LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – Seven different Rebel sports will be represented during ceremonies this spring as the UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2022 was announced by the school Friday.
 
In what will be the first such event in five years, six former Rebel standout players, one head coach and a longtime staffer will join a pair of distinguished contributors in being inducted on Saturday, May 21, at the Strip View Pavilion at the Thomas & Mack Center on campus. The ceremony is open to the public and a limited number of tickets are available for $125 each by emailing Mike Ketcham of UNLV Athletics at michael.ketcham@unlv.edu.
           
The Class of 2022 includes two former Runnin' Rebel guards from different eras – NCAA champion Anderson Hunt and Mountain West standout Wink Adams – all-time leading receiver Ryan Wolfe, conference champion and Olympic thrower Amanda Bingson, women's tennis star Elena Gantcheva (Nehles), and former college and pro golfer Therese Koelbaek (O'Hara). They will be joined by the longest-serving coach in school history -- former men's and women's swim head coach Jim Reitz -- former athletic trainer and administrator Jerry Koloskie, as well as longtime team optometrists Dr. Craig Hamilton and Dr. Keith Kohorst as Distinguished Contributors. In addition, former Rebel men's soccer player and award-winning inspirational speaker Simon Keith will become the fourth recipient of the prestigious Silver Rebel Award.
 
"We revived our Hall of Fame ceremonies this year in order to properly honor the best of the best from UNLV's rich history of competition and we received a record-number of nominations," said UNLV Director of Athletics Erick Harper. "The executive board selected a group that is as well-rounded as it is accomplished. We look forward to formally inducting these outstanding Rebels who come from a wide variety of programs and positions and truly exemplify what it means to be a Hall of Famer."
 
Born in 1987, UNLV's Athletics Hall of Fame will now grow to 133 members strong after what will be its 15th induction ceremony. Under the hall's bylaws, former student-athletes must have completed their eligibility at least 10 years earlier to be selected. Coaches and administrators must have stopped working at the University five years previous. Nominations were accepted from the public throughout the month of January and then voted on by an executive board that includes representatives from the athletics department, university and community.
 
UNLV ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2022
WINK ADAMS                                                           Men's Basketball Athlete (2006-09)
AMANDA BINGSON                                                 Women's Track & Field Athlete (2009-12)
ELENA GANTCHEVA (NEHLES)                             Women's Tennis Athlete (2005-08)
DR. CRAIG HAMILTON & DR. KEITH KOHORST  Distinguished Contributors
ANDERSON HUNT                                                   Men's Basketball Athlete (1989-91)
THERESE KOELBAEK (O'HARA)                            Women's Golf Athlete (2007-11)
JERRY KOLOSKIE                                                     Staff (1982-2014)
JIM REITZ                                                                  M&W Swimming Head Coach (1980-2015)
RYAN WOLFE                                                           Football Athlete (2006-09)
 
SILVER REBEL AWARD WINNER
SIMON KEITH                                                           Men's Soccer Athlete/Inspirational Speaker
 
CLASS OF 2022 INDUCTEE BIOS


WINK ADAMS
Men's Basketball Athlete (2006-09)
A four-year starter at guard for the Runnin' Rebels, Adams is the famed program's only four-year all-conference honoree since the end of the Jerry Tarkanian era.
 
-Ranks sixth at UNLV in scoring with 1,875 points
-Ranks third in school history with 213 steals
-Ranks third in school history with 208 made three-pointers
-Ranks sixth in school history with 427 made free throws
-Three-time Mountain West Player of the Week honoree
-Named 2008 Mountain West Tournament Most Valuable Player
-Named to Mountain West All-Tournament Team in both 2007 and 2008
-Led UNLV to back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament
-Helped the Rebels reach the Sweet 16 in 2007 with upset of second-seeded Wisconsin
-Tied school record for most steals in a game with eight vs. CSU in 2006
-Led UNLV in scoring for three consecutive seasons (2007-09)
-Named Second Team All-MW as a senior
-Named First Team All-MW as a junior
-Named Second Team All-MW as a sophomore
-Named Honorable Mention All-MW as a freshman
 
