Lindenwood University's fifth Athletic Hall of Fame class will have 10 members, including six former student-athletes, one meritorious service honoree, and three teams.

The student-athletes in the class of 2011 are Sharon Lawson Bickel (soccer), Joe McKinney (football), Karen Peer (softball), Jennifer Siess Duras (soccer), Ryan Silch (football), and Kara Wall (volleyball).

Also included in the Hall of Fame class are Keith Askenasi (meritorious service), the 2003 men's outdoor track and field team, the 2004 shooting team, and the 2006 women's ice hockey team.

The 2011 induction ceremony will take place during Lindenwood's Homecoming, Oct. 14-15. The class will be honored at a banquet and induction ceremony that Friday evening, and inductees will receive recognition during the Homecoming parade and football game on Saturday.

The Lindenwood Athletic Hall of Fame was created in 2007 to honor the people who have helped make the school's athletics department one of the most successful programs in the nation.

2011 Lindenwood Hall of Fame Bios:

Keith Askenasi, Meritorious Service
Keith Askenasi ('71) was one of the early leaders of the Lindenwood Athletics Department. He was a member of the school's inaugural men's soccer team in 1970, and was among the group of people who coined the nickname Lions for Lindenwood and the school athletics colors of gold and black. Askenasi was the first student Athletics Director for men's sports and helped organize several intramural programs including softball, basketball, and field hockey. In 1971, he became the first male student-athlete at Lindenwood to graduate.

Askenasi was also the first Sports Director of KCLC Radio. He had a daily sports program and broadcasted the first play-by-play at KCLC of local high school sports. Askenasi helped organize several benefit games to raise money for the athletics department and KCLC.

Sharon Lawson, Women's Soccer
Sharon Lawson ('89) was a four-year letterwinner in soccer from 1986-89. She helped the Lady Lions win over 80 percent of their games in that span with three district championships and two regional championships. The 1986 squad finished fourth in the NAIA National Tournament and the 1989 team won 20 games and finished third at nationals.

Lawson played every position but goalie for Lindenwood and found a home as sweeper over her final two seasons. In 1989, she led a defense that allowed less than one goal a game and earned All-American honors. During her career, she was also a two-time NAIA Scholar-Athlete and earned all-conference and all-district honors.

Lawson also played softball for Lindenwood for three seasons and basketball for one year.

Joe McKinney, Football
Joe McKinney ('01) was a four-year letterwinner for the football team from 1997-2000. He was a two-time All-American and three-time first-team all-HAAC performer at the nose guard position.

After earning first-team all-conference honors in 1998, McKinney helped Lindenwood advance to its first appearance in the national tournament in 1999. That year, he earned Don Hanson and NAIA All-American honors and was the HAAC Defensive Player of the Year. As a senior, McKinney once again earned first-team all-HAAC, Don Hanson All-American, and NAIA All-American accolades. He represented Lindenwood at the National All-Star Bowl.

Karen Peer, Softball
Karen Peer ('00) was an outfielder for some of the top softball teams in school history from 1997-2000. Lindenwood won 157 games and three HAAC Championships during her career. In 1998 and 2000, Peer helped the program finish fifth at the national tournament, and in 1999 the Lady Lions came in ninth.

Peer was named a NAIA first-team All-American in 1998 after she batted .445 for the season and helped Lindenwood go 43-7. She was also a three-time all-HAAC and two-time all-region selection.

Jennifer Siess, Soccer
Jennifer Siess ('96) was awarded the prestigious A.O. Duer Award in 1995 and is the only Lindenwood student-athlete to receive that honor. The award is presented annually to a NAIA athlete who is a junior and has excelled in character, playing ability, and scholarship.

Siess was a four-year letterwinner from 1992-95 on the women's soccer team. She helped the Lady Lions go 75-16-5 over that span and advance to the NAIA National Tournament each season. Siess was a member of the 1995 squad which was runner-up at nationals.

Ryan Silch, Football
Ryan Silch ('01) was a four-year starter for the Lions football team from 1996-1999. Silch was the first Lindenwood player to sign a NFL contract after his collegiate playing career.

As a sophomore, the offensive tackle earned second-team all-HAAC honors. The next season, Silch helped Lindenwood advance to the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in school history. He was named first-team all-HAAC and a Don Hansen All-American. Silch repeated those honors during his senior campaign. Silch anchored a Lions' offense that averaged over 30 points a game for the first two times in school history in 1998 and 1999.

Kara Wall, Volleyball
Kara Wall ('04) was a four-year letterwinner in the Lindenwood women's volleyball program from 2001-05. Wall led Lindenwood to over 100 wins during her career and the Lady Lions won conference titles in 2003 and 2005.

Wall was a two-time All-American, earning second-team honors in 2004 and honorable mention accolades the next season. She was a three-time first-team all-HAAC and all-region honoree, and was the 2005 HAAC Player of the Year. Wall earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors once and was the 2004-05 Lindenwood Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She still holds three school records for kills in a season and a career, and services aces in a season.

2003 Men's Outdoor Track and Field Team
Lindenwood men's track won its first outdoor national title at the 2003 NAIA National Championships. The Lions scored 65 points, four more than runner-up Dickinson State.

Lindenwood won two events at the meet with Fabian Florant winning the triple jump and the 4x100 relay team taking first place. The relay team consisted of Kevin Arthurton, Irvin Browne, Deno Campbell, and Kurt Gibbons. Arthurton also scored in four individual events to help put Lindenwood over the top.

Head coach of the 2003 men's outdoor track and field team was John Creer.

2004 Clay Target Team
The Lindenwood shooting team won the 2004 ACUI Intercollegiate Clay Target National Championship. The victory was the first national title and started a dynasty for the Lions shooting program.

Lindenwood finished the event by hitting 1,377 out of 1,450 targets and won the tournament by 57 targets. As a team, Lindenwood swept every competition at nationals. Nivia Jones was the National Lady Champions and Gebben Miles finished third in the individual overall race. Brad Deauman won the International Skeet and Five-Stand events, and William Gowin was first in the International Trap competition.

Joe Steenbergen was the head coach of the 2004 Lindenwood shooting team.

2005-2006 Women's Ice Hockey
The 2005-06 Lindenwood women's ice hockey team won the 2006 ACHA Division I National Championship. The title was the first national championship for the program and started a run of four titles over the next five years.

Lindenwood finished the regular season with a 24-3 overall record, with all three losses coming against Robert Morris. At the national tournament, the Lady Lions easily won their first four games by a combined score of 23-2, and advanced to the national title game versus Robert Morris. Robert Morris led twice in the championship game but Lindenwood tied the game each time, including a goal with 3:20 remaining to force overtime. Just over two minutes into overtime, Kristen Dlugos scored to give Lindenwood the national title.

Head coach of the 2005-06 women's ice hockey team was Vince O'Mara.