Tonya Kneifl Gordon
Newcastle
Athlete
For four years, Tonya Kneifl put her stamp on athletics at Newcastle High School. A multi-sport star, she had her biggest impact on the track where she never lost a high jump or triple jump competition. She set state records in all three jumping events and accumulated 12 Class D and two all-class gold medals at the state meet, scoring a record 148 points. In basketball, she started all 91 games, earning second-team all state as a freshman and first -team honors the next three years. She scored 1,987 points and led Newcastle to the 1994 Class D2 state championship. In volleyball, she set the school record for kills despite missing her freshman year with a broken ankle. At the University of South Dakota, she was a nine-time Divison II All-American.
