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FAIRBANKS, Alaska – This Saturday, Sept. 22, the Alaska Nanooks Department of Athletics will induct four individuals and one team into the Nanook Hall of Fame. The Class of 2018 includes the late Frederick Boyle, Steve Frank, Tyler Kornfield, Don Lucia and the 2002-03 Alaska men's basketball team.

The event will be held this Saturday, Sept. 22 at the Westmark Fairbanks Hotel and Conference Center in the Gold Room. Doors will open at 10am AKT and the ceremony is set to take place from 10:30am AKT to 12pm AKT.

Tickets for the event are $35 per person and includes a full brunch with appearances from three of the inductees, UAF Chancellor Dan White and UAF Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Keith Champagne. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online through the link posted above.

All inductees of the Nanook Hall of Fame are nominated by members of the public and elected by the Nanook Hall of Fame Committee, which comprises of several former Alaska Nanooks student-athletes, coaches and athletic administrators. The newest Hall of Fame inductees were selected based on the impact each had on their respected program, the Alaska Nanooks Department of Athletics and what they've continued to contribute to their communities afterward.  

The following is a brief description of each of the five inductees achievements. All statistical information represents what was found in the Alaska Nanooks archives.

Frederick Boyle – Alaska Nanooks Athletic Director & Head Nordic Ski Coach (1958-61)
Boyle was hired by the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1958 as the Program Director for intramural sports. Within that capacity, Boyle oversaw all of UAF's intramural sports programs and taught courses within the field of physical education. Additionally, Boyle created a winter recreation program to teach students and faculty members how to snowshoe, ski and generally cope with warm weather and days with a low amount of daylight. Boyle (standing, pointing) & other UAF officials
reviewing plans for the Patty Center

That same year, Boyle was also named the head coach for the Alaska Nanooks' men's and women's Nordic ski teams. Most notably, Boyle and his student-athletes located, designed and cleared new ski trails on the UAF campus ranging from two, four, six and nine-mile loops. Boyle also installed a tow rope on one of the hills on campus to encourage all UAF students to try downhill skiing.

With the help of Ben Atkinson, Boyle built a small plywood structure attached to the Patty Center Gymnasium where the University could store ski equipment and other equipment necessary for the winter recreation program.

In his second year at the University, Boyle was promoted to Athletic Director and Head of the Department of Physical Education. While serving as the Athletic Director for the Alaska Nanooks, Boyle headed the campaign for the bond issued to finance a new athletic building, now considered the Patty Center. Boyle traveled around Alaska lobbying for the new building and played a large role in the bond passing and the University receiving funding for the facility.

Furthermore, Boyle wrote the educational specifications for the new gymnasium and served as the primary designer for the Patty Center.

Boyle deferred his doctoral fellowship at the University of Florida until he felt had fulfilled his promises to UAF and the Patty Center construction process. In 1961, Boyle resigned as the UAF Athletic Director and the head Nordic ski coach.

Read Boyle's full press release here: https://alaskananooks.com/news/2018/6/11/general-former-ad-head-ski-coach-frederick-boyle-to-be-inducted-into-nanook-hall-of-fame.aspx?path=general
Steve Frank – Men's Basketball Player (1974-1977)
Frank, a Fairbanks product, transferred to the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the fall of 1974 after spending his freshman season with the University of Washington Huskies men's basketball team. Frank played for the Nooks from 1974-77, finishing his career in his hometown.

At the time of induction, Frank was eighth place on the Alaska men's basketball's All-Time Scoring Leaders list with 1,277 career points. On the Alaska men's basketball's All-Time Rebounding list, Frank sits just outside the top-10 at number 11 with 481 career rebounds.

In his senior season (1976-77), Frank averaged 13.4 points per game after collecting 321 points total in 24 appearances. Frank also tallied a .496 field goal percentage (138-of-278), a .703 free throw percentage (45-of-75), 118 rebounds (5.1 per game average) and 42 assists.

Former Alaska Nanooks men's basketball head coach Al Svenningson described Frank in the 1974-75 media guide as, "A welcomed addition to the squad after a year and a half with the University of Washington. A very physical player at 6'3" with a good outside shot. He needs to improve his defense to realize his full potential as an all-around ball player."

Following graduation in the spring of 1977 with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Frank was elected to the Alaska State House of Representatives in 1985, followed by a stint as an Alaskan Senator from 1989-1996. At the time of induction, Frank is still an active member and resident of the Fairbanks community.
Read Franks' full press release here: https://alaskananooks.com/news/2018/6/12/general-former-nanooksmbb-standout-steve-frank-to-be-inducted-into-nanook-hall-of-fame.aspx?path=general

Tyler Kornfield – Men's Cross Country Running & Nordic Ski (2009-13)
Kornfield, who hails from Anchorage, was a four-year member of the Alaska Nanooks cross country running (2009-12) and men's Nordic ski team (2009-13) before graduating from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering in the spring of 2013.

Most recently and notably, Kornfield was a member of the Team USA ski team in the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. At the Olympics, Kornfield competed in the men's 15km freestyle race, placing 74th overall (38:17.9), before racing in the men's 50km mass-start classic race where he crossed the finish line ranking 57th overall (2:24:36.5)

Furthermore, Kornfield claimed his first-ever individual national championship title in 2012 at senior nationals before claiming another this past January by out-sprinting seven other skiers in the last 100 meters of the 30km mass-start classic race at the U.S. Cross Country Skiing National Championships in Anchorage.

