Cleveland’s Mel Krause Sports Hall of Fame inducted six new members on Feb. 16. The additions included Terrence Smyth, Emma Wren, Simon Brown, Erik O’Donnell, Odie Hollingshed, and Don Nelson.
Terrence Smyth was a recipient of the class of 2023 Hall of Fame, but due to an ice storm, he was unable to be inducted. Smyth graduated from Cleveland in 1982, where he ran cross country, played golf, and competed in wrestling. As a freshman, he finished fifth in the district for wrestling, by sophomore year he was third, and in both his junior and senior seasons, he finished first in the district and qualified for state, where he placed fifth in his senior year. Smyth excelled outside of athletics as well, serving as student body president while also participating in speech and debate, and was a finalist for the Scholar-Athlete award.
The second 2023 inductee is Emma Wren, class of 2015. Wren ran cross country and competed in swimming, and track and field. With her help, the 2011 swim team became PIL champions. She contributed to the medley and free relay teams, which both were crowned PIL champions in her sophomore year. However, her biggest accomplishment came in running. She was a PIL champion twice for cross country, and along with her teammates, she won the team championship in three of her four years at Cleveland. Wren continued her success in the spring and became an individual PIL champion five times. She won the 3000 meters four times, ran on three PIL relay championship teams, and participated on two PIL track and field teams that were crowned champions. She was recognized 11 times for All-State, and in her junior year, she won the 3000-meter race, becoming the first female athlete from Cleveland to win a state championship in track. Wren won a total of 113 medals in state competitions in her four years at Cleveland.
The third and final inductee for the 2023 Hall of Fame is Cleveland soccer and baseball coach Don Nelson. He guided those programs for 39 years. Nelson served as the first-ever varsity boys soccer coach in 1974 and held that position for seven seasons before transitioning to coach either the junior varsity or freshman soccer teams. Nelson shared that those levels of competition were always his favorite. He was described by his players as a knowledgeable, encouraging, supportive, fun, and overall great coach. Nelson was the PIL assistant coach of the year at least four times and won multiple merit awards from different baseball organizations.
The 2024 inductees begin with Simon Brown, a graduate of the class of 2017. Brown ran cross country for four seasons and was a decorated wrestler. He was a three-time wrestling district champion and placed at the state competition all four years. Brown was also invited to the Coast Classic, a well-known and competitive tournament, and he proceeded to place all four years at this event.
The next inductee is a graduate of the class of 1988, Erik O’Donnell. He was a two-sport athlete, playing basketball all four years and becoming team captain, and baseball. O’Donnell was described as a “tremendous leader with an outstanding work ethic,” by his baseball coach, Lennis Beach. Additionally, O’Donnell was voted first-team All-City and first-team All-State honors for baseball, and in his senior season, the Active Old-Timers Association selected him as the Oregon State Player of the Year. In his junior and senior years, his pitching led the Cleveland summer baseball team to the state quarterfinals in 1987 and to the state finals in 1988.
The final recipient of the 2024 Hall of Fame class is Odie Hollingshed, a graduate of the class of 2007. Hollingshed was a three-year letterwinner in football and baseball. He played both wide receiver and defensive back for the Warriors football team. In baseball, Hollingshed was selected as team captain and earned first-team All-League and first-team All-State honors as an outfielder. He was also voted the PIL player of the year in his senior season, in which he finished with a .475 batting average, and both his offensive and defensive skills led him to be named to the Oregon All-State High School Baseball Series in 2007.