Hall of Fame ready for 3 new members

The IU Athletics Hall of Fame needs to make room for three more members Friday night.\nFormer high jumper Dennis Adama, softball pitcher Amy Unterbrink-Poljan and swimmer Tom Stock will join the other 129 former Hoosiers on the walls of the north and south side of Assembly Hall.\nThe three will be formally inducted in a ceremony tonight at the Bloomington Convention Center. The reception begins at 6 p.m. and will be followed by a dinner and program at 7 p.m.\n"It is always a pleasure to recognize former athletes for their accomplishments," IU Athletics Director Rick Greenspan said. "The thing about this year's class is that, while they each enjoyed individual success, they were also instrumental to the success of their respective programs."\nDuring their time at IU, all three garnered All-American status in their respective sports. \nUnterbrink-Poljan, the only woman in the 2004 induction class and the first IU softball player ever inducted into the IU Hall of Fame, is considered one of the most dominant pitchers in IU softball history. She was named to the All-Big Ten team three times during her career and in 1986 brought home All-American honors.\nThe Unterbrink-Poljan name is plastered all over the IU softball record books, as she ranks atop the single season- and career-shutout categories, single season- and career-earned run averages, innings pitched, and career strikeouts. \nShe resides in Owosso, Mich., with her husband and their six children.\n"This is a tremendous honor for myself and the program because being the first softball player (in the Hall of Fame) is huge," Unterbrink-Poljan said.\nAdama was a four-year letter winner for the Hoosiers and was named an indoor All-American in 1972 and 1973; he won the honor in outside track and field in 1973 and 1974. \nThe Grand Rapids, Mich., resident's best finish at IU came at the 1974 NCAA Outdoor Championships, where he finished second. On top of his NCAA success, Adama ran the table from 1972 to 1974, as he was the Big Ten champion in the indoor and outdoor high jump all three years. \nHis name is still inscribed in the IU record books, as he holds the IU record in the outdoor high jump at 7-3. \n"For me, it's nice to be remembered," he said. "I graduated from Indiana 30 years ago, and to be remembered for things that I did back then means a lot."\nAdama now lives in Grand Rapids with his wife Barbara and his four children.\nThe latest of Doc Counsilman's pupils to reach the Hall of Fame, Stock took home six All-American honors between 1962 and 1964 in the backstroke. Despite never winning an NCAA Championship, he never finished lower than seventh throughout his career. \nBeing coached by arguably the greatest swimming coach of all time, Stock said Counsilman was able to get more out of him than any other coach.\n"He was such a great coach because he made you reach a level of which you did not think you were capable," he said.\nHis championships came at the Amateur Athletic Union meets, where he won seven outdoor titles between 1960 and 1962 in the backstroke and medley relays.\nStock and his wife, Ann, live in Hinsdale, Ill., and have two grown children. \n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.