.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
SILVER CITY, N.M., Oct. 11 -- Western New Mexico University issued the following news release:
Former Mustang football student-athlete Ronald Darnell and former Mustang basketball student-athletes Yelena Shadrina-Ouderkirk and Katia Cordova will be inducted into the 2010 Western New Mexico University Athletic Hall of Fame on October 16. The Athletic Hall of Fame Breakfast and induction is on Saturday, October 16, at 8:00 a.m. at Student Memorial Building Mustang Dining Hall. For tickets or more information, call the Department of Athletics at (575) 538-6218. The three inductees and their families will also be honored during the Mustang football halftime program. Kick-off is set for 1:30 p.m.
A New Mexico native, Darnell came to New Mexico Western University in 1957 after attending Eunice High School (1952-1955), where he was an all-state player in football, basketball, and track, and then Ranger Junior College (1955-1956) where he participated in basketball, football, and track.
Darnell then donned the purple and gold uniforms in football and track from 1957 to 1959. In football, he, as a running back, led the team in scoring during in the 1957 and 1958 seasons. He also led the nation in punt returns and kickoff returns during those same years. Talented in nearly every position he played, additionally, he was the Mustangs' field goal and extra point kicker. His longest field goal was 52 yards.
"He played with spirit and enthusiasm and made a big difference on the team," said Al Johnson, Darnell's football coach. "He was an asset to our team and to Western University."
In his first year at WNMU, Darnell was a member of the 1958 Frontier Conference Track Championship team that set three conference records in the process. Darnell ran sprints, hurdles, and relays. His 400- and 800-yard relay team finished first in the conference meet that season.
WNMU repeated their conference title the next year after very stiff competition. The purple and gold defeated the University of Wyoming, New Mexico State University three times, Texas Western College (now the University of Texas - El Paso) two times, and Arizona State College (now Northern Arizona University) three times. The team also qualified for the NAIA Championship meet where they posted seven points. Darnell mirrored his previous season finish with firsts in sprints, hurdles, and relays. He also set a conference record in the 400 and 800 relays.
Darnell earned his bachelor's degree in physical education and health in 1960 and then completed his master's in 1965. He used much of the knowledge he gained at New Mexico Western and put it to use as a coach on the Cobre High School fields.
During his 18-year tenure as head football coach (1963-1981) at Cobre, he guided the Indians to four district championships, one state runner-up, and a state championship in 1971. He also was named District AAA Coach of the Year four times. In 1971, he earned his highest honor to date as he was named New Mexico's Coach of the Year.
Darnell coached Cobre's track and field team for 30 years (1963-1993) and led the Indians to 12 district wins and a state championship victory in 1972. He earned the District AAA Coach of the Year award five times and the New Mexico Track Coach of the Year honor in 1972. Darnell received the Milestone ring in track in 1990, a top honor given by the New Mexico High School Coaches Association.
Darnell retired in 1993 after 30 years of service in the Cobre Schools.
In 1999, Darnell was inducted into the New Mexico Coaches Hall of Honor for his success in the classroom, on the field, and in life.
"State football championships are sweet but do not in and of themselves define a person's character," says Darnell's former player, Dr. Gilbert Arizaga. "However with Coach Ron Darnell, his inherent strengths as a person, which included integrity, a work ethic, his ability to communicate with people, and the respect he afforded students and his colleagues is what makes him credible and deserving of this award."
Darnell has been married to his wife, Maxine, for 52 years and together they had two children, Brad (deceased), and Terri, who lives in Austin, Texas, and two grandchildren (Brittany and Brook Cervin).
The Darnells spend their retirement in Bayard, New Mexico and Alpine, Arizona.
At 6-6, it was no wonder why Shadrina-Ouderkirk spent most of her teen years on the basketball court. Shadrina-Ouderkirk, born in Siberia, left her family at the age of 14 to learn the game with the prestigious "Dinamo" team in Moscow and attend high school. Upon graduation, she was hired to be on their professional women's team. From there, she made her way to Silver City and Western New Mexico University.
Shadrina-Ouderkirk arrived on campus in August 1992 and made an immediate impact on the basketball court, averaging 15.9 points while shooting 51 percent from the floor and grabbing 8.7 rebounds her first year. She was second on the team in scoring, just behind fellow Russian and WNMU Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Katia Cordova, but Shadrina-Ouderkirk was first on the team in rebounds. She also posted an impressive 63 blocks that season or 2.3 per game to lead the team.
Shadrina-Ouderkirk's numbers saw a small dip her sophomore year after WNMU hired a new coach and her best friend, Cordova, took a year off to get married and start a family. "What made it really tough was not having my best friend by my side. It was just not the same without her. I felt lonely and homesick," says Shadrina-Ouderkirk.
Shadrina-Ouderkirk posted 13.1 points per game and 29 blocks that season, but she still remained on top in the boards category with 6.2 per game. Her numbers her junior and senior years were why she was said to be one of the top NCAA Division II women's basketball players in the nation however.
