A week after revealing the first group of 10 athletes from its 50 Greatest Pronghorns list, Pronghorn Athletics presents numbers 40 through 31, highlighted by six outstanding basketball players and one athlete each from swimming, soccer, track and hockey.
 
The 50 Greatest Pronghorns list was created by a community panel as part of the University of Lethbridge's 50^th anniversary celebrations. Considering only those athletes not currently active and who achieved excellence primarily while competing for the U of L, the list is being released over the course of five weeks. The final 10 will be unveiled at the Dec. 2 home basketball game between the Horns and University of Fraser Valley.
 
The 50 Greatest Pronghorns (#40 through #31)
 
#40 – Lynette Taal (nee: Lilja) (Women's Basketball)
Lynette Taal, a five-year Pronghorn, was a Canada West All-Star in both 1981-82 and 1982-83 and was named Pronghorn Female Athlete of the Year in 1982. She was inducted, as part of the Lilja family, into the Pronghorns Hall of Fame in 2002.
 
#39 – Leslie Smith (Women's Track)
The Pronghorn Female Athlete of the Year in 1987 and 1988, Leslie Smith saved her best performances for the national stage. She won silver medals in shot put at each of the 1987 and 1988 CIAU nationals, was named a second-team All-Canadian each year and claimed a Canada West bronze medal in 1988.
 
#38 – Brian Kannekens (Men's Basketball)
The 1994 Pronghorn Male Athlete of the Year, Brian Kannekens was a three-time Canada West All-Star during his five-year run with the Pronghorns. He finished his career with 1,351 points and his 650 rebounds place him fourth on the Pronghorns' all-time rebounding list.
 
#37 – Spencer Holt (Men's Basketball)
A Lethbridge product, Spencer Holt was a member of the last Pronghorns men's basketball team to qualify for the national tournament in 2000. After transferring from Lethbridge College, Holt earned Canada West first team all-star selections in both 1998-99 and 1999-2000 and was named a second team All-Canadian in 2000.
 
#36 – Michelle Ratkai (Women's Soccer)
A college transfer, Michelle Ratkai is the only Pronghorns goaltender to be named a CIS All-Canadian and was the first to earn Canada West first team all-star recognition. The 1999 Pronghorn Female Athlete of the Year, Ratkai recorded four shutouts in her three years in the program.
 
#35 – Jackie Stroeve (Women's Hockey)
A five-year Pronghorn, Jackie Stroeve is the only Pronghorns women's hockey player to be named an All-Canadian. In 2004-05, she was the first Pronghorn to be named a Canada West first team all-star before earning a CIS second team All-Canadian award.
 
#34 – Barnaby Craddock (Men's Basketball)
A four-year Pronghorn, Barnaby Craddock was the Pronghorn Male Athlete of the year in 1997 when he earned Canada West first team all-star and second team All-Canadian recognition. He was also a Canada West second team all-star in 1996. Craddock went on to serve as an assistant coach with both the men's and women's Pronghorn teams.
 
#33 – Sharon Hamilton (Women's Basketball)
A member of the 1986 national bronze medal-winning Pronghorns women's basketball team, Sharon Hamilton was the first Horns women's basketball player to be named All-Canadian, earning a second-team selection in 1986.
 
#32 – Gordon Vatcher (Men's Swimming)
The 1999 Pronghorn Male Athlete of the Year, Gordon Vatcher was a multiple Canada West and CIAU medal winner. He won a Canada West bronze in 1999 and a CIAU silver medal in the 50-metre freestyle. The next year he picked up Canada West gold and silver medals to go along with a CIAU silver.
 
#31 – Leona Voth (Women's Basketball)
The 1972-73 Canada West scoring leader, Leona Voth was named the Pronghorn Female Athlete of the Year in both 1970 and 1971 and won a Canadian Junior Nationals title with the University of Lethbridge Chinooks. She was inducted into the Pronghorns Hall of Fame with her Chinook teammates in 2010.
 
For a look at how the list was created, check out this link: http://gohorns.ca/news/2017/11/1/general-university-of-lethbridge-ready-to-honour-50-greatest-pronghorns.aspx?path=general
 
For a look at the 50 Greatest Pronghorns (#50 through #41), click here: http://gohorns.ca/news/2017/11/7/general-the-greatest-50-pronghorns-50-through-41.aspx
 
 
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