Celebrating achievements at all stages of life – Alaska Sports Hall of Fame ceremony was monumental

A capacity crowd filled the Anchorage Museum on Wednesday night, united by words of wisdom, inspiration and merriment in celebrating the lasting impact displayed by Alaska’s current and former athletes.

Nine people, one team and two moments were honored at the 18th annual Alaska Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The decorated program included an Olympic silver medalist, a lifelong outdoor adventurer and a dominant high school wrestler, among other legendary standouts.

Butch Lincoln, Dick Griffith and Sean Rash were inducted as individuals, and the East-Bartlett Triple Overtime Title Game and Ephraim Kalmakoff’s Mount Marathon record were inducted as moments.

Gus Schumacher, who netted a historic silver medal at the Winter Olympics four months ago, was honored with the Pride of Alaska award for a record-fourth time — thrice as an adult and once as a youth.

Each time, the renowned cross-country skier from Anchorage finds a way to level up, rewriting history in the process. Schumacher’s Olympic medal in the team sprint was just the third ever for an American man, joining teammate Ben Ogden and Bill Koch, while also netting three World Cup podiums — gold, silver and bronze — to bring his career total to five.

His seventh place in the World Cup overall standings is believed to be the highest ranking since Koch, crediting former coach Jan Buron, Olympic gold medalist Kikkan Randall and the Anchorage community for helping him pave the way to the podium.

“The community here is so phenomenal and it’s why I get to race on the ski trails in Europe,” said Schumacher. “I’m excited to keep pushing my limits and competing on the world stage.”

Walking out to “Blinded by the Light,” sung by Manfred Man’s Earth Band, was Jack Leveque, a rising Service High senior who has proven to be a force at the state, national and international levels. Leveque, who gave a light-hearted speech, repeated as boys Athlete of the Year and Alaska Skimeister, after sweeping both individual titles at the state high school championships.

“This is an honor,” said Leveque. “I’m just a normal guy that happens to be good at skiing.”

The 16-year-old also medaled at a trio of races at U.S. Junior Nationals and finished 10th in the 10K at the World Junior Championships — the youngest skier to finish in the top-25. Leveque credited his family and Buron, the Service High and Alaska Winter Stars coach, for playing a role in his success.

“I wouldn’t be the person I am today or the skier I am today.”

It was only fitting that in addition to Schumacher and Leveque, Alaska Winter Stars founder and head coach Jan Buron was also inducted. Walking out to “The Best” by Tina Turner, Buron received the Joe Floyd Award for his significant and lasting contribution to Alaska through sports.

“I am very moved and honored,” said Buron. “Over the years, we have done very well.”

Buron, who established the powerhouse in 1997, has produced a myriad of state and U.S. Junior National champions. This winter was particularly successful: Schumacher, who he coached for 14 years, took silver at the Winter Olympics; Murphy Kimball placed sixth in the sprint at the World Junior Championships, while Leveque placed 10th in the 10K; and Leveque and Ethan Elliott both struck gold at U.S. Junior Nationals.

The renowned coach has also coached over 30 Skimeister awards and over 20 team titles at Service.

Also making a splash on the national stage is rising star wrestler Sobina Clendaniel. As a junior at Seward High, she established herself as one of the nation’s top grapplers, collecting a pair of medals at two major championships — silver at the U17 Pan-Am Team Trials and bronze at the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals. She also capped a 20-0 season to win the state high school championships.

Clendaniel, who has been dominant on the mat, inspires teammates and wrestlers alike to keep striving and dreaming big.

“I want to wrestle at the Olympics,” said Clendaniel. “If I keep getting better and keep improving, I’ll get there.”

And while her hard work in practice is evident in her success at the state and national level, she also has become a source of inspiration for athletes with alopecia — an autoimmune disease that often results in hair loss. Clendaniel graciously thanked her supporters and added that the impact of wrestling goes far beyond the mat.

“This award isn’t just mine, but for everyone who believed in me,” said Clendaniel. “Wrestling is a powerful sport that has taught me resilience, discipline and empathy; it has taught me through victories and struggles. What was once my weakness has now become my strength.”