During the 1994-1995 season, Shadrina-Ouderkirk averaged 21 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, leading the team in both categories. She also posted a spectacular 57 shooting percentage and 45 blocks that season. For this, she earned First Team All-Pacific West Conference and All-American Second Team honors. She also was placed on the all-tournament teams at California State University - San Bernardino, Cameron University, and Grand Canyon University. At California State University - San Bernardino, she was named the tournament's MVP.
Shadrina-Ouderkirk's best numbers in her four-year career as a Mustang came her senior year when she averaged a double-double, 25.3 points and 10.7 rebounds. She also topped her freshman year blocking numbers with 68 blocks. Shadrina-Ouderkirk also shot 79.6 percent from the free throw line after being placed at the stripe 250 times that season. Between Shadrina-Ouderkirk and Cordova, the duo combined for 468 free throw attempts or 69 percent of the team's free throws taken.
Shadrina-Ouderkirk earned All-American First Team honors that year along with the NCAA Woman of the Year for the State of New Mexico, the Pacific West Conference Player of the Year, First Team All-Pacific West Conference, First Team Academic All-Pacific West Conference, and NAIA National Player of the Week once.
After an illustrious four-year career, Shadrina-Ouderkirk averaged 19.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. She shot 53.5 percent (797-1489) from the floor and 77 percent (487-621) from the charity stripe. In total, she accumulated 2096 points, 205 blocks, and 944 rebounds in 108 games played.
Shadrina-Ouderkirk also help lead her team to three consecutive conference (1994, 1995, 1996 co-champions with Seattle Pacific University) while advancing to the NAIA national tournament and becoming regional champions in 1994 and 1995.
Shadrina-Ouderkirk graduated from WNMU in December 1996 with a Bachelor's of Business Administration in Accounting. In 1999, Shadrina-Ouderkirk married Michael Ouderkirk. Together they have two children, Daniel (10) and Stephanie (8).
The family currently lives in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Shadrina-Ouderkirk is employed as a CPA at Brown, Edwards & Company LLP. She enjoys volunteering accounting work at local non-profits, spending time with her children, and watching both play sports. "I hope that one day I can follow their careers as student-athletes," says Shadrina-Ouderkirk. Both children love basketball, swimming, and baseball.
"Yelena's presence on and off the court was huge to WNMU and Silver City," says athletic director Scott Woodard. "She is a great young lady and a great player that came here without any knowledge of where she was going, a language barrier, and one friend. She left as a friend to all of us."
Like Shadrina-Ouderkirk, Cordova was a member of the elite "Dinamo" team in Moscow, Russia and came to Western New Mexico University in August 1992. Mustang head coach Dexter Irvin knew he had a goldmine and predicted Cordova would make an impact on the WNMU records as she averaged 23 points per game and seven assists per game in her last season with the Dinamo. Irvin was right.
In her first season as a Mustang, Cordova averaged 19.6 points and 4.6 steals in her 27 games played to lead the team. She was also second in assists with 5.44 per game and third in rebounds with 5.1 per game.
In 1993, Cordova took a hiatus from basketball to marry Godfrey "Rey" Cordova on August 8, 1993, in Tularosa, New Mexico. Cordova then gave birth to a son named Godfrey.
Cordova returned to basketball in 1994 and started in 24 of 26 games. She averaged 14.7 points, and 4.7 rebounds, just behind Shadrina-Ouderkirk's numbers. Her numbers were lower, in part, because of the pounding she took in the paint. Cordova shot 107 free throws throughout the season and made 75 of them. She also registered 2.6 assists per game
Cordova's numbers were back on track during the 1995-1996 season. She posted 20.1 points per game while snagging 4.5 rebounds and snatching 3.4 steals. Cordova topped her previous season free throw mark, hitting 111 of her 155 attempts. For her efforts, she was named the Pacific-West Conference Player of the Year and a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-American.
As a senior, Cordova notched her best shooting numbers of her career with 24.5 points per game. She also went to the free throw line more than twice of any of her teammates. She drained 138 of 218 charity shots. Cordova was named the Pacific-West Conference Player of the Year for the second time and named a Kodak All-American.
Over her career, Cordova played in 107 games and scored a total of 2,116 career points. She averaged 19.8 points, 3.5 steals, and 4.7 rebounds per game. She also was named either Most Valuable Player or to the All-Tournament Team in every tournament she competed in.
Cordova also helped her team win two consecutive conference championships (1995, 1996 co-champions with Seattle Pacific University). The Mustangs also were regional champions and advanced to the national tournament in 1995.
Cordova graduated in May 1998 with a Bachelor's of Business Administration in Accounting. She began working at Stone McGee & Company and started taking classes in the Master of Business Administration program at WNMU before she passed away in November of 1998.
"She is without a doubt the best women's basketball player WNMU has had to date," says former WNMU professor and employer Linda McGee. "Her untimely death left a hole in the hearts of everyone that she touched." For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com
