University of Toledo Varsity T Club announces Hall of Fame class

Seven former University of Toledo athletes will join the Varsity T Club Hall of Fame when they are enshrined Oct. 25-26, the weekend of the football game against Bowling Green.

Inductees will include Joe Conroy (football, 1974-78), Arnika Edwards Bess (women’s track and field, 1995-98), Natalia Gaitan (women’s soccer, 2009-12), Kylie Gamelier (women’s swimming and diving, 2005-09), Yolanda Richardson Swain (women’s basketball, 2009-13), Glyn Smith (football and men’s track and field, 1970-72), and Ron Warga (baseball, 1996-99).

Also honored will be former deputy athletic director Dave Nottke, who spent 33 years with UT athletics before retiring in 2022.

The banquet will take place Friday, Oct. 25, at the Pinnacle in Maumee. Tickets ($50 individual or $500 for a table of 10) are available from the UT athletic department office at 419-530-5087. The class also will be honored at halftime of the football game on Saturday, Oct. 26, against Bowling Green at the Glass Bowl.

Conroy was a first-team all-Mid-American Conference selection on defense as a senior. He ranks second in program history with 490 tackles and sixth in tackles for loss with 39. Later, he became a professional beach volleyball player and went on to serve as head volleyball coach at Youngstown State University from 1992-2004.

Edwards Bess won five MAC titles in hurdle events, including the 200-meter indoor hurdles in 1996, 200-meter indoor hurdles in 1997, the 400-meter outdoor hurdles in 1998, the 400-meter indoor hurdles in 1998, and the 400-meter outdoor hurdles in 1998. Her 54.97 time in the 400 indoor hurdles is the second-best time in UT history.

Gaitan was a two-time All-Great Lakes Region and All-MAC honoree who played in two Olympics and two World Cups for Colombia.  A defender, Gaitan helped the Rockets win the 2011 MAC title.

Gamelier was the first UT swimmer to compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials. She also was the first NCAA championships qualifier from UT, finishing 31st nationally in the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke.

Richardson Swain was a two-time All-MAC player. The Start High School graduate is the Rockets’ all-time leader in blocked shots with 213, and she ranks fourth in field-goal percentage at 56.6 percent.

Smith, who died in 1986, was a wide receiver and kick returner on the Rockets’ undefeated 1970 and 1971 teams. As a senior, he recorded 19 catches for 466 yards and five touchdowns, earning second-team All-MAC honors. In track and field, Smith set a MAC record with a 25-foot-6 long jump attempt at the MAC championship meet, which qualified him for the 1972 NCAA championships and Olympic Trials.

Warga was a four-year starter in the middle infield for UT. He hit .300 with a .394 on-base percentage, nine home runs, a program-record 17 triples, 32 doubles, 104 RBIs, 156 runs scored, and 65 stolen bases.