Hall of Fame opens arms to four new members

By Journal staff | Friday, May 09, 2008

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RAPID CITY — When the Rapid City Sports Hall of Fame opens its doors on Monday and welcomes in its new crop of inductees, there is no doubt the 2008 class is a strong one.

Scott Benson, a Stevens graduate and a Iowa State University track standout, Todd Lowery, the head volleyball coach at National American University, Kevin Phillips, a longtime fixture on Rapid City radio, and Carl Loock, a longtime swimming and diving instructor in the Rapid City area, will be inducted Monday at the Rapid City Sports Banquet at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

Benson was the first South Dakota prep athlete to high jump 7 feet, accomplishing the feat at the Queen City Relays in Spearfish in 1988. During the 1988 season, Benson was undefeated and cleared 7 feet five times and set a meet record in every meet he participated in. Benson went on to win the Howard Wood and the state meet in 1988 and was the No. 2-ranked high jumper in the United States by USA Today and No. 11 in the world rankings by Track and Field News.

The year before Benson cleared 6-feet, 10 ¼ inches to win the AA boys high jump at the state track meet in Sioux Falls.

After high school, Benson went to Iowa State where he was the Big 8 men’s high jump conference champion in 1990. Benson went on to become a six-time All-Big 8 conference performer, a member of five Big 8 championship teams and the No. 2 men’s high jumper in Iowa State history.

Lowery compiled a 215-23 record in six seasons at the helm of the NAU women’s volleyball program. Lowery guided the Mavericks to NAIA national championships in 2002 and in 2006. Both seasons the Mavericks went a perfect 41-0 on their way to the national titles.

Lowery was named NAIA Region III coach of the year in 2002 and 2006.

The 2007 season proved to be the final one for the Mavericks. NAU decided to drop the athletic department earlier this year.

Phillips moved to Rapid City in 1989 to take a job at a local radio station. Since the move, Phillips has become a fixture on the sports scene in the Black Hills.

Phillips has been the public address announcer for the Rapid City Thrillers, the Black Hills Posse, Rapid City indoor football teams and at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology football and basketball games. Phillips is also the public address announcer at Douglas High School, Stevens High School and Central High School. He has also announced many South Dakota High School Activities Association state events in Rapid City, along with state AAU wrestling tournaments.

Loock graduated from then Coolidge High School — now Central — in 1930 at the age of 16. Following high school, Loock attended Dakota Wesleyan and received his first taste of competitive swimming and diving. Loock lettered in basketball and track at DWU, he also excelled at swimming and diving, winning the North Central States Collegiate Diving championship and also the South Dakota Open championship in Huron.

Canyon Lake in Rapid City was built in 1933 and 1934 and Loock was hired by Mayor Roy Doherty to be its first waterfront director. Loock taught swimming and diving lessons, started the first swim team and established the first Rapid City Swimming and Diving Meet. Loock’s lifelong commitment to swimming and diving included teaching, competing and coaching.

Loock, through the Red Cross, issued more than 2,000 certificates to Rapid City students. Loock’s Rapid City aquatics teams competed in the state championships in Sioux Falls, winning a state title in 1941. As a competitor, Loock won the state senior diving title in that competition.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Loock moved to Denver and then on to Fort Worth, Texas, to work in the war industry. Loock stayed in Texas following World War II and it was in the Lone Start State where Loock enjoyed most of his swimming success as a competitor and a coach. Earlier this year, Loock was inducted into the Texas Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame.