GISH 2024 Athletic Hall of Fame Class Announced

GISH Hall of Fame Class of 2024

January 17th, 2024

Another class of Islander History Makers will be honored.

Grand Island Senior High (GISH) has announced the 2024 Inductees to the GISH Athletic Hall of Fame. The class of 2024 marks the sixth class of inductees into the hall.

“What an honor and privilege to welcome this class into the Hall of Fame!” Cindy Wells, GISH Activities Director, said, “This class epitomizes the tradition of what it takes to be an Islander. They all dedicated an enormous amount of time and energy to Islander athletics during their time at GISH. We honor them and all of their accomplishments by inducting them into the Hall of Fame. Congratulations to the Class of 2024!”

The inductees will be recognized at halftime of the Grand Island Senior High boys basketball game vs. Norfolk on Friday, January 26th, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.

A brunch honoring the Inductees will also take place on Saturday, January 27th at 10:30 a.m. at Balz Banquet and Reception Hall at 213 N. Sycamore St., Grand Island. Tickets can be purchased for the brunch at the Grand Island Senior High Activities office, at the Friday night basketball game, or online HERE. Tickets are $25 apiece.

Congratulations to the Grand Island Senior High Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024!

Lindsey Telecky - Female Athlete
Steven Cahoy - Male Athlete
Kevin Cahoy - All-Around
Bob Hanson - Coach
1969 Boys State Champion Track Team
Jerry Hehnke - Contributor

(bios for the inductees are listed below)

Purchase GISH Hall of Fame Banquet Tickets

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Lindsey Telecky pitching on the softball mound in her Islanders gear

Lindsey Telecky - Softball

Starting pitcher at Grand Island Senior High who led the team to three straight state softball tournaments.
- Team finished fifth place in 2011, fourth in 2012, and fourth in 2013.
While pitching at Grand Island Senior High, Lindsey finished with 74 career wins.
During her career, she pitched one perfect game in 2013, three no-hitters, and 24 shutouts.
Lindsey finished her junior year with 1.86 ERA, and 251 strikeouts. During her senior year she finished with 2.23 ERA, and 255 strikeouts.
Lindsey currently holds the following softball records at Grand Island Senior High:
- Season and career shutouts.
- Season and career wins.
- Season and career strikeouts.

Honors include:

Heartland Athletic Conference All Academic Team in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
Selected to the Heartland Athletic Conference All-Conference Softball Team in 2011, 2012, and 2113.
Grand Island Independent All-Heartland Softball Super Squad and Player of the Year in both 2012 and 2013.
First Team All-State Softball Team in both the Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha World Herald in 2012 and 2013.
NSAA and Lincoln Journal Star Academic All-State Softball Team in 2013.

Steven Cahoy - Boys Track and Field

Heartland Athletic Conference and District Pole Vault Champion in 2012 and 2013.
Nebraska State Track and Field Class A Pole Vault Champion in 2012 and 2013.
Nebraska State Track and Field All-Class Gold Champion in 2012 and 2013.
Finished third in the U.S.A. Track and Field Junior Olympic Nationals in 2012.
Holds the Grand Island Senior High and Heartland Athletic Conference pole vault record of 16-03.50.

University of Nebraska Honors:

Four-time letter winner in track and field at the University of Nebraska (2014 - 2017).
Finished as a runner-up in pole vault at the Big Ten Championships four times.
Finished as the Big Ten Pole Vault Outdoor Champion in 2017.
Member of three Big Ten Championship Track and Field Teams.
Five-time recipient of All-Big Ten Team Honors in pole vault.
Competed in the pole vault at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in 2015, placing sixteenth in the outdoor championships, and twelfth in the indoor championships.
Ranks third All-time in the indoor pole vault and seventh All-time in the outdoor pole vault records at the University of Nebraska.
Received the Nebraska Track and Field Russ White Award twice.
Nebraska Track and Field Most Valuable Athlete recipient.
Steven reached an indoor pole vault personal best 17-11.00 and outdoor personal best 17-08.50.

