Class of 2024
Team Members:
Monica Anderson '13, Molly (Bohrer) Maxwell ’13, Moira Cary '10, Heidi Gori '10, Claire Koester '12, Allie Sibole '10, and Shannon Walsh '13 Coaches: Chase Wells and Pat Wagner † |
2009 Girls Cross Country State Champions
The moment the 2009 girls’ cross country team learned they won the school’s first-ever state title, they were overwhelmed by joy and astonishment. The victory may not have seemed surprising given the depth of talent on the team, with all seven runners earning all-league honors that season, but the odds that day were stacked against them. Marist had never won a girl’s cross country title, while their main rival, Siuslaw, was seeking their sixth consecutive title and had the two fastest runners in the state. Marist’s slim chances appeared even worse when their own top-ranked runner, who was battling mono, faded to the back of the pack. Not deterred, the Marist girls, led by sixth-place finisher Heidi Gori, rallied to run phenomenal races. They ultimately beat Siuslaw by eight points. Marist’s top five runners each earned all-state honors, with Heidi Gori named to the first team, Shannon Walsh and Molly Bohrer named to the second team, and Monica Anderson and Claire Koester earning honorable mentions. Senior and four-time letterwinner Moira Cary said, “The past three years were leading up to this season; it was our best shot at ending Siuslaw’s five year dynasty.” With a combination of perseverance, talent, and teamwork, the 2009 team did just that. |
Chris Olafson ’93 †
When Chris Olafson was young, he competed on swim teams for Junction City and the Eugene City Swim Club. During his four years at Marist Catholic High School, he was a two-time district champion in the 50 Freestyle. After graduation, Chris then competed for Indian River Community College in Florida and then headed to University of Tennessee. At the University of Tennessee, Chris was an NCAA All-American in both the 200 Freestyle and 200 Medley in 1998. Chris spent time in Connecticut coaching swimming before returning to the West Coast to be closer to his family where he worked at Pacific Continental Bank. Chris passed away after a battle with Cancer in 2013. |
Mike Whitney
Mike Whitney has been a staple in the Marist community since his first child started at Marist in the fall of 1982. All six of his children graduated from Marist and he is the proud grandfather of 12 grandchildren. This includes two Marist alums, a current student and a future Spartan. In addition to being a parent and grandparent, Mike has been a volunteer at Marist for over 40 years. He served as a School Board Member, activity bus driver for multiple sports and was a football and basketball announcer at games. More recently and specific to athletics, Mike served as our M.C. at the Athletic Hall of Fame since its inception in 2019. Mike was a Eugene Policeman and Detective from 1969 - 1980 and still does investigative work as a Private Investigator today. |
Ray Paiement ’74
Ray Paiement is a 1974 graduate of Marist Catholic High School where he lettered in four high school sports, led the 1973 football team to the school’s first state championship as quarterback, and received multiple all-league and all-state honors. In 1974, he was named MVP of the East-West Shrine Football game. After graduating from Marist, Ray played semi-pro baseball in Canada and was selected to the Canadian National Baseball Team with participation in multiple World Games. He played baseball and football for the University of Oregon. Since graduating, Ray’s dedication to Marist has not waned. All four of his children graduated from Marist and Ray has lent his time to the school in various ways. He has been a member of the Marist Foundation Board, he and his wife Sue chaired a Marist Auction and most notably, spearheaded the group to start the Athletic Hall of Fame. He led the group as chair for four years sitting on the committees to research and nominate athletes, teams, coaches and supporters to the Hall of Fame. Ray is known throughout the Eugene-Springfield community for his rich history in volunteerism around youth sports. He has coached soccer, ice-hockey, football, basketball and baseball. |
Steve Eggink '80
A two sport athlete, Steve Eggink ’80 spent four years on the Varsity baseball and basketball teams at Marist Catholic High School. Steve led his basketball teams to back to back state championships in 1978 and 1979. During his sophomore year, he was named 1st Team All League, 1st Team All Tournament, Outstanding Rebounder and Team Leading Scorer. His junior year, he was named Outstanding Rebounder, Team Leading Scorer, League MVP, 1st Team All State and 2nd Team All Tournament. His senior year, he was named 1st Team All League at MAC Court prior to the State Tournament. He received 1st Team All League honors his junior and senior year for Baseball and he was honored at graduation with the Thomas Kerns Award. After graduating from Marist, Steve moved across the country but his place of education didn’t change names much! He attended Marist College where he was equally if not more successful as a student-athlete. Steve was a member of the Men’s Basketball team for five years (1980-1985) which included their first four seasons in Division I. He still remains Marist College’s all-time leader in free throw percentage (.892). In his final year as a member of the basketball team, Marist College won the ECAC Metro regular season championship, it was their first regular season title in Division I history. Steve led the team in scoring (15.3 points per game), ranked third in Division I in free throw percentage (.920), was a Second Team All-ECAC Metro selection and was the fans' choice as the team's Most Valuable Player. After his final season, Steve was on the Marist College coaching staff and was an academic advisor to the men's basketball team. That season, Marist reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. He was an assistant coach at University of Oregon under Coach Don Monson for three seasons (1986-1988) and at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA in 1989. He was an AP European History and Global History teacher at Saugerties High School from 1990 until 2020. While there, he was the Head Boys Varsity Basketball Coach (1990-1997). He was named Kingston Freeman Coach of the Year in 1993. Steve has worked as a color analyst on Marist College men's basketball broadcasts since 2004. This includes games broadcast on local television, local radio, audio streaming, and (since 2017) on our school-produced ESPN broadcasts. He was also selected to serve as a color analyst for ESPN+ broadcasts for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship for the past several years. Steve has been a color analyst for radio/TV broadcasts for Marist College football since 2018. These have included school-produced ESPN broadcasts since 2021. With such a rich history at Marist College, it’s unsurprising that Steve married his wife of 39 years, Cathy at The Chapel on Marist College campus. Together, they have three daughters and two grandchildren. |
Coach Rich Schwab †
In 1973, his first season as the football coach at Marist High School, Rich Schwab led the Spartans to a 12-0 record and the State Championship. But his mark on Marist goes beyond that trophy, living on through the slogan that he coined to inspire and rally his team, words that would become the motto of the school for decades: “We Are One.” Schwab came from southern California to attend the University of Oregon, where he was a wide receiver under Coach Len Casanova from 1960-1963 and played in the Sun Bowl. After graduating and earning his Masters, Schwab taught and coached football at Sheldon High School, Churchill and eventually Marist, compiling a 48-12 record over 5 years leading the Spartans. Schwab then entered the business world, spending several years in restaurant ownership and management before becoming Human Resource Director at Timber Products, a position he held for 16 years before retirement in 2004. Rich Schwab’s enthusiasm and upbeat optimism were irrepressible. He passed away in 2018, at age 75, leaving an enduring legacy as a coach, mentor, husband, father and Papa. |