Courtesy art

The Alpena Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors announces its Class of 2025. The four members of the 2025 class will be inducted during the Hall of Fame’s annual banquet on June 6 at the APlex.

The four members of the Class of 2025 are:

Lisa (Gallagher) Datema — Alpena High School Class of 1980

Becky (Jore) Rommel — Alpena High School Class of 1992

Brian Stibitz — Alpena High School Class of 1993

Jaime (VanMassenhove) Bieber — Alpena High School Class of 2000

The soon-to-be Hall of Famers were chosen after tallying the votes of the members of the Hall of Fame Voting Association. Ballots with 10 nominees were mailed to 650-plus members to make the selections. The members’ ballots were counted to determine the selections.

Tickets for the event are $30 and can be purchased at Jimmie Garant’s Party store or through Venmo at @AlpenaSportsHOF.

LISA (GALLAGHER) DATEMA

Lisa was a basketball and softball star and left an indelible mark on the court. During her three seasons for the Green and White, she was a member of the 1977 district championship team and set several individual records. She set Alpena’s single-game scoring record in 1979 with a 25-point effort vs. Petoskey and set a new program scoring record with 798 career points.

Lisa’s stellar season didn’t go unnoticed as she earned all-state honors and was named the team’s MVP. On the softball field, she was named first-team all-state by the Detroit News in 1979.

BECKY (JORE) ROMMEL

Becky found success early in basketball and built an impressive resume that included stints with two different college teams. After playing on a 20-0 JV team, Becky became a varsity star whose name is still etched throughout the program’s record book. She played on teams in 1990-91 and 1991-92 that won both district and regional championships and served as team captain during both seasons.

Becky earned an all-state honorable mention in 1991-92 and still holds single-game, season, and career records for blocked shots. She was also Alpena’s career leader in rebound until her record was broken by Jodi Harbson. Becky went on to play at Ferris State University from 1992-94 and served as team captain during her second season there. She also played at Saginaw Valley State University from 1995-97 and served as team captain during her final season. That same year, the Cardinals made an NCAA Tournament appearance and finished third in their conference tournament.

BRIAN STIBITZ

Many hockey players have helped put Alpena on the map, but Brian’s senior year in 1992-93 is arguably one of the greatest individual seasons by an Alpena player.

While helping the Wildcats win their third state championship as a team co-captain, he was voted Mr. Hockey by the Michigan Hockey School Hockey Coaches Association, earned Class A all-state honors, was a member of the Hockey Dream team for 1993, earned all-state academic honors, earned a Michigan High School Athletic Association award, and earned the Vic Knowlton Outstanding Athlete Award.

Prior to his stellar senior season run, Brian earned a Playmaker award and was named to the all-tournament team in 1990-91. As a junior in 1991-92, Brian earned all-state honors and was a member of the 1992 Hockey Dream Team while being named Alpena’s Most Valuable Defensive Player and earning another Playmaker award. Brian also earned four letters in soccer from 1989-92 and two tennis letters in 1992 and 1993.

JAIME (VanMASSENHOVE) BIEBER

Jaime was a dual-sport standout, starring in both hockey and softball during a decorated career before going on to play college hockey. As a four-year softball starter, she earned all-academic honors each season and was a second-team all-conference selection in 1998. She was a first-team all-district and all-regional pick in 1999. She also had a stellar freshman season in 1997, earning Defensive MVP honors and finishing with the highest team on-base percentage and second-highest batting average in 1997 and 1998.

On the ice, Jaime is one of the few female players to ever lace up for the Wildcats, playing for their JV team in 1997 and 1998. In 1996 and 1997, she was a member of the state champion women’s 15U Tier 1 Hockey Team Michigan (1996), and 19U Tier 1 Hockey Metro Flyer Team (1997). showcasing her skills at several elite hockey camps, Jaime continued to find success with the 2000 state and national champion women’s 19U Tier 1 Hockey Belle Tire team, including scoring the go-ahead goal and assisting on the game-winner in the title game.

Jaime’s stellar youth hockey career parlayed itself into a chance to play at the University of New Hampshire, where she played four years of Division 1 hockey while also earning all-conference academic honors all four years. As a freshman, she tied the school record for game-winning goals in a season and went on to be named a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference all-star team in 2002 and earned the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2004.

In the coming months, the Hall of Fame board will announce its selection for Team of the Year, whose members will also be honored at the banquet. The Hall of Fame will also name Boosters of the Year and the recipient of its third Voice of the North award.