Cougars Induct Seven into WSU Athletic Hall of Fame
 
PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University inducted seven new members into its Athletic Hall of Fame Friday, Sept. 16, at the Davenport Grand Hotel in Spokane, Wash. Following Friday's banquet, the seven members were recognized at halftime of the Washington State-Idaho football game at Martin Stadium.
 
"What a great weekend we just had honoring the outstanding accomplishments of this year's class," said Washington State Director of Athletics Bill Moos. "Honor the Past, Live the Present, Create the Future, all of that was on display last weekend. The Hall of Fame is the most prestigious honor we have to bestow upon former athletes, coaches and administrators, and all seven inductees are most deserving."
 
The list of seven inductees for the 2016 class includes:
 
Marv Chamberlain (baseball, 1970-74)
Marv Chamberlain Video
Marv Chamberlain grew up dreaming of playing baseball at Washington State and fulfilled his dream, producing a record-setting career for the Cougars. The Longview, Wash. native remembers following WSU's 1965 College World Series run where they finished third, but Chamberlain, a high school catcher at the time, made up his mind he was going to play for head coach Bobo Brayton and the Cougs. As a sophomore in 1972, Chamberlain led the Pac-8 Conference in hitting at a .415 clip followed with a junior campaign that saw him hit .345 in conference play and finish the year with a team-best 45 RBI. He capped his career in record-setting fashion, setting or tying 10 school records as a senior in 1974 while leading Washington State to a share of the Pac-8 Northern Division title. The utility man turned first baseman earned ABCA First-Team All-America, All-District and First-Team All-Pac-8 Conference honors after hitting .383 with 16 home runs along with school records for RBI (73) and total bases (127). He also became the first Cougar in program history to reach double-digits in both home runs and stolen bases (15) in the same season. Chamberlain left Washington State the all-time leader in games played (159), at-bats (494), hits (166), runs-batted-in (156), grand slams (3) and tied the record in doubles with 27. He was later selected in the eighth round of the 1974 Major League Baseball Draft by the Montreal Expos before receiving his bachelor's degree in pharmacy.
 
 

Erin Eldridge (swimming, 1998-2002)
Erin Eldridge Video
A naturally talented breaststroker out of Kirkland, Wash., Erin Eldridge made a splash immediately after stepping on the Washington State campus. As a freshman in 1996-97, she broke pool and school records in the 100 and 200-meter breaststrokes events and won the 200 breaststroke at the Husky Invitational, eclipsing a meet record and earning an NCAA consideration time. As a sophomore, Eldridge became the first Washington State swimmer in the 21-year history of the program to qualify for the NCAA Championships after placing in the top 10 in two events at the Pac-10 Championships. She broke her own school and pool records in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes and went on to finish 23rd and 26th, respectively in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes at the NCAA Championships. With the help of her coach at WSU, Rocco Aceto, Eldridge adjusted her training the summer of 1998, prior to her junior season and it paid off. In the 1998-99 season, Eldridge became WSU swimming's first NCAA All-American, as she placed 13th in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes at the national championships. In the process, she broke her own WSU and pool records once again and became the first Cougar to medal at the Pac-10 Championships, finishing third in the 100 breaststroke. As a senior Eldridge returned to the pool where she made her third-straight trip to the NCAA Championships and became a three-time NCAA All-American after placing eighth in the 100 breaststroke. Eldridge was a four-year recipient of the team's Most Outstanding Award and was named WSU's Pac-10 Medal Winner. Following graduation in 2000, she qualified and trained for the Olympic Trials. 
 
 
Jason Gesser (football, 1996-2000)
Jason Gesser Video
Jason Gesser is known to most Cougar fans as the quarterback who led Washington State football through one of its most successful runs in school history. Playing for head coach Mike Price from 1998-2002, Gesser was a three-year starter, leading WSU to a pair of bowl games en route to becoming the school's winningest quarterback of all time with 27 wins. The Honolulu native earned First Team All-America honors and was the Pacific-10 Conference Co-Offensive MVP during his senior year, finishing seventh in the Heisman Trophy race. He finished his Cougar career as a three time All-Pac-10 selection, a four-time Academic All-Pac-10 honoree and was named to the Dave O'Brien Watch List as a senior, signifying the nation's top quarterback. Gesser left WSU owning school records in a number of offensive categories, including career starts (34), total yards (9,007), pass attempts (1,118), completions (611), touchdown passes (70), consecutive games with a touchdown pass (25) and is the only player in program-history to be elected team captain three times. During his career, he appeared in 40 games, made 35 starts, led the Pac-10 in passing yards as junior, was the first Cougar to throw for 3,000 yards twice and led WSU to a 2001 Sun Bowl victory and to the 2003 Rose Bowl. Following his WSU career, Gesser spent two seasons in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans, one year in the Canadian Football League and three in the Arena League. He later coached at the high school level and at the University of Idaho and Wyoming, before returning to Pullman in 2014, joining the Cougar football broadcast team as an analyst while also working in the Cougar Athletic Fund as the Assistant Director of Development.
 
