Margaretta to induct new hall of famers

The Margaretta Athletic Hall of Fame is set to welcome its newest members. Two individuals and one swim relay team will be recognized prior to the start of the Polar Bears' home boys basketball matchup Saturday with Clyde. Dane Bonnigson and Leslie (Bales) Millis both join the hall of fame for their athletic achievements. They'll be enshrined with the 1970 boys medley relay team of Gus Bankieris, Don Myers, Stephen Prout and Chuck Eisenhauer, who were coached by John Nestra. Bonnigson, a 1999 graduate, was a wrestling star for the Polar Bears. He qualified for state in his last three years of high school. In 1998, Bonnigson finished fifth in the state, and as a senior he was third. He also won SBC and district wrestling titles during his senior season and set school records for fastest pin and pins in a season. Bonnigson went on to earn four varsity letters as a wrestler at Eastern Michigan University. He was also a two-year letterwinner in football and earned one letter in track at Margaretta. Millis was a running standout for the Polar Bears ahead of her 1995 graduation. She was on three consecutive state-qualifying cross country teams that finished top-six in the state from 1991 through 1993. Millis and the Polar Bears won SBC cross country team titles in both 1993 and 1994. She also was a three-time state track qualifier. As a freshman, she was on the 4x400-meter relay. As a sophomore, it was again the 4x4 along with the individual 800. Millis made it back to state as a senior in the 800. In her final spring, Millis set the Margaretta girls record in the 800 meters at 2:21.5. She was also a member of the 1993 state final four girls basketball team, the first to make it that far in school history. Millis went on to run cross country, indoor track and outdoor track at the University of Rio Grande. The 1970 boys swimming medley relay team was the first group in school history to qualify for the state swim meet. Bankieris swam freestyle, Myers was breaststroke, Prout did butterfly and Eisenhauer was the backstroke. They set a school-record time of 1:48.9 that stood for 43 years. That time placed them third at districts to qualify for state. The Polar Bears placed 21st at the state meet back when it was conducted in a single-division format. Each of the quartet also set individual school records while a part of the relay team. The athletic hall of fame at Margaretta will now include 86 individuals and six teams.