GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado athletics has announced its Mountaineer Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024, an induction group that includes a trio of All-American and/or conference champion student-athletes, a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship team, and a Lifetime Achievement honoree.

William Banks '07 – Cross Country/Track & Field
It didn't matter whether Banks was racing on the oval or on the trails, he found his way to All-American honors either way.

Banks collected six track All-American awards and two cross country All-American honors, while also accumulating 10 All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honors between the two sports.

He was Western's first NCAA champion in the indoor mile, winning the event at the 2003 national championship meet. And in earning his pair of cross country All-American awards he helped his Mountaineers capture the 2002 and the 2004 NCAA team titles.

At the time of his Hall of Fame selection, Banks is listed with the track program's second fastest indoor mile (4 minutes, 4.01 seconds), eighth fastest (tied) outdoor 800-meter run (1:51.17), and 10th fastest outdoor 1,500 (3:46.86).

Susan Jackson '15 – Track & Field
The NCAA Division II high jump champion in 2012, Jackson collected four All-American honors in the event, earning both indoor and outdoor awards in the 2011-12 and 2013-14 seasons.

It wasn't just the vertical jump she excelled at as Jackson accumulated seven All-RMAC honors from the high jump, long jump and triple jump events.

A 10th-place finisher in the high jump at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, Jackson continues to own the third-best height in D-II history for the outdoor event at 1.91-meters (6 feet-3.25 inches). And her indoor best of 1.85m (6-0.75) is sixth all time in D-II.

On the Western program's all-time women's top-10 lists she ranks tied for first in the outdoor high jump, second in the indoor event (6-00.75), fourth in the outdoor long (5.86m, 19-2.75) and triple (12.31m, 40-4.75) jumps, and eighth in the indoor triple jump (11.65m, 38-2.75).

John Svoboda '73 – Football, Wrestling
Whether it was the football field or the wrestling mat, Svoboda was a difficult opponent to face.

In his first semester on campus Svoboda earned a starting nod at what would be called today an outside linebacker. He remained a starter for all four of his years with the program, earning a varsity letter each season.

In 1971 he earned first team all-conference honors and was part of the RMAC championship team, the program's sixth conference championship.

Also a four-year letter winner for the wrestling team, Svoboda qualified for the NCAA national tournament in 1971, 1972 and 1973. He was the 1973 RMAC champion, the 1972 runner-up, and the third-place finisher in 1971.

Soon after his playing career Svoboda would step onto the sidelines of both sports, serving as a graduate assistant for the football and wrestling teams during the 1974-75 season. he would later return as an assistant coach for the 1985-86 wrestling team.

1992-93 Men's Basketball Team
The Mountaineers, led by RMAC coach of the year Jay Helman, would complete a 25-5 campaign as the RMAC regular season and tournament champions, advancing into the NCAA D-II tournament. The Mountaineers' run was halted in the Regional Semifinal round, but they would bounce back quickly to capture the region's third-place game, 81-71, over Colorado Christian University.

Known for a tenacious defense and never-quit attitude, the Mountaineers finished the season with a plus-seven scoring average and rung off a 14-game win streak, an 18-game home winning streak, and what remains the program's best RMAC record (11-1). This team remains the program's only NCAA tournament participant.

Western was led in double-digit scoring by Steve Fendry (18.0 PPG), Scott Wadsworth (11.8), and Lucius Wall (10.5). Fendry led the team on the glass with 7.9 rebounds per game, while Will Pierce and Gabe Trijillo were close behind, each averaging 7.0 per game. Wadsworth was the threat from long range, draining 66 3-pointers during the season, and that hard-to-play-against defense was led by Kevin Koch's 77 steals.

John Harvey Rees – Lifetime Achievement
Previously a broadcast engineer for places such as Michigan State University and NBC-Washington (D.C.), 'Harv' has dedicated his local career in Gunnison to Mountaineer broadcasting – likely more than 6,000 hours over two decades.

He continues to aid the Mountaineers as the broadcast engineer at Paul Wright Gym, the Mountaineer Bowl at the Rady Family Sports Complex, as well as at Rady Field.

Harv has been a supporter and aid to Western Colorado University's student radio station, KWSB, and somehow finds time to squeeze in similar engineering and broadcasting support to Gunnison High School.

Harv and wife Linda, his back-in-the-studio partner, have always displayed and continue to show their love for Mountaineer athletics and the Gunnison community.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on Friday, October 18, 2024, in the University Center Ballroom on the campus of Western Colorado University.