2016
ELK RIVER HIGH SCHOOL HALL OF FAME 2016
Laura (Anderson) Peterson, Amy (Killpatrick) Leopold, Ron Johnson, Thomas McAlpine, Scott Moe, Sam Mills, Dave Conley, Randi (Warhol) Bailey, Joel Hanson
Laura (Anderson) Peterson 1996 Laura earned ten varsity letters in her sports of soccer and Nordic Ski. Nordic skiing was her passion, where she earned All-Conference six times. Her Nordic teams were conference champions and section champions four times each, and won a state Nordic championship in 1994. As an individual skier, Laura was state champion in 1996, was the individual conference and section champion four times each, and earned All-State honors five times. In addition to all of this, she earned All-American status in 1995, and was a member of the US Junior Biathlon Team in 1996. After high school, Laura earned a Division I scholarship to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay where she competed at the NCAA championships four times, finishing 9th in 2001. She was also named an NCAA All-American in 2001 while achieving her Bachelor’s degree. In 2008, she earned an additional Bachelor’s degree in Nursing.
Amy (Killpatrick) Leopold 2004 Amy was an avid swimmer for the Elks. She earned six varsity letters, was named All-Conference six times, and was an All-State swimmer five times. Amy was also the section swimmer of the year three times, was a repeat section champion, and held four section records. Amy earned a scholarship to swim at the University of Minnesota where she earned two varsity letters as well as a Bachelor’s degree in 2010. Amy has continued her passion for swimming, as she now works as a professional youth swimming coach.
Ron Johnson 1987 Ron earned nine Elk letters in football, wrestling, and track and was named All-Conference in football and track. In football, he was All-Metro and All-State in 1986, and played in the MN All-Star football game in 1987. Ron’s talents in football earned him a scholarship to the University of North Dakota. While with the Fighting Sioux, he was a three-year starter and letter winner, and was named to the NCC All-Conference team in 1991. That same year, he was also awarded the University of North Dakota AD Academic Achievement Award. After college, Ron came home to coach with the Elks while also volunteering his time as a coach and Board Member for Elk River Youth Football.
Thomas McAlpine 2002 Thomas earned nine Elk varsity letters: five in wrestling, two in soccer, and one each in tennis and football. He was named All-Conference in wrestling four times, and earned Honorable Mention in wrestling and football one time each. Thomas ended his wrestling career as an Elk with a 167 total wins. He won the prestigious MN Christmas Tournament, was All-State three times, and was the 135-pound state champion in 2002. Thomas was Academic All-State and was a member of the National Honor Society. He earned a Division I wrestling scholarship to the University of Minnesota where he was a letter winner. After graduating with a Business degree, Thomas returned home to coach the Elks as an assistant coach and was the first coach of the Elk River boys’ lacrosse team.
Scott Moe 1991 Scott earned ten Elk varsity letters: two in football, three in hockey, and five in golf. He earned All-Conference honors in hockey two times, once in football, and four times in golf. Scott and his teammates were the state team runner-up in 1991, and he was named All-State that same year. After high school, Scott played golf for Gustavus, where he was a three-time MIAC individual champion, was a member of four MIAC team championships, a Division-III All American in 1993 and 1995, and is a member of the Gustavus Athletics Hall of Fame. Scott has continued his prolific golf career at Gustavus where he now serves as the men’s and women’s head golf coach. While his playing career is impressive, his coaching career is more so. He has coached his teams to ten MIAC championships, three NCAA second place finishes, and one NCAA championship. In 2005, he coached the US Junior National Team to a World Cup title. Currently, he remains the only coach in NCAA history to win Coach of Year honors for men’s and women’s teams.
Sam Mills 1999 Sam earned four Elk varsity letters in soccer, and two in Cross Country. He was on two state tournament teams for the Elks, and earned All-Conference and All-State honors two times each. Sam led the Elks in scoring three times, and is currently the second leading career goal scorer. Through soccer, Sam earned a Division I soccer scholarship to Bradley University where he played four years. While at Bradley, Sam played in two NCAA tournaments, and was twice named to the Missouri Valley All-Tournament team. Sam earned his Bachelor’s degree from Bradley and his MBA from Campbell University. Sam currently lives in North Carolina with his family and serves as the Director of School Administration for the Winston-Salem, NC school system.
Dave Conley, Coach After graduating from St. Cloud State in 1973, Dave served as an educator in Elk River for 34 years. For 20 of those years, he was also the Elk River High School head boys golf coach. Under his guidance, his Elks teams won a staggering 15 conference championships and six section championships. In addition, six of his teams placed at the state tournament. Dave was named Section Coach of the Year five times, 19 of his golfers went on to play in college, and eight of his players went on to play golf professionally. Dave retired to Florida in 2014, but still returns every summer to Minnesota.
Randi (Warhol) Bailey 2001 Randi earned ten varsity letters at Elk River in soccer, track, and Nordic Ski. She was a four-year soccer starter for the Elks and was named All-Conference three times. Randi was named All-State two times, and was on the state All-Tournament team in 2000. In 2001, Randi was named Elk River’s Athena winner as the top senior female athlete. After high school, she earned a soccer scholarship to Minnesota State-Mankato where she continued with her success. At Mankato, she was NCC All-Conference from 2002-2005, a two-time captain, and a two-time member of the North Central All-Region Team. In 2005, she earned Bachelor’s degrees in Sports Management and Business. She currently lives in the area and currently coaches in the Rogers Youth program.
Joel Hanson 2001 Joel was a well-rounded athlete who earned seven varsity letters in hockey, football, and baseball. He was a member of the Elk River 2001 boys’ hockey state championship team, and earned All-Conference honors multiple times. After high school, Joel continued to play hockey in the USHSL and won the Clark Cup in 2004 with the Waterloo Blackhawks. He earned a Division I hockey scholarship to Minnesota State-Mankato, where he was a four-time letter winner and a captain during his senior season. That same year, Joel was named WCHA Student Athlete of the Year and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Finance. After college, he went on to play professional hockey in the minor league system. Joel now lives in the area and is a volunteer coach with Elk River Youth Hockey.