s senior year, she helped mentor a freshman named Alira Carpenter who went on to score more points than any player in MSUB history. In between, she suited up with the likes of point guard Lisa Jellum, and now-hall of famers Michelle (Lieber) Rodgers and Robyn (Milne) Blindwoman. “I played with Lisa for four years and Michelle was another one of my closest teammates,” Hauptman said. “We all still frequently talk and stay in touch with each other.” Hauptman’s versatility on the court, evidenced by 14 career double-doubles, and toughness as a durable player are character traits that separated her from her peers in the eyes of Woodin. “She could score with her back to the basket, hit the trail three, and was effective with the high-low action,” Woodin commented. “She played with a great player in Michelle, and they were tough to defend together because they both demanded double-teams. Tanya was also a great outlet passer, and a great shot blocker.” Of all the accolades and team accomplishments throughout Hauptman’s career, it is a game she and her teammates wound up losing that continues to stick fresh in her mind. Losing at North Dakota State 82-56 midway through her junior season, Hauptman and the ‘Jackets were determined to make the most of a second chance to play a team that was in the provisional phase of transitioning to the NCAA Division I level. In the rematch at Alterowitz Gym on Feb. 12, 2005, Hauptman had one of the signature games of her career. With just three seconds to play, Hauptman gathered in a long heave from Jellum and sunk a three that moved MSUB within one point, down 78-77. It was the eighth made field goal of the game for Hauptman, pulling her to within one point of matching her career-high of 26 in a game. While there was contact from her defender on the made trey, Hauptman was denied the chance to tie the game with a four-point play as no foul was called.
Instead, NDSU improved to 22-0 by the narrowest of margins, but Hauptman will always remember the game as one of her favorites as a ‘Jacket. “We were leading almost the entire game, but they made a run in the last few minutes,” Hauptman recalled with a smile. “Coach Woodin and I still joke about that, because in pictures it looks like they fouled me and I would have had a chance to tie the game. He still says he has proof.” BACK HOME IN BILLINGS “It is neat to see that success rate and graduation rate. It means something more to me because Billings is my home, and being a part of this program is something to be proud of.” – Tanya Hauptman on the sustained academic and competitive success of the Yellowjacket women’s basketball team year-in and year-out. Upon completing her bachelor’s degree in business, Hauptman and her soon-to-be husband Rob moved to Rochester, Minn., for two years before spending the next five in Bismarck, N.D. By 2014 her third child had been born, and the young family longed to return to its roots in the Magic City. The desire to provide a similar experience for her daughters Lilli (7) and Caydence (5), and son Leyton (2), as Hauptman had growing up, lured her family back to Montana. The youngsters are already bigger than all of their classmates, with their father being a 6-foot-3 football alum at Minot State University. “We are going to influence them a little bit, but we’ll let them decide what they want to do with sports as they get older,” said Hauptman, whose daughters have already begun attending Yellowjacket hoops camps. “ESPN doesn’t leave our TV.” Exposing her children to Yellowjacket basketball has no doubt piqued their interest in the sport, as the Hauptmans are regular attendees at MSUB games. During their most recent trip to the Hauptman at the 2016 MSUB Alumni Game with daughter gym, Hauptman pointed out to her daughters the Hall of Fame Caydence and husband Rob. corridor, bearing the 152 plaques of the previous inductees. “I tried to explain to Lilli that my picture was going to be up there,” Hauptman said with a chuckle. “I don’t think it has quite sunken in with them yet, but they’re starting to understand.” Hauptman is currently a human resources manager for Kenworth Trucks, and would love nothing more than for her daughters to pursue basketball as their interest in sports begins to grow. Perhaps one day they’ll follow in their mother’s footsteps and be drawn to the homey feel of her alma mater. “The small feel of this university is something I really enjoyed, as well as the community when I played here,” Hauptman said. “We envision the (kids) playing one day, and we would love for it to be at MSUB if that’s what they end up deciding on.” PROOF “I can’t stress how important athletics were in my life, and they led me down the career path I am on. It taught me so much about working with people, and day-in and day-out I use lots of the things that I was taught in athletics.” – 2017 MSUB Hall of Fame Inductee Tanya Petersen.
When Woodin takes to the podium on Friday night, a fray of emotions will undoubtedly course through him. He’ll remember Hauptman’s shot in the fall of 2002 – her senior year at West – at the buzzer to send the Golden Bears to their first state title game since 1978. He’ll remember the faith she showed in him as a first-year college coach, one player that he knew would unconditionally support him and who was certain that the future four-time Coach of the Year was ready to take the reigns when he did. “I love that she still comes to our games regularly, and we still stay in touch,” Woodin said. “It is nice to see how successful she has been and that she loves Billings. She took the opportunity to play close to home and not everybody does that.” The two will undoubtedly reminisce about old games and past players in the program, and may even bring up the running joke of Woodin’s proof that Hauptman was fouled on that seemingly insignificant 3-pointer a dozen years ago. In a way, Hauptman herself is living proof of the achievements possible for a local star turned college legend at her hometown university. Once Lilli, Caydence, and Leyton are old enough to comprehend their mother’s plaque being permanently displayed on the wall in the gym, chances are they’ll set out to prove her legacy all over again. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--