While Homer’s Kristen Faulkner was unable to attend in person, her mother, Sara, accepted the award on her behalf. The two-time Olympic champion added three Pan-Am gold medals to her collection. Faulkner won gold in the team pursuit and individual pursuit at the Pan American Track Championships in Chile and at the Pan-American Road Championships in Colombia in the time trial, after returning from off-season shoulder surgery.

In her acceptance video, Faulkner, who is currently racing in Europe, reflected on her achievements thus far, while providing inspiration for the next generation of athletes.

“(It’s) far beyond anything I could have imagined as a little girl growing up in Alaska,” said Faulkner. “To the young Alaskans, growing up in Alaska is special because it lets us dream big before the world tells us who we should be.”

The largest crowd by far was for the Kenai Ice Hawks, a 12U hockey team that became the first all-girls team in Alaska to claim the championship in the co-ed 12UB Alaska State Hockey Tournament. The entire hockey team was invited onto the stage to accept the Trajan Langdon Award for leadership, sportsmanship and inspiration, alongside coach Chris Chambos, who emphasized the special bond the players share.

“They are all friends, they lift each other up on and off the ice — so proud of what they accomplished this year,” said Chambos, whose team beat the undefeated Nikiski Ice Dawgs to capture the state title. “Girls hockey is so amazing, it’s much more than a hockey team, it’s a family.”

Then, a few of the players got a chance to reflect on their historic game and team chemistry:

“This team welcomed me since day one,” said Harper Madrid. “We had not beaten [the Nikiski Ice Dawgs] all season, but with 55 seconds left, we scored the game-winning goal.”

“I always have fun,” another player added. “Even when we don’t win, we just laugh about it.”

“We are proud,” said Luna Felt. “We are fully capable of competing at a high level.”

And if there was a song that fully embodied one’s final collegiate season, it was Mark Morrison’s “Return of the Mack” fittingly chosen by Elaina Mack.

While Mack was unable to attend the ceremony, as she was up north running a youth basketball camp, UAA head coach Matt Thune accepted the award on her behalf.

Last spring, when the team’s previous coaching staff left for a Division I school in California, all of the players followed, except for Mack. Just the second Class 1A player in program history, Mack made her senior season one to remember, tying the single-game scoring record with a 41-point game and finishing her career with 1,128 points — the 14th-most in program history — in addition to graduating with two degrees.

The record-setting guard from King Cove told Thune her decision was, in part, “‘Because of the name on the front of the jersey, it’s for the pride of Alaska.’”

“Elaina is a great basketball player,” Thune added. “I’ve coached many players over the years, and her work ethic is unmatched … she is going to outwork everybody.”

Like Mack, Butch Lincoln’s basketball career at UAA also represented a greater community, selflessly leading the way for the next generation of rural and Alaska Native athletes.

Lincoln, who was the first Alaska Native athlete to earn a basketball scholarship at UAA, helped the Seawolves win 69 games and three conference titles.

But the athlete from Kotzebue was quick to recognize those who played at UAA before him — citing Manny Wrase from McGrath and Derek Ahgeak from Barrow — and acknowledged Matt Carle of Hydaburg/Juneau-Douglas/UAF and other decorated indigenous players from Tikigaq and Wrangell and the recently graduated Mack.

“You don’t play for yourself, you play for others and those before you,” said Lincoln.

Lincoln, who grew up on a “steady diet of caribou and sheefish” and was raised by a single mother, emphasized the importance of hard work, the guidance of high school coach Craig McConnell, and the significance of support from the Alaska Native community. He added that basketball opened the door to a world-class education to break the poverty cycle.

Ephraim Kalmakoff, a 16-year-old from Chignik, was recognized posthumously, as his Mount Marathon course record in 1928 was one of the “moments” inducted. Kalmakoff broke the previous record by two and a half minutes and remains the youngest winner in race history, later becoming the race’s first three-time winner.

Kalmakoff, who was orphaned after his parents passed away from Tuberculosis, was relocated to Seward’s Jesse Lee Home for displaced children. It was there he sped to a time of 52 minutes, 35 seconds, up and down the unforgiving pitch, while wearing his Boy Scout uniform.

Though his record lasted for 29 years, Kalmakoff’s time would still place him inside the top-35 during the 2025 edition of the race.

