Et cetera : VS Hall of Fame inductees include three athletes, and one of the first coaches of girls' teams

New Viking-Vikette Hall of Fame members: Justin Pladsen, Laura Wilberg Dierks, Jan McLeod and Jake Fish. The Vinton-Shellsburg Viking/Vikette Hall of Fame added four more individuals on Friday, during the Homecoming football game half-time: Jan McLeod, Jake Fish, Justin Pladsen and Laura Wilberg Dierks. Jan McLeod Jan was a teacher in the Vinton-Shellsburg Community School District for 32 years; 27 years as a physical education teacher and 5 years as an ELP teacher. Jan was involved in sports activities for girls from the time she began her teaching career in 1965. In those days, there were no extra-curricular sports activities for girls. Jan and another PE teacher guided the Girls' Recreation Association and the Cheerleaders. They had intramural activities within the district and occasionally arranged play days with other WaMaC schools. Jan states that "when there was an opportunity for girls in Vinton to become involved in extra-curricular sports, it was a day long awaited!"� Jan was a chaperon for the high school girls' basketball teams for 24 years. She also coached Varsity softball, as well as junior high basketball, track and softball. Jan's award was presented by Hall of Fame Committee member Mindy McClintock. Jake Fish Jake Fish, a 2000 graduate, earned 7 varsity letters in Basketball, Track and Baseball. In basketball he received unanimous All-conference and unanimous All-district recognition. He was also named to the Iowa Newspaper Association All-state team. Jake was invited to play in the Iowa Goalsetter All-star Game and the Dr. Pepper All-star game following his senior season. Jake was a member of the WaMaC Champion 4x400M relay team in 2000. He was also on the 4x200 and 4x400 relay teams that qualified for State that year, earning a 5th place medal in the 4x200. Jake still holds a place in the V-S Track team's "Top 10 Club"� in the Long Jump and 4x200M Relay. Jake was also a member of the 1998 Class 3A State Championship Baseball team. After high school Jake played basketball at Coe College where he was a four-year letter winner. Jake and his wife, Samantha, have three children and currently live between Shellsburg & Urbana near the family farm where he grew up. Jake was escorted by his father, John, his wife, Jessica, and their three children Nolan, Hollis & Tillie. His award was presented by his high school track coach and Hall of Fame committee member, Ken Huelman. Justin Pladsen Justin Pladsen, also a member of the Class of 2000, earned 10 Varsity letters in Football, Track and Baseball. He received All-district football honors, as well as All-conference, All-district and All-state recognition in Baseball. In track, Justin was a member of three WaMaC Champion relay teams. He was a 3-time Drake Relays qualifier in the 4x100 relay, and a 3-time State Track qualifier in the 4x100 and 4x200 relays. He was the anchor on the same 4x200 relay team as Jake Fish that medaled in 5th Place at State. Justin still holds a place in the V-S Track team's "Top 10 Club"� in the 4x100 and 4x200M Relays. Justin was a member of 1998 Class 3A State Championship and the 2000 Class 3A State Semi-finalist baseball teams. He currently holds four career school records: 168 varsity games played, 167 runs scored, 18 triples and 204 hits. Justin and his wife Jessica reside in Vinton with their three children. Justin was escorted by his wife. His award was presented by his high school baseball coach and Hall of Fame committee member, Jim Struve. Laura Wilberg Dierks Laura Wilberg Dierks, a 2008 graduate, earned 8 Varsity letters in Volleyball, Basketball and Golf. She earned All-conference recognition in all three sports, as well as All-district and All-state recognition in Golf. Laura was the first Vinton-Shellsburg freshman to qualify for the Girls State Golf Tournament. She was a 3-time State individual qualifier, missing out by one stroke her sophomore year. She was also part of the 2008 state-qualifying team. She was a 3-time participant in the State Coed Golf Tournament. Laura went on to play golf at Mount Mercy University, where she was a 4-time letter winner and 4-time MVP. She was a 3-time All-conference honoree and 2-time Academic All-American. She holds the 6th all-time career scoring average. Laura and her husband, Jake, have one daughter and live in Center Point. Laura was escorted by her father, Mark and her daughter, Addison. Her award was presented by her high school golf coach and Hall of Fame committee member, Janet Woodhouse. See photos of the football game and Hall of Fame induction HERE.