ADAMS' CAREER STATS
YEAR                     G            FG-FGA                PCT       REB     ASST     TP        AVG       TO         STL
2005-06                 30           122-300                 .407        100       73           327       17.9        77           63
2006-07                 37           165-430                 .384        142       85           514        13.9        71           55
2007-08                 35           187-443                 .422        139        107         591        16.9        64           52
2008-09                 31           146-389                 .375        128         87          443       14.3        63           43
TOTAL                   133         620-1,562             .397       509      352         1,875    14.1       275        213



AMANDA BINGSON
Women's Track & Field Athlete (2009-12)
A graduate of Silverado High School, Bingson walked on to the hometown Rebels and became the greatest thrower in the history of the program while later gaining international recognition.
 
-Three-time All-American at UNLV
-Represented the USA in the 2012 London Olympic Games
-At the U.S. Olympic Trials, qualified in second after throwing a personal-best 235 feet, 6 inches
-Set the U.S. record with a throw of 248 feet, 5 inches on June 22, 2013
-Finished third overall in the finals of the hammer throw at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships 
-Finished in fourth place at 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
-Finished seventh overall in the weight throw at the 2012 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
-Mountain West Outdoor Champion in Hammer Throw in 2010, 2011 & 2012
-Named Outstanding Performer at MW Outdoor Championships in 2010, 2011 & 2012
 


ELENA GANTCHEVA (NEHLES)
Women's Tennis Athlete (2005-08)
The only three-time winner of the Mountain West Women's Tennis Player of the Year award is also the only woman in UNLV history to earn national top 10 rankings in both singles and doubles.
 
-2006 Singles First Team All-American
-2006, 2007, 2008 Mountain West Player of the Year
-Ranks second at UNLV in NCAA individual bids with five (3 singles & 2 doubles)
-2006 ITA Regional Player to Watch
-Four-time First Team All-MW in singles
-Three-time First Team All-MW in doubles
-2005 MW Freshman of the Year
-Rose as high as No. 8 in the nation in singles
-Left as the winningest singles player in MW history -- male or female -- with a 26-4 mark vs. the league
-Led UNLV to 2008 Mountain West Tournament Championship
-Led UNLV to three NCAA Tournament team appearances (2005, 2007, 2008)
-Shattered the league record with nine career MWC Player of the Week nods
-Named UNLV Sportswoman of the Year in both 2007 and 2008
-Part of the best doubles team in school history (with partner Kristina Nedeltcheva), playing in back-to-back NCAA tourneys and closing 2007 with a school-record high final ranking of 18 after rising as high as No. 5 in the nation
 
GANTCHEVA'S CAREER STATS
YEAR              SINGLES                 DOUBLES
2004-05           31-8                          14-11
2005-06           33-9                          15-12
2006-07           19-9                          25-4
2007-08           29-11                         25-10
TOTAL             112-37                      79-37

          
DR. CRAIG HAMILTON & DR. KEITH KOHORST
Distinguished Contributors
Team Optometrists (1974-PRESENT)    
-Have served UNLV Athletics for nearly five full decades as a practice
-Dr. Hamilton has served as optometrist for the department since 1974
-Dr. Kohorst has served as optometrist for the department since 1989
-Dr. Hamilton is a past board member of the UNLV Golf Foundation and UNLV Football Foundation as well as the UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame Committee
-Dr. Kohorst played football at UNLV as an offensive lineman, lettering in 1981-82
-The pair have also completed extensive coursework for the betterment of athletes and written several articles for sports and optometric magazines, as well as serving as a personal mentor to athletes over the years
 

ANDERSON HUNT
Men's Basketball Athlete (1988-1991)
UNLV's reigning three-point king, Hunt is a national champion guard who remains the school's only Final Four Most Outstanding Player award winner.
 