Mount Marathon race director Matias Saari accepted the award on Kalmakoff’s behalf, stating that after an extensive search for descendants, the award will be displayed in the community of Chignik.

“This young man has touched the hearts of the Chignik community and brings pride to the people of Chignik,” said Saari. “He lived a short, tragic life, but a very meaningful one.”

Dick Griffith, who helped shape Alaska’s outdoor adventure world, was inducted into the hall of fame posthumously.

Griffith, who was 98 when he died in December 2025, completed several epic adventures, including walking, skiing and paddling thousands and thousands of miles in Alaska.

Some of his highlights include: the first to row a rubber raft (1951) and the first to paddle a packraft down the Grand Canyon (1991), the first descent of the Río Urique in Copper Canyon, Mexico (1952), the first documented traverse of Alaska’s Brooks Range (1959, 1977), and the first and only person to ski across the Northwest Passage (1989-93, ’95-’97, ’99-’00).

“He didn’t look to see what other people did, he just did them,” said son Barney Griffith, who accepted the award on his behalf. “He got so many people into the wilderness, loved being around people and teaching them about the wilderness.”

Anchorage’s Sean Rash walked out to “The Champion” by Carrie Underwood, a song symbolizing the overcoming of obstacles. The professional bowler was quick to thank his supporters, naming coaches, sponsors, bowling alley owners and family members — including his wife Sara and three daughters — that helped get him to where he is today.

Rash won his 18th PBA Tour title in 2025, after overcoming a right-hand injury to earn his first PBA tour victory in four years. Rash has made countless sacrifices throughout his career, but the Dimond High grad says getting the opportunity to wear a Team USA jersey and hear the national anthem never gets old.

Walking out to Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like an Eagle” was former East High assistant coach Jackie Lewis and former Bartlett High assistant coach Wayne Westlake. The two reminisced on the 1993 East-Bartlett Triple Overtime Boys Basketball Title Game, as it was inducted as a “moment.”

The game, which occurred at the end of January that year, represented a “bright, warm and full game of energy” that brought exuberance to an otherwise dim and frigid time of year. Lewis and Westlake recalled the game, explaining key moments, following a highlight reel of the game.

“I would have really liked that fourth overtime,” joked Westlake.

2026 Alaska Sports Hall of Fame

18th Annual Induction Ceremony

At the Anchorage Museum

Class Induction

People

Dick Griffith

Butch Lincoln

Sean Rash

Moments

16-year-old Ephraim Kalmakoff sets Mount Marathon Record in 1928

East-Bartlett Triple OT Boys Basketball Title Game in 1993

Directors’ Awards

Pride of Alaska (Youth)

Jack Leveque

Sobina Clendaniel

Pride of Alaska (Adult)

Gus Schumacher

Kristen Faulkner

Trajan Langdon Award (Youth)

Kenai Ice Hawks

Trajan Langdon Award (Adult)

Elaina Mack

Joe Floyd Award

Jan Buron

HALL OF FAME HITS

* Emcee Bill Bailey did a phenomenal job, as usual, introducing the awardees and bringing humor to the legendary event. Bailey echoed the awardees’ sentiments of refusing to give up and inspiring the next generation, adding that, “It’s not what you accomplish, but how you accomplish it.”

* A video of an Anchorage elementary student was played on the big screen, showcasing the student being surprised with a bike helmet, followed by a new bike — his first ever — after he expressed a strong interest in the activity while at school. The youth was one of many athletes who have received sports equipment from Healthy Futures through their Game Changer Fund, a health equity project.

* Healthy Futures raised over $25,000 in their second annual “paddle call” event midway through the program. The nonprofit organization empowers Alaska’s youth to build the habit of daily physical activity. This year, they hosted a statewide Alaska Sports Legends art contest, won by Lillian Richardson (AK Homeschool), whose art featured Lance Mackey. Over 150 submissions were received from 7th-12th grade students from dozens of schools across the state.

* Alaska News Source’s Jordan Rodenberger outdid himself yet again by putting together the ceremony’s videos. One of the top clips included Gus Schumacher skiing to a historic silver medal in the team sprint at the 2026 Winter Olympics with teammate Ben Ogden.