Four Alumni Receive Top Athletic Honors
The ceremony, which took place in September during Homecoming and Family & Friends Weekend, honored former student-athletes Brenda Erdman Miller’96, Marc Montoya’00, Josh Hinz’06, and beloved head women’s tennis coach Bob Hodge.
Brenda Erdman Miller’96 says she came to Beloit to find a place to belong. It’s safe to say the three-sport and two-time MVP found that place. She played on two championship teams in volleyball and basketball and was a two-time conference champion in track and field.
“The opportunities were everywhere I turned, and it was the students, coaches, and faculty who helped shape me into the woman that I am today,” Miller said in her acceptance speech. Miller is director of instructional accountability at the Northwest Local School District in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Baseball player Marc Montoya’00 was a three-time first team All-MWC selection, a two-time team captain, and team Defensive Player of the Year. He was team Pitcher of the Year as a sophomore and team MVP as a senior. At his graduation, he was in the top three for career assists, hit by pitch, and games played. He said his time at Beloit, particularly playing baseball, made him a better person.
“… Beloit baseball surrounded me with winners; winners in the classroom, winners on the field, winners within their families, winners for the underprivileged, winners for the less fortunate, winners within the community, winners in life. All of these winners continue pushing me to be better. That, my friends, is what Beloit is all about.”
In February 2006, Josh Hinz’06 helped lead Beloit in a memorable 50-point, 36-rebound game against Grinnell in Flood Arena for a 120-112 Beloit win—one of two 50-point games for Hinz. The four-year Buccaneer men’s basketball team letter winner still holds the career record for points, field goals made, free throws made, and rebounds. Since 2012, he’s taken those skills and inspired players as Beloit’s assistant basketball coach.
But the night belonged to Coach Bob Hodge. Many former students and colleagues showed up to celebrate him.
An honorary alumnus and professor emeritus of history, Hodge coached the women’s tennis team, starting as a temporary women’s tennis coach and eventually holding the head coach position for 27 years.
“I often referred to my tennis players as friends … all coaches, in reality, do develop friendships,” Hodge said.
Hodge and his “friends” won five Midwest Conference Championships and produced 44 individual champions, including the most in conference history at #1 Singles (10), #2 Singles (8), and #1 Doubles (7). He had 12 seasons with 10-plus dual meet victories and posted over 250 career dual-meet wins during his tenure. Hodge and his wife, Diane, are retired and live in San Diego, Calif.