-UNLV's all-time three-point shooter with 283 made in his career
-Helped lead the Runnin' Rebels to the 1990 NCAA title
-Honorable Mention All-America (AP and UPI) 1991
-First Team All-Big West Conference 1991
-Honorable Mention All-Big West Conference 1990
-All-Big West Conference Freshman Team 1989
-Member of Big West Conference All-Tournament Team: 1989, 1990, 1991
-Finished 10th and currently stands 14th all-time at UNLV with 1,632 career points
-Turned in three of the top-10 three-pointer seasons in school history (3rd, 4th and 9th)
-Tied for Thomas & Mack Center record for three-pointers in a game with nine
-Twice hit five three-pointers in NCAA tournament games
-Turned in one of the best individual games in UNLV NCAA tourney history on March 25, 1990, when he scored 30 points, dished out 13 assists and grabbed six steals in win over Loyola Marymount
-Represented the West team at the U.S. Olympic Sports Festival in 1989
-Hit game-winning three-pointer with two seconds remaining to lead UNLV over top-ranked Arizona in 1989 NCAA tournament
-Named 1990 NCAA Final Four MOP after scoring 20 points in win over Georgia Tech in national semifinal and then game-high 29 points on 12-16 shooting in romp over Duke in title game
 
HUNT'S CAREER STATS
YEAR             G        FG-FGA        PCT         FT-FTA           PCT          PTS        AVG
1988-89         37       158-396         .399           48-70             .686           443         12.0
1989-90         39       230-478        .481           61-92              .663            620         15.9
1990-91          33       218-455         .479           28-42             .667            569         17.2
TOTAL          109      606-1329     .456          137-204         .672           1632       15.0
 
 
 
THERESE KOELBAEK (O'HARA)
Women's Golf Athlete (2007-11)
One of the greatest women's golfers in UNLV and Mountain West history, Koelbaek (co-EL-bek) became the only three-time All-American in UNLV women's golf history before forging a pro career on the links. She becomes the first women's golfer voted into the UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame.
 
-Named Second Team All-America in 2011
-Earned Honorable Mention All-America in 2009
-Earned Honorable Mention All-America in 2008
-2011 Mountain West Player of the Year
-Led MW in scoring average after collecting 10 top-10 finishes in 11 events as a senior
-2011 Mountain West individual champion after recording a seven-under par tourney
-Played in NCAA Championships all four seasons in Las Vegas
-Named the 2011 Mountain West Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
-A six-time Mountain West Women's Golfer of the Month
-Holds UNLV record for birdies in a career with 366
-Ranks second at school with 49 career rounds at par or better
-Ranks second at UNLV with career scoring average of 73.25
-Tied for school record-low tournament at 16-under par
-2008 Mountain West Freshman of the Year
-2008 All-West Region
-Four-time First Team All-Mountain West honoree
-Four-time individual medalist, including 2008 NCAA West Regional champion
-Played on the 2008 World Amateur Team Championships for her nation of Denmark
-Played two seasons on the LPGA Tour and three on the Epson Tour
 
KOELBAEK'S CAREER STATS
YEAR         RDS    STR         AVG       TOP 20    TOP 10   TOP 5   PAR OR BETTER
2007-08     36       2,656        73.78       0               1                4                   12
2008-09     29       2,124        73.24       2                1                5                   13
2009-10      32       2,356        73.63       9               5                1                    10
2010-11        30       2,160        72.00       0              4                6                   13     
TOTAL        127     9,296       73.25      11             12             16                  48
 

