Alpena Sports Hall of Fame honors those who played major roles in local athletics

The event honored many individuals in the community who made clear impacts from their actions and performances in sports over the years.

Aside from the four individual athletic inductees — Nathan Barden, Ashley Hunault Williams, Eric Muszynski, and Tony Skiba — the banquet also saw recognition for Team of the Year, The Voice of the North Award, and admired boosters.

The 2008 Alpena High School softball team made it into the Hall of Fame this year, recognizing how the ladies excelled in their time as Wildcats.

In 2003, the Alpena High Varsity softball team headed into their postseason with a record of 28-5. They went on to defeat Traverse City Central in the semifinal 16-0 and took the District Champion title with an 8-0 win over Marquette.

Courtesy Photo
DeAnn Carter Roesner, Mike Vought, and Judy Diethelm, daughter of Ralph Diethelm and accepting his award, pose together at the Alpena Sports Hall of Fame banquet at the APlex on Saturday.

The following weekend saw Alpena head to Flushing and come back Regional Champions after defeating Midland Dow 2-1 and Flushing 2-0. Then, Alpena went on to beat Rockford at Central Michigan University with a 2-1 final score, a game that lasted 17 innings.

Battle Creek hosted the Final Four and Alpena faced Howell in the Division I State Semi-Finals. Alpena took another victory, 5-1.

In a game played 16 years ago, the team still remembers when Alpena fell to Garden City in 14 innings by a score of 2-1 which was the heartbreaker that ended the season.

Members of the 2008 Alpena High softball team include the following: Rachael Brown, Leah Cox, Rachel Gebauer, Alison Keen, Brittney Kirkwood, Aubrey Kowalski, Brandy Lancewicz, Kayla Paczkwoski, Kursten Paczkowski, Nikki Preuss, Katie Prevo, Alyssa Smith, and Leah Ventimiglia.

Coaches for that season were Paul Marwede, Louie Hoppe, Christin Sobeck, and Jason Barbeau. Their athletic trainer was Brad Nash.

Also recognized at Saturday’s Hall of Fame banquet was Ralph Diethelm, who was honored with the Inaugural Voice of the North award.

For many years, local sports fans couldn’t tune into WATZ radio and not hear Diethelm’s voice.

Diethelm came to Alpena and WATZ radio in 1953 as a salesman. He broadcasted a plethora of local sports, including football and basketball for Alpena and Alpena Catholic Central High Schools, Alpena Community College men’s basketball, select little league games, Alpena High School baseball, amateur male hockey, track events, and more.

During his time at WATZ, Diethelm worked alongside several folks who became legends in their own right. He also rubbed elbows with several of Alpena’s best coaches and athletes over the years.

Diethelm has lived and worked in Switzerland since 1986, but he still calls Alpena home and will become a part of the Hall of Fame history now with his award.

Saturday also honored two boosters, DeAnn Carter Roesner and Mike Vought.

Roesner made an impact on the Alpena community as she served for eight seasons coaching the Thunder Bay Schooners youth swim team.

She first decided to get certified as a USA swim coach after her retirement and helped coach both a USA Team and a U.S. Masters Team in Keller, Texas.

Shortly after arriving in Alpena, Roesner took over as the Schooners coach. In the eight seasons she coached, there were 49 State Champions.

She also saw many of her teams head to State Championships and win gold medals.

Residing in the community, Roesner continues to show her passion and selflessness, which is why she was chosen to be honored in the Hall of Fame Class of 2023.

Mike Vought also made great strides in the community.

Vought has been generous with his time through his involvement with the Thunder Bay Basketball Association and Alpena Little League.

He spent a decade serving as coach or assistant coach, leading little leaguers to success.

For nearly two decades, he has served the Thunder Bay Basketball Association in several capacities, including being a member of the Board of Directors, coaching, 12 years as its president, and other vital roles helping the organization thrive.

Vought has positively impacted the baseball and basketball careers of countless Alpena athletes for years, leading him to now be honored in the Alpena Sports Hall of Fame.