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MSU Billings inducts 2018 Hall of Fame class

Posted at 6:20 PM, Jan 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-12 20:20:06-05

(MSU Billings release)

BILLINGS – Four former Montana State University Billings student-athletes were inducted into the Yellowjacket Hall of Fame and Distinction Friday night at the 29th annual event inside the Hilton Garden Inn.

Becky (Fry) Abrams (women’s tennis, 2002-05), Kalli (Stanhope) Allen (women’s basketball and women’s golf, 2008-2012), Carly (Valentine) Andre (women’s soccer, 2007-2010), and Jerett Skrifvars (men’s basketball, 1999-2004) are the newest MSUB Hall of Fame members.

“We are excited to introduce this diverse cast of hall of famers, as all four inductees were among the top students and athletes during their years as Yellowjackets,” said MSUB director of athletics Krista Montague. “Each year, our Hall of Fame ceremony gives us a chance to reflect on the great people that successfully passed through our athletic department in the past, and we always look forward to the stories they share from their time at MSUB. Their success as athletes speaks for itself, but it is their success in life since earning their degree at MSUB that we are most proud of.”

Abrams is the third women’s tennis player to be inducted into MSUB’s Hall of Fame, Allen is the second golfer and 24th women’s basketball player, Andre is the sixth women’s soccer player, and Skrifvars is the 35th men’s basketball player.

Competing under head coach Jerry Peach for four seasons, Abrams (then Becky Fry) finished her tennis career No. 2 in MSUB history with 50 singles victories. She is also tied for the third-most doubles wins in school history with 23, giving her the second-most overall wins as a Yellowjacket with 73.

In addition to Abrams’ success as an athlete, she completed a grade point average of 4.0 over her junior and senior seasons. After earning her master’s degree, Abrams is now an athletic trainer at Billings Clinic Orthopedic and Sports Medicine. She and her husband Drew Abrams reside in Billings with their two daughters Piper (8) and Emmy (5).

“I am incredibly proud and so honored to be inducted into the MSU Billings Hall of Fame,” said Abrams. “My four years as a student-athlete were some of the most amazing years of my life, and I could not have had so much success without such remarkable coaches, teammates, and professors. This will be a great time to reflect back on my years as a Yellowjacket.”

A dual-sport athlete from 2008-2012, Allen still stands as the greatest women’s golfer in MSUB history and was also a four-year letterwinner in women’s basketball for head coach Kevin Woodin. Allen (formerly Kalli Stanhope) is the only women’s golfer in school history to qualify for the NCAA national tournament, a feat she achieved during the 2008-09 season both individually and with the Yellowjacket team. She was a first-team all-conference selection in all four of her years as a golfer, and was a three-time academic all-conference selection.

In 2011-12, Allen set the school record for single-season average with 78.0 strokes per round, including a single-round score of 70 at the Rocky Mountain College Invitational which remains the lowest round in school history. Allen has four of the top-six single rounds in MSUB history, two of the top-10 two-round scores in MSUB history, and has the third-best single-season scoring average (78.6, 2010-11) in addition to her school record season.

Allen’s prowess translated to the hardwood, where she was a team captain and four-year player for the ‘Jackets. Allen still holds the school record for made 3-pointers in a game, after she connected eight times from the arc against the University of Colorado Colorado Springs on Nov. 15, 2009.

Allen currently resides in Billings and is an assistant store leader at Scheels. She is married to Jeff Allen, who is a Yellowjacket alumnus and the current assistant coach for MSUB’s men’s and women’s golf teams. The Allens have one daughter, Olivia, who is 18 months old. “My time at Montana State University Billings will always be cherished because of the lifelong friendships I made,” said Allen. “I am thankful for the nomination, and learning of my induction into the athletic Hall of Fame was very humbling.”

A four-year starter on MSUB’s women’s soccer team under head coach Don Trentham, Andre was a stalwart midfielder who helped the ‘Jackets reach their first and only NCAA Division II west region championship tournament. Andre (then Carly Valentine) started 68 games and played in 69 during her four seasons, contributing seven goals and six assists offensively. The ‘Jackets held a cumulative record of 41-36-3 during Andre’s career, and peaked during her senior campaign. In the fall of 2010, Andre helped the team to a 13-6-1 league record and a 1-0 win over Cal State Los Angeles in the opening round of the national tournament.

Academically, Andre was a two-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America all-region scholar, and was a three-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference academic all-conference selection.

Andre currently resides in Bozeman, Mont., where she is a pediatric occupational therapist. She is married to MSUB men’s soccer alumnus Chris Andre. “It is such an honor to be inducted into the MSUB Hall of Fame and be in the company of so many amazing student-athletes,” said Andre. “The quality of coaches, teammates, and community I experienced throughout my four years is what brought me to MSUB in the first place, and it is also what continues to enrich my life as time goes on. The successful tradition of women’s soccer here at MSUB has been one that athletes before, with, and after me have worked hard for, and I am humbled and proud to be a part of it.”

A member of MSUB’s PacWest Conference championship and NCAA regional tournament team during 2001-02, Skrifvars is one of the top men’s basketball players in school history. He was an all-region selection following his senior year in 2003-04, and his 1,240 career points scored are 13th most in Yellowjacket history. Skrifvars is in the top-10 in school history in a multitude of categories, including No. 3 in made free throws (460), No. 6 in steals (112) and No. 8 in rebounds (576).

Skrifvars still holds the school record for field goal percentage in a game at 10-for-10 on Feb. 3, 2001 against Central Washington, and for free-throw percentage in a game at 19-for-19 on Jan. 15, 2001 against BYU-Hawaii. Skrifvars, who played for head coach Craig Carse, was also a two-time academic all-PacWest Conference selection in the classroom.

Skrifvars currently works in business intelligence and analytics in his home of Snohomish, Wash., and has a 10-month-old daughter named Evyn. “I am both humbled and honored to be selected to the MSUB Hall of Fame,” said Skrifvars. “The experiences I gained from the university and basketball program continue to shape who I am today.”

For more information on MSUB’s Hall of Fame, including how to submit a nomination, visit the online home for the Hall of Fame here.