“We are extremely excited to induct this outstanding class of men and women into the Hall of Fame this year,’” noted NSU Director of Athletics Nate Davis. “These individuals had outstanding careers and represented the Wolves at the highest level. We will look forward to celebrating their achievements on campus in the fall.”

Honorees at the 2024 banquet include:

Sasha (Hovind) Gallagher graduated from Northern State University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Education with a major in Elementary Education and minors in Early Childhood Education, Coaching, and PreK-12 Reading. She was an 11-time All-American in track and field and cross country for the Wolves from 2014-17, closing out her career as the most decorated distance runner in school history.

In addition to her All-American performances, Gallagher was a 2-time NSIC Champion in the indoor 5000m (2016) and outdoor 10,000m (2018) and 8-time NSIC All-Conference performer in track and field and 2014 Conference Champion and 3-time NSIC All-Conference performer in cross country. She earned All-American accolades in cross country in 2014, finishing in 15th, 2015, finishing in 13th, and 2017, finishing tenth. On the track, Gallagher was an All-American in 2015 taking seventh in the 5000m and eighth in the 10,000m at the outdoor championships; in 2016 placing eighth in the 5000m at the indoor championships, and fourth in the 10,000m and ninth in the 5000m at the outdoor championships; in 2017 taking 12th in the 5000m at the indoor championships; and in 2018 placing sixth in the 10,000m and seventh in the 5000m at the outdoor championships.

Gallagher continues to hold school records in the indoor 3000m, indoor 5000m, outdoor 5000m, and outdoor 10,000m. She was a COSIDA Academic All-American® in 2016 and 2018, earning first team accolades each season. Gallagher earned multiple NSIC All-Academic honors in her career, in addition to the 2017-18 Myles Brand Award, 2017 Indoor Track and Field Elite 18 Award, and 2018 Cross Country Elite 18 Award. In addition, she was the 2017 recipient of the Northern State Hildred Wolfe Award and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Willis R. Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award: the highest academic and athletic achievements for both the institution and league.

Sasha and her husband, Jacob, currently reside in Coralville, Iowa with their 2-year-old son Apollo. Professionally, she has been teaching preschool for five years and her husband is currently a postdoctoral research scholar.

John “Jack” Hurley graduated from Northern State University in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science in Education with a major in Mathematics and minor in Physical Education. As a member of the Northern State College football and track and field teams from 1969-72. Hurley started on the offensive line for a Wolves team that went 22-7 in three seasons. The Northern offense outscored their opponents 1,032-416, leading the district and conference in rushing and passing offense in 1970, 1971, and 1972. Hurley was honored as a co-captain in the fall of 1972, alongside Pat Murphy. He earned both All-SDIC and All-District first team honors in his final two seasons on the gridiron. Hurley and his 1969 teammates were inducted into the Northern State Athletics Hall of Fame in the fall of 2018, and he earns the individual honor in the fall of 2024. In addition, the Milbank, South Dakota native qualified for the NAIA National Championships in the discus in both 1971 and 1972.

Jack is married to 1974 Northern State graduate Susan (Iverson) Hurley. The pair have two children, Nicole (married) who is a CPA living in Sioux Falls, S.D.; and John (married) who is a golf instructor affiliated with the Summit Golf School in Montgomery, Texas. Hurley currently resides in O’Neill, Nebraska.

Hannah Kastigar graduated from Northern State University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Human Performance and Fitness and minor in Health Education. As the first National Champion in program history, Kastigar recorded a decorated career with the swim team from 2016-19. She was a 3-time NCAA National Champion, 8-time NCAA All-American, and 7-time NSIC Conference Champion for the Wolves. Her first national championship came on March 9, 2017, in the 400 IM with a then school record time of 4:12.99. She followed that up with her second title the following day in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:58.36. Her third and final national crown came in March of 2019, breaking her own school record in the 400 IM with a time of 4:11.15, defeating the runner-up by six seconds. Kastigar recorded All-American honors in the 200 IM (2017, 2019), 400 IM (2017, 2019), 100 butterfly (2017), 200 butterfly (2017, 2019), and 200 breaststroke (2019). In 2017, she won NSIC Championships in the 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly, 200 IM, and 400 IM, and was both the NSIC Championships Swimmer of the Meet and Swimmer of the Year. As a senior in 2019, Kastigar won the NSIC Championships in the 200 butterfly, 200 IM, and 400 IM, and was again honored as the NSIC Swimmer of the Year.

