Eight Going Into Mishawaka Athletic Hall of Fame
The Mishawaka Athletic Hall of Fame will welcome 8 new members this Spring. Claire DeVreese Jozwiak
‘04, Kenneth Gerard 1924, Josh Harper ‘09, Stephanie Gale Huff ‘84, Amy Mazner ‘92, Steve Sandefer
‘09, Gregg Smith ‘93, and Ryan Watson ‘94 will all have their names added to the wall of Cavemen greats.
The ceremony will take place Saturday April 23rd at Riverside Terrace, near downtown Mishawaka. A social
hour will begin at 5:30, followed by the introduction of inductees and dinner at 6:30.
Tickets are available at the Mishawaka High School Athletic office for $25 or online at https://cavemensports.com/event-tickets. To make a
reservation or offer advertising support, call (574) 254-7335 or email Athletic Director Dean Huppert at [email protected]
Claire DeVreese Jozwiak is a 2004 Mishawaka grad. She was a 3-time All State pitcher and member of
the North/South All Star Team. The NIC Softball MVP helped the Cavemen win the Sectional in 2003 and
conference in 2004. She holds numerous records including 52 wins and 826 strikeouts in her career. She
went on to have an outstanding career at the University of Illinois.
Kenneth “Gerry” Gerard is a 1924 Mishawaka grad. Gerard was the captain and quarterback of the
MHS football team. He played baseball and was captain of the basketball squad. He went on to the University
of Illinois, where he played quarterback and also lettered in track. But he really made his mark as the head
coach of the Duke University basketball and soccer teams. He was the school’s first soccer coach and
coached 13 seasons. And at the same time he was the basketball coach for 8 years with a record of 131-78.
In 1987, Gerard was inducted into the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame. He died in 1951 after a battle with cancer.
Josh Harper is a 2009 Mishawaka High School grad. Josh was a 3-time IHSAA State Wrestling Champion
who also placed 4th at state. Harper was a key member of two State Champion teams. He had an incredible
179-4 record in high school. In his 4 years he went 55-0, 41-1, 43-0 and wrestling with an injury his senior
season he went an incredible 45-3. Harper went on to wrestle at Michigan State.
Stephanie Gale Huff is a 1984 Mishawaka grad. She was a multi-sport athlete who lettered in basketball,
softball, tennis and volleyball. She was a tri-captain on the 1983 State Champion Volleyball team and led the
team in digs and aces while serving. Her teams won 3 NIC Titles, 3 Regional Championship, the State Title,
and her 1981 team was state runner-up. She went on to play volleyball at Indiana State. She also became the
Head Coach at Division 1 Mercer University.
Amy Mazner is a 1992 Mishawaka graduate. She was a 3 sport athlete who went on to play college
basketball at Southern Illinois University. She coached college basketball at University of North Carolina –
Pembroke. She was also an assistant softball coach for the Braves. She also was a head basketball coach
for Sarasota HS where her teams won the conference and qualified for the “Elite 8” in 2009. Amy has been an
NCAA Basketball official since 2011. She has also been an ASA Softball umpire.
Steve Sandefer is a 2009 Mishawaka HS grad. He was a two-time Wrestling State Champion and 4 time
state qualifier. He was part of the 2007 State Runner-up team and 2008 State champs. He is the all-time wins
record holder at Mishawaka with a record of 183-11. He was the NIC MVP in 2009 and was the South Bend
Tribune Male Athlete of the Year. He went on to wrestle at the University of Cumberlands. He just completed
his 5th year as the Mishawaka wrestling head coach.
Gregg Smith graduated from Mishawaka in 1993. He played football and wrestled for the Cavemen. His
legacy was felt for nearly 3 decades as an educator at MHS and John Young Middle School. As a Defensive
Coordinator, his teams were known for L.O.D. “Lights Out Defense”. He was an assistant when the team beat
Penn 4 times between 2009-2010. He was also on the sidelines when the Cavemen made it all the way to
State in 2012. “Smitty” passed away after a tragic accident in 2021.
Ryan Watson is a 1994 Mishawaka grad. He was a standout basketball player who scored 1,039 points in
his MHS career. As of 2021, that stands as the 4th most all-time. He was a 1st team All-NIC selection in ‘94
and was part of the Top 40 selected to try out for the Indiana All Star team. He went on to become Freshman
of the Year at Hillsdale and then helped Bethel University win back to back NAIA National Championships in
‘97 & ‘98. Watson was the head basketball coach for 9 years, golf coach for 4, and was an assistant athletic
director for the Cavemen for 2 years