By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Rossville will induct its 2025 Athletic Hall of Fame class on Friday night in conjunction with its Homecoming football game against Wabaunsee.
The Rossville Athletic Hall of Fame is dedicated to the outstanding athletes and coaches who, through their athletic achievements, have brought honor to themselves, their school, and their community.
The class of 2025 includes the late Arica (Shepard) Ahlvers, Mick Keller, Monte Mitchell and the Bulldawgs' 2000 state championship softball team.
Hall of Fame capsules:
ARICA (SHEPARD) AHLVERS
A 2005 Rossville graduate, Ahlvers was a two-time Kansas Volleyball Association All-State volleyball player for Rossville. She helped lead her team to a third-place finish in Class 3A in 2004. Ahlvers holds two records at RHS and continued her volleyball career at Emporia State University. While at ESU, she was a three-time AVCA All-American, four-time All-MIAA honoree and the Hornets' record-holder for single-season and career kills, kills per set, double-figure kill matches and 20-plus kill matches. She was inducted into the ESU Hall of Fame in 2020.
MICK KELLER
Keller was the head baseball coach at Rossville from 1979-2006. He is Rossville’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 336-238. He had 14 state qualifying teams, which included Rossville’s first state baseball championship in 1991. He had three runnerup team finishes in 1985, 1986, and 1997, 49 all-league players and 55 All-State and honorable mention players. He also coached football and basketball during his teaching career at RHS from 1978-2013.
MONTE MITCHELL
A 1997 Rossville graduate, Mitchell was an all-league and All-State catcher in 1997 and 1998. He was a Kansas Baseball Coaches Association All-Star, a top 15 player in all classes and USA Today High School All-American in 1998. He continued his baseball career at Butler Community College from 1999-2000, where he was the team captain and made the All-Jayhawk Conference team in 2000. Next, he took his career to Division I Nicholls State University in 2001-2002. There, he was named to the All-Southland Conference team in 2002 with 101 career starts.
ROSSVILLE 2000 SOFTBALL TEAM
After falling one game short of a championship in 1999, Rossville won the the 2000 Class 2-1A state softball championship. The state champion team members include Erin Catron, Shayla Catron, Lena Cooper, Kayla Copeland, Ashley Dick, Laci Dick (first-team All-Mid-East League), Melissa Ebert, Jennifer Foster, Jamie Gall (first-team All-Mid-East League), Holly Gentry (All-Mid-East League honorable mention), Jozi Lutackes, Emily Napier, Jaime Robb, and Courtney Templer, who pitched all three state games as a freshman. The team was led by head coach Wendi Horak and assistant coaches Nanny Matthias and the late Jess Adams.