Kevin Cahoy - All-Around Athlete

Second-Team All-Class All-State linebacker in 2013.
First-Team All-Class All-State linebacker in 2014.
Two-time semi-finalist in the Nebraska State Football Playoffs in 2013 and 2014.
Selected to the Nebraska Legion Baseball All-Star team three times as an outfielder in 2013, 2014, and 2015.
In 2014, Kevin posted a season batting average of 0.405 and was a semi-finalist in the Nebraska Legion baseball state playoffs.
Two-time pole vault state champion in 2014 and 2015.
In 2013, Kevin finished as the silver medalist in the pole vault to his older brother Steven. In 2012, Kevin finished in 5th place.
Currently ranks seventh on the All-time Nebraska High School Track and Field records with a personal best of 16-00.25.
In 2015, Kevin was selected Omaha World-Herald Nebraska High School Athlete of the Year.

University of Nebraska Honors:

Five-time letter winner in track and field at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Kevin reached an all-time personal best vault of 17-04.00.
Kevin finished in the top eight five times at the Big 10 Track and Field Championships.
He was the bronze medalist in the pole vault at the Big 10 Indoor Championships in 2020.
Member of the 2019 Big Ten Track and Field Team Championship.
Three-time NCAA Preliminary Championship Qualifier.
Three-time Academic All-American, four-time Academic All-Big Ten Team, and awarded
Nebraska Outstanding Scholar award in 2019-2020.

Bob Hanson - Coach, Football & Boys Track and Field

Began his nine year coaching tenure at Grand Island Senior High in 1961 as a football and boys track and field coach.
Coach Hanson was part of the “Dominant 60’s” as an assistant boys track coach with the 1962 and 1963 state championship teams.
In 1965, Bob became the head coach of the boys track and field program. As head coach, he went on to lead the program to runner-up finishes in 1965 and 1967, and championship finishes in 1968 and 1969 at the Nebraska State Track and Field meet.
During Coach Hanson’s tenure, he coached six individual Nebraska State Track and Field champions, four straight 880 yd. relay state champions, and numerous state records from 1965-1970.
Bob Hanson was a math teacher for nine years at Grand Island Senior High before moving to Littleton, Colorado. He continued his teaching and coaching career at Arapahoe High School where he coached football, girls track and field, and golf.
Coach Hanson continued to influence young athletes through teaching and coaching, and his involvement in Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
He retired after 32 years of teaching and coaching in 1990.

1969 Boys State Champion Track Team

The 1969 Boys team were Trans-Nebraska Conference, Big 10 Conference and District Champions.
Grand Island had 18 qualifiers for the 1969 state meet. They qualified all three relay teams and had qualifiers in all but two events.
Eight Islander athletes scored in individual events and two of the three relay teams scored.
Randy Butts was the only individual champion in both the 120 yd. high hurdles and 180 yard low hurdles. He also ran on the championship 880 yard relay.
The 1969 state championship won by placing first in the last event of the meet. The Islander 880 yard relay team of Mike McWilliams, Bob Zwiebel, Larry Tierney and Randy Butts were able to hold off Scottbluff’s anchor leg, Frosty Anderson, to win the event and 69’ State Championship.
The 1969 State Championship team scored 37.5 points to win over second place Omaha North.
This 69’ team was part of a ten-year period from 1962 to 1972, in which the Islander track and field program finished runner-up twice, 1965 and 1967, and as state champions six times in 1962, 1963, 1968, 1969, 1971, and 1972.

Jerry Hehnke - Contributor

Jerry was involved in helping the youth in the Grand Island area for a large part of his life. From the GI Little League in the 70s, American Legion Baseball in the 80s, to being the number one fan watching his grandson Calvin play Legion or High School baseball, and his granddaughters Kaitlin and Chandler play for the GISH softball team.
Any kid that Jerry and his wife Chick came in contact with knew that they were going to be treated like one of their own. Whether it was to make sure they were fed, had a new pair of shoes, or a ride to the game.
Jerry and his company, Jerry’s Sheet Metal, have made it their mission to give back to the youth and the community of Grand Island. To take care of those who take care of them.