Lisa Nordeen, ’90 • Basketball, Softball
Lisa Nordeen is one of the most successful players in the annals of basketball at Carleton, a history that dates more than 100 years. Only five Knights basketball players—men or women—have achieved all-conference status four times, and Nordeen was the first four-time All-MIAC honoree.
She amassed a then-school record 1,649 career points, a total that still stands third in the program’s history. As a rookie in 1986–87, Nordeen earned the program’s first All-MIAC distinction, tallying a then school-record 466 points, one of her three top-10 single-season scoring totals in Knights’ history.
Nordeen still holds Carleton’s all-time record for free throws made over the course of a career (485) and in a single game (16). She scored 34 points to lead the Knights to a two-point triumph over St. Thomas on January 18, 1989, Carleton’s lone victory in the first 22 seasons of the series. That scoring total was the single-game record at the time and is now tied for third in Carleton history.
Nordeen averaged 16.9 points per game over the course of her career, an amount that has been exceeded once in the 20 years since she played for the Knights. More than a prolific scorer, she broke the another school record with 859 career rebounds and established a new Carleton standard with 54 blocked shots to go along with 138 career steals—all three totals still rank among the program’s top 10. While better known for her exploits on the court, she also played three seasons with the Carleton softball team, where she was a defensive standout at first base.
Scott Bunnell, ’90 • Football, Track & Field
In his tenure at Carleton, Scott Bunnell earned a place in Carleton’s record book in multiple sports and boasts accomplishments that have eluded those competing for the Knights ever since. The imposing Bunnell is certainly one of the best defensive linemen ever to have taken the field wearing Carleton’s maize and blue, earning first-team All-MIAC distinction in 1988 and 1989.
The standout defensive tackle was an unrivaled force in the trenches for the Knights, totaling 19.5 sacks throughout his illustrious career to rank second in school history at the time. His impressive 1989 campaign stands as one of the best in Carleton football history. Bunnell collected All-MIAC honors for the second consecutive year in addition to becoming the first Knight defensive lineman to earn All-American status, being named to the national third team by a pair of publications. He won the prestigious Mike Stam Award in 1989 as the MIAC’s premier interior lineman, and 20 years later, Bunnell remains the only Knight to have ever captured this accolade.
He helped the Knights total 27 wins during his career, the highest victory total in school history. His athletic prowess was not confined to the gridiron, however. Though he only competed in track and field during his freshman year in 1987, he nonetheless made a lasting impression, earning All-MIAC recognition and setting the school’s shot-put record (51 feet, 3½ inches), which still stands to this day.
Sandra Helquist, ’00 • Track & Field
A national champion in the 400-meter hurdles and a three-time All-American in track and field, Sandra Helquist is one of the most decorated athletes in Carleton history. In 1998, she competed in the 400 hurdles at the national outdoor meet and received the William S. and Mary Agnes Kelly Award winner, recognizing Carleton’s most improved track and field athlete.
Helquist built upon that honor a year later as on the final day of the 1999 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships, she broke the school record in the 400-meter dash, finishing at 56.55, which was good enough for fifth place and All-American distinction. Later in the day, she established another Carleton benchmark, recording a time of 61.05 as she captured national title in the 400-meter hurdles. The following spring, she demonstrated her all-around skills by finishing fourth in the heptathlon at the NCAA Championships, garnering her third All-American award.
In addition to starring on the national stage, Helquist dominated the MIAC, taking home all-conference honors 14 times in six different events over her career. She capped off her collegiate career by winning the MIAC’s Most Outstanding Athlete award in 2000. Helquist etched her name in Carleton’s history with a number of record-breaking performances. She established five school records and still owns the top spot in the 400-meter dash and 400-meter hurdles for outdoor track and as a member of the 4×200 and 4×400 indoor relay teams.
An excellent student during her time at Carleton, Helquist received the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate scholarship, was named to the GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America At-Large Third Team in 2000, and earned Carleton’s Pat Lamb Award in 1999 and 2000.
Bill Terriquez, ’70 • Track & Field, Football
Men’s Athletic Director 1984-89
Cross-Country, Track & Field, and Alpine Ski Coach 1984-2006
Bill Terriquez contributed to Carleton College as an athlete, administrator, and coach. He starred on the track, running on the 1969 Midwest Conference outdoor track and field championship team and setting then school-record times in both the 400-meter and 800-meter relays. More than 40 years later, his 800-meter relay time of 1:28.2 still stands as the second-fastest in school history. Off the track, Terriquez played on the football team, starting at running back in ’68 and ’69.
Terriquez’s largest contributions to Carleton athletics came later, however in his roles as a teacher, coach and administrator. He served as men’s athletic director from 1984 to 1989 and guided four programs during his 22-year coaching career—athletes during his tenure earned more than 60 All-American citations.
As coach of the cross-country and both the men’s indoor and outdoor track and field teams, he guided all three programs to at least one national top-10 finish, and his teams broke nearly every school record. As cross-country coach from 1984 to 2006, he steered his team to MIAC titles in 1994, 1995, and 2002; one regional crown; and seven top-20 finishes at the NCAA Championships. His indoor and outdoor track and field teams achieved a trio of national top-10 finishes during his time as coach from 1984-2004. Terriquez received regional coach of the year honors in both 1993 and 1994 and was MIAC Coach of the Year in 2002. He garnered MIAC Track and Field Coach of the Year honors in 1996 and served as the chair of the NCAA Track and Field Rules Committee from 1990-96.
Further demonstrating the depth of his athletic knowledge, Terriquez also served as co-coach of Carleton’s men’s and women’s alpine ski teams from 1997 to 2002.