As a Nanook skier, Kornfield qualified for the NCAA National Championships in three of his four seasons and won a Central Collegiate Ski Association title in the 20km classic race as a junior in 2012. Kornfield was selected to the All-CCSA Team on two different occasions, while also qualifying and competing in the World Junior Championships in his freshman and sophomore seasons.

On the running course, Kornfield was a key member of the Alaska Nanooks men's cross country running team, competing for the Nanooks in four-straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships. Following his sophomore season, Kornfield was named the team's Most Valuable Player after placing within the top-30 overall in the 8km race at the conference championships.

Read Kornfield's full press release: https://alaskananooks.com/news/2018/6/13/general-olympian-tyler-kornfield-becomes-third-inductee-into-2018-nanook-hall-of-fame.aspx?path=general

Don Lucia – Assistant Hockey Coach (1981-85) & Head Hockey Coach (1987-93)
Lucia, who hails from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, was the first official assistant coach for the Alaska Nanooks hockey team as they transitioned from an NCAA Division II program to Division I. After lettering as a defenseman at Notre Dame, Lucia was hired by former Alaska head coach Ric Shafer to help mold the Nanooks into a competitive collegiate program prior to the 1981-82 season.  

After Shafer's resignation in the spring of 1987, Lucia returned to Fairbanks to become the Alaska Nanooks hockey program's third head coach. In his first season as bench boss, Lucia lifted the Nooks to a 20-9-2 season in NCAA play, eventually claiming the program's first and only conference title. Furthermore, Lucia was also named the GWHC's Coach of the Year.

In the 1988-89 season, Alaska moved out of the GWHC and into the status as a D-I Independent. Lucia stayed on as head coach for the Nanooks for a total of six seasons (1987-93), earning an overall record of 99-97-19 and an NCAA record of 85-93-7.

Through his tenure, Lucia made monumental moves for the program, including the transition to play at the Carlson Center instead of the Patty Ice Arena and lobbied for the Nanooks to be included in the now-defunct Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA).

Additionally, Lucia recruited some of the all-time greatest players in Alaska Nanooks hockey history including Steve Moria, Keith Street and Doug Desorcie.

Following the 1992-93 season, Lucia moved on to become the head coach at Colorado College (1993-99) and eventually, the University of Minnesota (1999-2018), where he recently resigned. Lucia has gone on to collect back-to-back NCAA National Championships (2002, 2003), four regular season titles (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) and four NCAA Coach of the Year recognitions.

Read Lucia's full press release: https://alaskananooks.com/news/2018/6/14/general-former-nanookshockey-head-coach-don-lucia-to-be-inducted-into-the-nanook-hall-of-fame.aspx?path=general

2002-03 Alaska Nanooks Men's Basketball Team
The 2002-03 Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team brought the program to new heights, including a Top of the World Classic Championship title, a Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular season title and a trip to the NCAA West Regional Tournament for the first time in program history. The Nooks were led by former head coach Al Sokaitis and former assistant coach Frank Ostanik.

After coming off of a 4-23 season in 2001-02 with only two significant returning players on the roster, the Nanooks stunned the college basketball world by becoming the first-ever NCAA Division II men's basketball team to win an eight-team non-conference tournament, with the rest of the field comprising of Division I programs.

In the 2002 BP Top of the World Classic, hosted by the Alaska Nanooks at the Carlson Center, the Nooks routed the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (78-55) in the opening round before defeating the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (64-61) in the semifinals. In front of a sold-out Carlson Center crowd of 4,301, the Nooks defeated Weber State 77-65 in the Championship game to take home the tournament title.

Following the celebration, sophomore guard and North Pole resident Brad Oleson was named the Tournament MVP, while senior forward Jason Williams and senior guard Steve Towne received All-Tournament recognition. The following evening, the Nanooks jumped into the back of a flatbed truck and rolled through downtown Fairbanks for a victory parade in minus-20 degree temperatures.

Alaska closed-out the 2002-03 regular season going 20-8 overall and 13-5 in GNAC play to be named the conference's co-regular season champions with Humboldt State. The GNAC didn't sponsor a conference post-season tournament until the 2010-11 season but the Nanooks still punched a ticket to the NCAA West Regional Tournament, eventually falling to Cal State Pomona 80-76.

At the conclusion of an epic season, Williams was honored as an All-GNAC First Team selection while Oleson was selected to the All-GNAC Second Team. Furthermore, head coach Al Sokaitis was voted the GNAC Coach of the Year.

The 2002-03 Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team included Justin Bourne, Zac Forsyth, Ryan Jones, Scott Jones, Arnold Marks, Ivan Miskovic, Brad Oleson, Marquis Revels, Jocquis Sconiers, Andrew Smith, Chris Smith, Zach Tilbury, Steve Towne and Jason Williams.
Read the full release: https://alaskananooks.com/news/2018/6/15/general-2002-03-nanooksmbb-named-final-inductee-into-2018-nanook-hall-of-fame.aspx?path=general

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