Winona Area Public Schools
The latest class to be inducted into the Winona Senior High School Hall of Fame includes a one-of-a-kind coach, two lifelong friends, an All-American swimmer, a two-sport star who ended up teaching all over the world, and an announcer who was the voice of more than 1,000 Winhawk athletic contests.
Michelle Brewer Mesenburg, Ray Felton, Jackie Lindseth Larson, Matt Papenfuss, Beckie (Smith) Rolbiecki and Chuck Wally will be inducted at a ceremony at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28 in the WSHS Learning Commons.
The class will also be honored during the Homecoming parade and football game, which will take place the previous night. The parade begins at 5:30 p.m. at the high school, and the game against Kasson-Mantorville begins at 7 p.m. at Paul Giel Field.
Michelle Brewer Mesenburg (1988)
Jackie Lindseth Larson (1988)
It’s only fitting that these two are being inducted into the Hall of Fame at the same time.
Michelle Brewer was originally a little hesitant to come out for cross country as a seventh-grader, but friend Jackie Lindseth assured her it would be fun. And it was, not just in cross country, but also Nordic skiing and track and field.
In all, they were a part of six state tournament teams, including the 1986 state championship cross country team, as well as a 4x800 relay that won a state title in 1985.
“Both young ladies were dedicated, dependable and durable athletes who were all about the team,” coach Jim Flim said. “Their work ethic was remarkable.”
Brewer and Lindseth now live within walking distance of one another in the Twin Cities area.
Ray Felton
Ray Felton started serving as an announcer for Winona High girls swim meets in 1991.
He was hooked.
He then branched out and did boys swimming, soccer, football and baseball for the Winhawks. In December of 2019, he announced his 1,000th Winona High athletic event — and he never took a dime for his services.
“Ray was always on time, well prepared, and enthusiastic in his announcer role,” longtime Winona athletic director Don Klagge said.
Felton and his wife, Carolyn, have lived in Winona since 1978.
Matt Papenfuss (2008)
Matt Papenfuss was hooked on swimming from a young age, first with the Winona YMCA and later the Winona Swim Club. He earned his first varsity letter as a seventh-grader, then spent the next few years rewriting the record books.
Papenfuss finished as a four-time state qualifier and set school and section records in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle. In 2008, he set seven pool records and was named the Section 1AA swimmer of the year. He was third at state in the 100 free and second in the 200 free. His times earned him All-American honors in both events.
He went on to swim at the University of Minnesota, where he was a member of the Big Ten runner-up 100 freestyle relay and was honored as a two-time academic all-conference selection.
He also competed in the 2012 Olympic Trials in Omaha.
He and his wife, Jenna, now live in St. Paul.
Beckie (Smith) Rolbiecki
Who knows how many accolades Beckie Smith would have earned as a gymnast in high school and college. She dominated on the bars and vault for both Winona High and Winona State, but neither had any postseason competition.
She certainly made up for it as a coach.
Rolbiecki started as a coach at Cochrane-Fountain City, where she took a last-place team to a conference title in three years. She continued to have tremendous success everywhere she coached. At one point, she was the head coach at Winona High, Winona State and KidSport.
Her teams at Winona High were on the podium every year, breaking team and individual point records at every turn. She was an eight-time Big Nine Coach of the Year, and the 2004 Minnesota Gymnastics Coach of the Year. She was inducted into the Minnesota Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2005. At Winona State, she coached four event national champions, and was named the national coach of the year in 2010.
Rolbiecki and her husband, Mike, are both retired and enjoy spending time with family and friends.
Chuck Wally (1956)
Chuck Wally was a three-sport athlete at Winona High, excelling in football, basketball and baseball. He was a starting pitcher as a sophomore and played in the outfield when he wasn’t pitching. He was a basketball captain and helped lead the team to its first state tournament appearance in 22 years.
He went on to Hamline College, where he continued to shine in basketball and baseball. The basketball team won two MIAC titles in his four years there.
He went on to teach mathematics and became a coach at Wells, a tenure that included a doubleheader sweep in baseball of his alma mater one year. He and his wife, Jan, then taught overseas in Libya and Saudi Arabia, with a stop in Pine Island, Minn., sandwiched in the middle
They now spend their winters in Park City, Utah, and recently moved to Wabasha to be closer to family.