Citrus Athletics Announces First Hall of Fame Class
Nine individuals and one team will be the first class inducted into the Citrus College Athletics Hall of Fame. Bill Kilmer (Football), Coach John Strycula (Football), Jasmine Williams (Women's Soccer), Coach Bill Ralls (Men's Water Polo), Kelly Fink (Volleyball), Kerry Carter (Men's Basketball), Bre Lockett (Softball), Ruth Caldwell Wysocki (Cross Country), and Steve Handy (Athletic Training), along with the 2000 Men's Water Polo Team, will be inducted in 2024. | ORIGINAL RELEASE
Kilmer was a member of the Citrus football and basketball teams in 1957-58 and ranks in multiple categories in the Owl Record Book. He holds the record for most yards gained in a game after posting 560 yards against Monterey Peninsula in 1957. Kilmer was also inducted into the 3C2A Hall of Fame in 1987.
Strycula was the 12th Head Football Coach in program history and coached the Owls for 19 years (1986-2007). In his 19 years at the helm of the Owls, Strycula guided Citrus College to 10 conference championships, two playoff appearances, and three bowl game appearances. Strycula compiled an impressive 120-60-7 record in his time with Citrus, posting a lifetime winning percentage of .686 overall and .734 in conference play.
Williams was on the Citrus women's soccer team in 2010 and 2012 and is the program's all-time leading scorer with 34 goals over her career. She also was the first-ever Conference Player of the Year in program history and holds the record for most goals scored in a single season after netting 18 in 2012.
Ralls coached the Citrus men's water polo team from 1965-2003, leading the Owls to win the 3C2A State Championship in 2000. The win came on his 1,000th game coaching Citrus to an 11-7 victory over West Valley in the championship game.
The 2000 Owl men's water polo team was the first-ever Citrus team to win a 3C2A State Championship title. Citrus finished the year with a 15-7-1 record and won the State Championship by beating West Valley 11-7 in the championship game.
Fink played for the Owl volleyball Team from 2005-06 and holds multiple records in the history book. She holds the record for most kills in a single match (40), most kills in a season (511), most kills in a career (1,013) and most blocks in a career (207). Fink also was named the Western State Conference Player of the Year in 2005.
Carter played basketball at Citrus from 2011-13 before transferring to NCAA Division I St. Mary's College. He ranks in multiple categories in the history book, including third-most points scored in a single game (37), second-most field goals made in a single game (12), third-most points per game average in a season (20.4), third-most points in a career (932) and second-best career scoring average (16.4).
Lockett played two seasons on the Citrus softball team (2012-13) and sits in the top 10 of multiple categories in the program record book. Over her two-year career, she has scored 63 runs and batted in 43 RBIs, which rank fifth and seventh, respectively. Lockett also knocked nine home runs in her career and finished with a .344 career batting average.
Wysocki ran cross country and track and field at Citrus and won back-to-back State Cross Country Championships in 1977 and 1978. She was a two-time conference cross country Runner of the Year and was named the Citrus College Most Outstanding Athlete both her years as an Owl. Wysocki also won the 800-meter and 1500-meter State Championships both years in the spring before going on to compete at the Olympics. She was inducted into the 3C2A Hall of Fame in 1998.
Handy, a Glendora native and Citrus College alum, was an athletic trainer for the Owls from 1983-2019. He also worked major events, such as the 1984 LA Olympics, and was a liaison for numerous Pac-10 and Big Ten schools who practiced at Citrus before the Rose Bowl.