Kastigar continues to hold Northern State school records in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 1,000 freestyle, 50 backstroke, 50 breaststroke, 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, 50 butterfly, 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly, 200 IM, and 400 IM, and Northern Sun Conference records in the 200 IM, 400 IM, 100 butterfly, and 200 butterfly. She closed out her Northern State career as the 2019 Hildred Wolfe Award winner and 2019 Thunder Award Female Performance of the Year winner. Kastigar competed on the national stage at the US Olympic Trials in 2012, 2016, and 2021 competing in the 400 IM, 200 IM, 200 backstroke, 200 butterfly.

The 1984-85 wrestling team came off a losing season in 1983-84 to go 10-3 in dual competition. They finished as the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference runner-up and won the District 12 Championship under the direction of head coach Fran Hummel. The Wolves qualified ten for the NAIA National Tournament and finished third as a team in large part to four All-American performances by Dave Harvey, Doyle Everson, Blaine McCance, and Jim Fryer. Harvey won the 118-pound National Championship, while Everson and McCance took second at 126-pounds and 190-pounds, and Fryer finished third in the heavyweight bracket. All four recorded 30-plus win seasons and Everson and Harvey closed out their collegiate careers as just two of 11 Wolves in program history to record 100 career wins. Hummel was honored by multiple outlets as the South Dakota Sportswriters Coach of the Year, NIC Coach of the Year, District 12 Coach of the Year, and NAIA National Coach of the Year. Hummel, Harvey, and Everson were inducted into the Northern State Athletics Hall of Fame as individual honorees in 2001, 2006, and 2022.

Members of the 1984-85 wrestling team include: Todd Bierschenk, Ryan Breske, Ryan Bunton, Eddie Clark, Don Davidson, Rich Egsgaard, Doyle Everson, Brad Feist, Todd Ford, Jim Fryer, Leo Gannon, Kent Hagen, Scott Hagen, Dave Harvey, Gary Harris, Richard Huff, Mike Johnson, Dale Kissner, Neil Lahammer, Curt Mack, Tony Mallinger, Blaine McCance, Randy Konold, Brad Ramey, Jeff Struble, Tim Taggart, John Trevett, Todd Weber, Tim Weisz, and Mike Wray.

Francis Zacher graduated from Northern State College in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science in Education with a major in Health and Physical Education.  In 1972, he returned to NSC to complete his master’s degree and served as a graduate assistant at Northern State under the direction of legendary coach, Bob Wachs.  Zacher spent his professional career as a teacher and football and basketball coach at high schools across South Dakota. He led the boys’ basketball programs at Fort Pierre, Eagle Butte, Gettysburg, and Roncalli posting a career record of 250-95. Zacher led Roncalli to the South Dakota State ‘A’ Basketball Championship in 1975; the first parochial school and smallest school in the division to win a state title. On the gridiron, Zacher’s teams from Fort Pierre, Gettysburg, and Roncalli went 51-21 overall.

Zacher’s honors throughout the years include: 1975 National Association of Basketball Coaches Achievement Award, 1975 South Dakota Sportswriters High School Coach of the Year, 1998 Lakota Invitational Community Award, and induction into the South Dakota High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 2009.  Following his coaching career, Zacher continued his passion for athletics as a high school official for both basketball and football in Western South Dakota.  He is also an Army Veteran having been drafted shortly into his initial coaching job in Ft. Pierre.

Francis Zacher’s late wife, Geraldine Payne Zacher was also a Northern State College graduate, earning an education degree. They had 4 children:  Jeff Zacher, MD (Phoenix, Ariz.), Lisa Zacher, MD (Orlando, Fla.), Scott Zacher, MFA (Chicago, Ill.), and Stacey Zacher Grajeda, RPh (El Paso, Texas).   He has 7 grandchildren. Zacher’s siblings Bill, Sylvester, Clarence, James and Mary Jean attended NSC; Bill is a 1976 member of the Northern State Athletics Hall of Fame.