Athletic Hall of Fame

2020 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Whitefish Bay High School

2020 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees

The induction ceremony will be on April 18, 2020 at 12:00 in the high school Link.

Dennis Berkholtz (Athlete, Class of 1963)

Dennis Berkholtz was a three sport athlete at Whitefish Bay High School where he collected eight letters in Basketball and Golf.  Dennis was one of the most storied basketball players in Whitefish Bay history. He was all-Suburban Conference (three years), All-State (two years), team captain (two years), first freshman to have ever started for the Whitefish Bay Varsity team, and led his 1963 team to the Suburban Conference Championship and a #9 ranking in state.  Dennis was also a member of the varsity golf team and the number one golfer his junior and senior seasons. Dennis went on to basketball stardom at Kansas State University (1963-1967), serving as captain his senior year and finish his career as the 13th leading scorer in school history. He was on the golf team as well, ranking as high as 6th in the Big Eight Conference.  In 1972, he played team handball and captained the first US Olympic team at the 1972 Olympics. In 1976, Dennis was named coach of the US Olympic team and from 1996-2000 served as the president of USA Team Handball.

Jack Bleier (Coach)

Jack Bleier taught mathematics at Whitefish Bay High School from 1972-2015.  While teaching, Jack coached football, boys tennis, and boys basketball. He coached on the football staff from 1972-74 and on the tennis staff from 1972-77.  As the boys tennis varsity head coach, he led the team to a 3rd place finish at the WIAA State Tournament in 1977. In boys basketball, he coached from 1972-1982.  The first five years were as JV Coach, the last five as Head Coach.  The 1982 team finished first in the 16 team Suburban Conference. He returned to coaching boys basketball from 1992-1998, where he and Jeff Thielke worked together as Head Co-Coaches.  In terms of achievements, the 1996- 1998 teams were like a Whitefish Bay mini golden era in the history of Whitefish Bay basketball. The record over those three years was 75-4, three state tournament appearance, with two of those ending up in State Championships.  The 1996 remains the only undefeated basketball team in WFB history.  

Hannah Wallace (Athlete, Class of 2009)

Hannah Wallace was a three-sport varsity athlete at Whitefish Bay High School where she collected 10 varsity letters in Track and Field, Gymnastics, and Volleyball. During her track and field career, she placed 2nd and 5th in the pole vault at the 2008 and 2009 state championships, respectively. Wallace totaled 4 sectional and regional individual titles between 2008 and 2009 in both the pole vault and triple jump. She served as co-captain her junior and senior year and continues to hold the WFB girl’s pole vault and triple jump records. In gymnastics, Wallace earned a total of 19 state medals, 14 individual sectional titles, and 6 individual conference titles. As co-captain, she led the girl’s gymnastics team to a state title in 2009. She was recognized as a WIAA Scholar-Athlete in 2009, and also received the Bill Hilgendorf and Sportswoman of the Year awards at Whitefish Bay. After high school, Wallace competed for Brown University, collecting 7 individual medals in the pole vault at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships, including a 2nd place finish her senior year. She currently holds Brown University’s women’s outdoor pole vault record. 

Lauren Gruber Watson (Athlete, Class of 2008)

Lauren Gruber Watson was a two sport varsity athlete at Whitefish Bay High School where she collected 6 letters in Tennis and Basketball.  During her illustrious tennis career, she was instrumental in leading Whitefish Bay to the Team State Championship in 2005 and 2007. She won the WIAA Individual State Championship in 2006 while having an undefeated season (32-0) and was the WIAA State Runner-Up in 2007.  She had a career record of 129-4 in her 4 years on varsity. In basketball, she was a 2 year starter on the varsity basketball team, which included placing 2nd in the WIAA State Tournament in 2006. After high school she went on to play tennis at the University of Delaware (2008) and the University of Wisconsin (2009-2012) where she finished her career as team captain and was a three time Academic All-Big Ten Selection.