Hall of Fame
Mary Iten led the Loper women's track program from 1977-1996, the cross country team from 1980-1994 and also served as interim women's golf coach when that program began in the late 1990's.
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Serving as an instructor in UNK's Kinesiology and Sports Sciences Department for 37 years, Iten was one of the trailblazers in Loper women's athletics. Under her leadership, Kearney State and then UNK women's track and cross country became a power on the regional and national scene at the NCAA, NAIA and AIAW levels.Â
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Iten saw 12 of her track teams win conference championships with the 1986 and 1987 squads finishing fourth and third, respectively, at the NAIA Indoor Championships. Those Loper teams are regarded as two of the finest in school history. Subsequently Iten was named District Coach of the Year in 1986 and 1987 and tabbed as the 1987 Regional Coach of the Year. In cross country the Lopers had three straight top 10 finishes at the NAIA National Championships from 1980-1982.Â
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Among the 68 All-Americans Iten coached were national champions Donna Spickelmier, Beth Stuart and Jill Stenwall. Many of Iten's student-athletes still dot the Loper top 10 lists with several school records coming from this era.
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Holding a B.S. degree from Winona (Minn.) State and a Master's of Science from the University of Kansas, Iten was a member of the NAIA Track & Field Games Committee during her coaching tenure and also served as an assistant coach at the U.S. Olympic Sports Festival.
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A member of the Winona State Athletic Hall of Fame, Iten received the 2014 UNK Academy for Teacher Education Excellence Award and was chosen as the 2013 Teacher of the Year by the Nebraska Association for Health, P.E., Recreation and Dance. She is currently retired and splits her time between Nebraska and Florida.
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