JERRY KOLOSKIE
Athletic Trainer & Administrator (1982-2014)    
-Started with UNLV as Co-Head Athletic Trainer
-Credited with building the modern-era UNLV Athletic Training Department
-Spent nine years as Head Athletic Trainer for UNLV football
-Spent 15 seasons as Head Athletic Trainer for the Runnin' Rebels, including the national championship season of 1989-90
-In 1992 was named Director of Athletic Training
-In 1996 was promoted to Assistant AD for Sports Medicine and Operations
-Moved fulltime to administration in 2000 and eventually became UNLV Senior Associate Athletics Director
-Served as UNLV's Acting Director of Athletics in 2009
-Served as Deputy AD at Albany University from 2015 until retirement in 2019
-Created and served as the first president of the Nevada State Athletic Trainers Association
-A former member of the Far West Athletic Trainer's Association (FWATA) Managing Board
-Served as the National Athletic Trainer's Association Public Relations Chair from 1998-2001
-Honored by FWATA in 1998 with the Distinguished Athletic Trainers Award  


JIM REITZ
Men's & Women's Swimming Head Coach (1980-2015)    
The longest-tenured head coach in the history of UNLV athletics built a legendary career overseeing both the men's and women's swimming and diving programs for 35 seasons before retiring in 2015. The swimming pool inside Buchanan Natatorium is named in his honor.
 
-Won 14 combined conference championships 
-Coached 29 combined conference Most Valuable Swimmers
-Earned 16 combined conference Coach of the Year honors
-Posted 17 combined all-time top-30 team finishes at the NCAA Championships
-Coached 42 Rebels to All-America status between the men's and women's programs
-UNLV won 10 men's conference championships over his final 11 seasons, which included a run of seven straight in the Mountain West
-Sent several swimmers to represent the U.S. National Team, as well as
numerous Rebels who went on to swim for their native countries in the Olympic Games, World Championships, Pan Pacific Games and the World University Games
-His teams saw a near perfect graduation rate while consistently being awarded with CSCAA (College Swimming Coaches Association of America) Team Academic honors

Men's Conference Coach of the Year Awards
Big West - 1987, 1996
Mountain West - 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2015
MPSF - 2013
WAC - 2014

Women's Conference Coach of the Year Awards
Big West - 1984, 1991, 1994
Mountain West - 2005
 

RYAN WOLFE
Football Athlete (2006-09)
Still the school and league's all-time leader in receptions, Wolfe is just the third UNLV football player to be named First Team All-Conference three times in career.
 
-UNLV and Mountain West all-time leader with 283 receptions
-UNLV all-time leader with 3,495 receiving yards
-Finished his Rebel career ranking 12th in college football history in catches
-Left ranked fourth in Mountain West history in receiving yards
-His 12 100-yard receiving games in a career were a school record (since broken)
-Hit double figures in catches in a game three times over career
-Named First Team All-MW in 2006, 2008 and 2009
-Honorable Mention All-MW in 2007
-Named 2006 Mountain West Freshman of the Year
-2006 First Team Freshman All-America by the FWAA
-Was the first freshman to ever lead the MW in receiving yards with 911
 
WOLFE'S CAREER RECEIVING STATS
YEAR       GP-GS      REC       YDS         AVG         TD
2006         12-12          55           911            16.6            5
2007         12-10          66           784          11.9            2
2008         12-11           88           1,040       11.8            6
2009         11-10           74           760          10.3           2
TOTAL     47-43        283        3,495       12.3          15


2022 SILVER REBEL AWARD WINNER
 
 
SIMON KEITH
The Silver Rebel Award was instituted by the UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame Executive Board in order to honor former members of the school's athletics family, such as student-athletes, coaches or staff members, whose primary accomplishments took place after leaving campus but have brought positive recognition to the University. This year's recipient of the Silver Rebel is former Rebel soccer standout Simon Keith. A former all-conference player at UNLV in 1987-88, Keith was drafted No. 1 overall into the Major Indoor Soccer League by the Cleveland Crunch. He also played professionally in the Canadian Soccer League but has gained international recognition as the first athlete in the world to play a professional sport after undergoing a heart transplant (the first of two). Now one of the longest living organ transplant recipients in the world, Keith is a nationally known inspirational speaker and in 2011 founded the Simon Keith Foundation. The non-profit is dedicated to increasing organ donor awareness and educating transplant recipients. He was inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
  
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