 
Mark Hendrickson (basketball/baseball, 1992-96)
Mark Hendrickson Video
One of Washington State's most versatile athletes coming out of Mount Vernon, Wash., Mark Hendrickson played both basketball and baseball for the Cougars in his four-year athletics career (1992-96). On the basketball court, the 6-foot-9 forward made an immediate impact as a freshman during the 1992-93 season, averaging 12.6 points and 8.0 rebounds as he was named to the five-member Pac-10 All-Freshmen Team. Despite his strong start, Hendrickson saved his best for last, as he was a Pac-10 All-Conference First Team pick his junior and senior years. He finished his career as the Pac-10 active leader in double-doubles with 43 in 108 games and became the first Cougar to lead his team in rebounding all four seasons.  Hendrickson concluded his basketball career in 1996, holding the school record in career field goal percentage (.567), while ranking second for career rebounds (927) and third for points (1,496). Hendrickson made eight appearances on the mound for the Cougar baseball team during his junior year (1995). Following graduation Hendrickson was the 31st overall pick in the 1996 Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. After four years in the NBA with four different teams (Philadelphia, Sacramento, New Jersey and Cleveland), he moved on to baseball, where he had been a four-time MLB Draft pick. He spent 10 years in the major leagues, playing with Toronto, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles (Dodgers), Florida and Baltimore, collecting 58 wins and 666 strikeouts before retiring in 2015. Hendrickson is one of 12 athletes all-time to play both in the NBA and MLB, and the only one to play at least four seasons in each league.
 
 
Mike Price (football coach, 1989-2002)
Mike Price Video
Mike Price is synonymous with Cougar Football, having served three stints on the Washington State Football Coaching staff during his time in Pullman. His first came as a graduate assistant for Jim Sweeney from 1969-70 then returned to WSU from 1974-77, working with head coaches Sweeney, Jackie Sherrill and Warren Powers. Following eight years as the head coach at Weber State, Price returned to WSU in 1989, this time as head coach, where he stayed for the next 14 seasons. During his tenure with the Cougars, Price compiled an 83-77 record, including back-to-back 10-win seasons in Pullman. Price led the Cougs to a total of three 10-wins seasons (1997, 2001 and 2002) during his tenure. He is the only coach in the 100-plus year history of the program to coach WSU to five bowl games, including the 1992 Copper Bowl, 1994 Alamo Bowl, 1998 Rose Bowl, 2001 Sun Bowl and 2003 Rose Bowl. In 1997, Price earned coach of the year honors from the Pac-10 Conference along with numerous National Coach of the Year Awards, the first Cougar football coach to receive that honor. After posting a 10-2 record in 2001, Price was again named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. During his 14 seasons as head coach, Price coached four Cougars picked in the first round of the NFL Draft and mentored WSU quarterbacks Drew Bledsoe, Ryan Leaf and Jason Gesser. With 177 career victories, and eight total bowl game appearances, Price was the sixth-winningest active head coach in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) prior to retiring at the end of the 2012 season after nine years at the University of Texas at El Paso.
 
 
Jennifer Robertson (track & field, 1988-93)
Jennifer Robertson Video
Jennifer Robertson (1988-93) had a WSU cross country and track and field career filled with Pac-10 titles and NCAA All-America honors. As a freshman, she finished in the top five at the Pac-12 Cross Country Championships, ran on Team USA at the World Junior Cross Country Championships in Norway, won Pac-10 outdoor titles in the 3000m and 5000m, placed third in the 3000m at the NCAA Championships in a school-record time of 9:33.46, won the USA National Junior 3000m title, and competed for Team USA at the Pan American Junior Championships. She started her sophomore year earning the Pac-10 Cross Country Woman of the Year award after winning the individual title. That spring she finished 11th in the 3000m at the NCAA Championships. Following foot surgery she took an unwelcomed redshirt year. While many suspected she would not recover from her injury, Robertson returned for a strong 1993 senior track season, running school-records in the 1500m, mile, 3000m and 5000m. Her 1500m time of 4:14.69, still stands at the time of her induction while her 5k record held for a decade and her 3k record held for 21 years. In the 3000m, she finished fourth at the Pac-12 Championships and ninth at the NCAA Championships, earning her third All-America certificate. Upon graduation Robertson held school records in the 1500m, mile, 3000m and 5000m. In addition to excellence in running, she was a Pac-10 All-Academic First Team selection three times.
 
 
Marcia Saneholtz (administrator, 1979-2007)
Marcia Saneholtz Video
During her 28 years as an administrator at Washington State University, Marcia Saneholtz was a part of, and at times guided, the Cougar Athletic Department through campus-defining and transformational periods. From when she joined the WSU Athletic Department in 1979 through her retirement in 2007, Saneholtz was a tireless advocate for the student-athlete and a nationally recognized leader in Title IX legislation. She was a guiding force in WSU's transition from separate men's and women's athletic programs to one unified athletic department in the early 1980s. Saneholtz played a crucial role in WSU Athletics' transition to an on-campus health care partnership with the university's health and wellness and university counseling services, as well as the development and management of WSU's student athletic training program. Additionally, she led the $30 million Bohler Renovation and Addition project in the mid-1990s and initiated WSU's involvement in hosting NCAA Championships at the Spokane Arena. Three times she served as interim athletic director at Washington State, served two terms as vice president of the Pac-10 Conference, and received numerous national honors for her work as an administrator, including the NACWAA National Administrator of the Year, for which she served as President and on its Board of Directors. She also received the Pathfinder Award from the National Association of Girls and Women in Sports, the WSU Woman of Distinction Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award. Upon her retirement, WSU's volleyball court was renamed Marcia Saneholtz Court, in her honor. She is also a member of the Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Fame Scroll of Honor and the Bowling Green Athletic Hall of Fame, her alma mater.