Prairie du Chien High School Athletic Hall of Fame welcomes class of 2024

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Members of the 1988 Prairie du Chien Varsity Baseball Team pose for a photo at the 2024 Prairie du Chien High School Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on August 30th. Pictured from left to right are: Head Coach Mark Pedretti, Steve Dickman, Denton Achenbach, Keith Neisius, Tim Kozlowski, Andrew Arms, Greg Osterhaus, Chris Rod, Matt Martin, Steve Jones, Aaron Martin, John Luster, Jarret Johnsrud, Paul Rink, Kent Gilkes and Assistant Coach John Curtis. Not pictured is PdC Football Assistant Coach Kevin Campbell. Members of the team that were unable to attend were David Sutton, Ernie Hill, David Esser, John DuCharme and Bob Jones. (Derick Kelly/Courier Press)

Deidre Dillman poses with her plaque with her parents Mary (left) and Brad Dillman. (Derick Kelly/Courier Press)

2024 Prairie du Chien High School Athletic Hall of Fame Community Inductee Mike Steiner of Mike Steiner Construction poses with his family after the induction ceremony on August 30th. Pictured from left to right are: Peyton Hall, Sarah Fockler, Tony Fockler, Brock Fockler, Easton Fockler, Cooper Fockler, Mike Steiner, Donna Steiner, Canon Fockler, Carly Mergen, Scout Hall, Liz Steiner-Hall, Will Reineking, Theresa Reineking, Hazel Reineking, Josh Reineking, Wynn Hall, Pryor Hall and Pat Hall. (Derick Kelly/Courier Press)

The inductees of the Prairie du Chien High School Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024 pose for a photo. (Derick Kelly/Courier Press)

By Derick Kelly

 

The Prairie du Chien High School Athletic Hall of Fame welcomed Deidre Dillman, the 1988 Baseball Team and Mike Steiner Construction as its latest class of inductees as part of a ceremony held last Friday night during halftime of the Prairie du Chien football game against Darlington. 

Established in 2000, the PdC High School Athletic Hall of Fame honors those players, coaches, teams and community members that have been instrumental to the success of Prairie du Chien High School Athletics over the years.

Deidre Dillman is a 2008 graduate from Prairie du Chien High School and is the only athlete in school history to qualify as an individual for a state meet all four years in two different sports (cross country and track). 

Dillman rewrote the PdC record books in both cross country and track, but it was track where she really stood out. She was a  two-time D2 Girls Track State Champion in  the 800 Meter Run (2006 & 2007) while also finishing second in the 400 and 800 Meter Runs in 2008, third in the 400 Meter Run in 2007 and fourth in the 1600 Meter Run in 2005.

She is also one of only four athletes in school history to win multiple individual state championships (Ann Mulrooney, seven titles); and Lori Dickman, two titles in track; and Rhett Koenig, four titles in wrestling.

She remains the only cross country runner in school history to qualify for the state meet all four years of high school (D2 12th place in 2004, D2 15th place in 2005, D2 9th place in 2006 and D2 48th place in 2007).

Dillman was a four-time sectional champion in track (2005 in the 1600 Meter Run and in 2006, 2007 and 2008 in the 800 Meter Run), a four-time first team all-conference selection in cross country and an eight-time conference champion in track (2005 in the 400 Meter Dash, 2006 in the 400 Meter Dash and 800 Meter Run, 2007 in the 200 and 400 Meter Dashes and 800 Meter Run and 2008 in the 400 Meter Run and 800 Meter Run). 

She also lettered in basketball, earning honorable mention all-conference and honorable mention Telegraph Herald honors as a sophomore. 

After high school, Dillman ran at UW-Platteville and graduated in 2013. She holds four school records in indoor and outdoor track and also became a four-time All-American. She had a pair of third place finishes in the 800 Meter Run in the 2012 outdoor season and the 2013 indoor season.

The 1988 Baseball team was the first PdC Baseball team to qualify for the state tournament. The Hawks started the season 20-0 before losing 2-0 to Kimberly in the WIAA Class B State Semifinals. The team’s twenty consecutive wins remain the longest winning streak in program history. 

Featuring 10 returning lettermen from the previous year, the Prairie du Chien offense hit 35 home runs as a team that season, which remains the most in program history. The team won conference, regional and sectional championships during their run to 20-0.

 The streak was not without its threats, though. During a regular season non-conference game at Westby, the Hawks overcame a 11-1 deficit in the fifth inning to defeat the Norsemen by the score of 14-13.

Mike Steiner Construction was selected as  this year’s community member. Steiner has been apart of the Prairie du Chien athletic community since the 1980s.

Mike helped coach intramural volleyball and softball teams at the Prairie Catholic Schools as well as their basketball team and the junior varsity and varsity softball teams at Prairie du Chien High School.

Steiner has used his construction expertise to help design and build the concession stand and press box at Prairie du Chien High School, the concession stands and batting cages at Cecil Smith Field and concession stands at the Bluff View Softball Field. He helped form and pour the concrete that was used for the baseball dugouts, the varsity softball dugouts and the concrete behind the backstop at the softball field. He recently helped put up a shed on his property that has turf and batting cages for softball and baseball players to practice on indoors all year long.

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