Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Kenechi Udezewill be the guest speaker at the 32nd running of the Fools Five Road Race on Sunday in Lewiston.
A one-mile race will also be held during the event. Entry fee is $10 for the 8K, $6 for the one-mile and $3 for entrees 12-and-under. To register, go to www.foolsfive.org .
The race is schedule to start at 1 p.m. and Udeze will speak in the Lewiston-Altura High School gymnasium at 2:30.
The Vikings drafted Udeze with the 20th pick in the 2004 draft. Early in 2008, Udeze was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a fast-growing cancer of the white blood cells. His treatment required chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. He tried a comeback with the Vikings, but was forced to retire in July of 2009.
All pledges and proceeds from the race are donated to cancer research.
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Steve DeBus, formerly of Rochester, has been named the women’s hockey coach at Hamline University. After finishing his career at Mayo, DeBus was a standout goalie at the University of Minnesota. He was a member of the Gophers’ 1995 WCHA Final Five Champions and 1996 WCHA regular season champions. DeBus was an All-WCHA first-team honoree after the 1996-97 season in which he posted 953 saves, seventh-best in a single season for the Gophers.
He was a three-year starter in goal at Minnesota. DeBus sits in the top 10 in several all-time lists at Minnesota. Among those, he ranks sixth in wins with 54, eighth in career saves with 2,306, and is tied for third in shutouts with seven.
DeBus has been serving as an assistant with the men’s and women’s hockey programs at St. Olaf College for the past three seasons.
"I’m extremely excited about this opportunity and new challenge," DeBus said. "We have a great opportunity to develop a strong women’s hockey team in the MIAC."
After graduating from the Gophers, DeBus played professional hockey from 1998-2003 for teams in the ECHL, IHL, UHL, WPHL and CHL. He also coached with Stauber’s Goalcrease from 2004-2007 and Flexx Hockey Institute of Training.
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Rochester's David Dahlstromhas been named Saint Mary’s University’s male Outstanding Senior for the 2009-10 school year.
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Dahlstrom, an accounting and human resource management major, has been a member of the St. Mary's baseball team every year since his freshman season. A right-handed pitcher, Dahlstrom posted his best season yet in 2009, when he compiled a 2.16 earned-run-average in 14 appearances. He allowed just four earned runs, while striking out 10 and collecting his first collegiate save.
As a student, Dahlstrom was named SMU’s Outstanding Scholar Athlete for 2009. He has been involved in a number of programs as is a member of the national scholastic honor society.
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A pair of area high school student-athletes were honored at the Academics, Arts and Athletics Award Banquet.
Pine Island's Liana McNallanwas the girls Region 1A winner. McNallan competes in volleyball, gymnastics and track and field as sports as well as band and choir. She carries a 4.0 grade-point average.
Austin's Benjamin Bachmeierwas the boys Region 1AA winner. He competes in cross country, basketball, tennis and track and field. He is also in choir, orchestra, one act play and visual arts while carrying a 4.0 GPA.
To be eligible, student-athletes must be seniors, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, participate in MSHSL-sponsored athletic and fine art activities, and comply with the MSHSL's Code of Conduct.
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The Rochester Honkers have signed Stillwater native Mike Strongfor the 2010 season. He is a left-handed pitcher from Oklahoma State University. Strong, a 6-foot, 185-pound junior, is currently 3-0 with a 2.62 ERA for OSU. He has pitched 24 innings, allowing only seven runs, striking out 29 and holding opponents to a .221 batting average against. Strong has been used as both a starter and a reliever.
