The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) announced its six-member 2018 Hall of Fame Class, Monday. The group will be honored alongside the class of 2017 at a May 2 luncheon at the Renton Pavilion Events Center.

This year’s inductees into the athlete category are Gerry Lindgren of Rogers (Spokane) and Patsy (Walker) Pointer of Yelm High School. Lindgren is considered the best high school distance runner of all time before going on to compete at the 1964 Olympics and winning 11 NCAA Championships while running at Washington State. Pointer scored all 40 points in Yelm’s 1977 track and field championships title-performance and was the 1981 NCAA Women’s Heptathlon Champion while competing for Houston.

Gary Hatch will be inducted to the Hall of Fame as a coach, spending 35 years at Sehome High School as the Head Baseball Coach and accumulating 532 career wins and three state championships. In addition to his work at Sehome, Hatch coached for USA Baseball’s U-16 teams in 2006 and 2007.

Joining the class as administrators are Robert Gary Sr. and Bob Kirk. Gary began his career in 1959 as an assistant football and track and field coach, making him the first black coach hired by any public school in the state of Washington. Kirk spent 32 years as an athletic director and teacher at Pomeroy High School, while also serving 24 years as the WIAA District 9 Director.

Ed Laulainen will be inducted as a contributor after spending three years as the Washington State Coaches Association Executive Board president and representing the WSCA for 38 years as a member of the WIAA Executive Board. Laulainen also had a stellar career as the Kelso High School Football Coach, a position he held for 25 years. He led the Hilanders to 182 victories and a state championship in 1983.

“This group of individuals has bettered each of their communities and the State of Washington as a whole,” said WIAA Executive Director Mike Colbrese. “It will be our honor to recognize the members of both the 2017 and 2018 classes at the ceremony on May.”

To read more on each of the honorees, as well as to see a full listing of WIAA Hall of Fame members, visit the WIAA website.

2017 Inductees:
Cheryl (Byers) Schauble – Athlete
Duke Washington – Athlete
Al Hairston – Coach/Administrator
Sid Otton – Coach
Don Freeman – Coach
Ronald Jones – Fine Arts
Craig Smith – Contributor
Dele Gunnerson – Administrator/Contributor