Eight-time Olympic medalist short track speedskater Apolo Ohno will headline the list of inductees at the 2023 Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 24 at the Broadmoor World Arena. 

The event is being organized by the Colorado Springs Sports Corp. There will be a silent auction and reception at 5 p.m. with dinner at 7 p.m. 

Ohno will be inducted alongside former Mountain West Conference Commissioner Craig Thompson, Crystal Krebs a standout softball star for the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, former Colorado College hockey goalie Eddie Mio, Coronado High School four-sport athlete Jessika Stratton Caldwell, and Mitchell Highe three-sport athlete Terry Miller.

Joining that group will be Bob Graf the winner of the Col. F. Don Miller Award, Pam Shockley-Zalabak the Thayer Tutt Sportsman award honoree, and the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo winner of the Pikes Peak Community Legacy award. Team inductees include the 1980 Palmer Girls’ swim team and he 1995-1996 Colorado College Hockey Team.

Ohno moved to Colorado Springs at age 14 to train at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, according to a release from the Colorado Springs Sports Corp. He won two gold, two silver, and four bronze medals competing in the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics. 

Thompson was hired as the first employee and named commissioner of the Mountain West Conference in 1998. He was the conference’s only commissioner until 2022. 

Krebs was a first-team All-American for UCCS in 2004 and 2005 and the first Mountain Lion in any sport to be named a Capitol One All-American. 

Mio played goaltender for the Tigers from 1972-1976. He holds the school record for most stops in a single game at 72. He recorded 3,000 career saves for Colorado College and was named All-American and All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association his junior and senior years. 

Caldwell competed in cross country, track and field, tennis and basketball during her time at Coronado from 1996-2000. She was a four-sport letter winner and named Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year for basketball her senior year. 

Miller excelled in three sports at Mitchell High School, winning state championships in basketball and track and field in the 100 and 200-meter dash events. He also lead the Marauders to the state finals in football, gaining 2,785 yards in ten games his senior season. 

Graf served as a coach, teacher, administrator and official in Colorado Springs for the past 50 years. His stops include six years at UCCS, 17 years with the Air Force Academy and 18 years at Wasson High School. He coached Wasson’s Track and Field team to a 5A state title in 1988. He also coached the Falcons to five conference titles, 13 all-conference selections and 31 scoring finishes at the Mountain West Championships. 

Under coach Kent Christy, the 1980 Palmer Girls Swim team went undefeated in local dual meets and won the South Central League Championship. At state the team claimed the championship by 60 points, defeating Cherry Creek which had been the state champions for seven-straight years. The Terrors also set a pair of records in the 100-yard Butterfly and 200-yard medley relay. 

The 1995-1996 the Colorado College Tigers ice hockey team set a school record for most wins in a season, going 33-5-4 overall and 26-2-4 in league play. The Tigers won a third consecutive regular-season Western Collegiate Hockey Association title and appeared in the NCAA Division I championship game. 

Shockley-Zalabak served as UCCS chancellor for 15 years, overseeing a 75% increase in enrollment and improved diversity among the student body. She was also pivotal in a $500 million facilities expansion. She was the interim chief executive officer of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in 2021-2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The brainchild of Spencer Penrose in 1937, the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo is the second-oldest event in the Colorado Springs community and has expanded to include the National Finals Rodeo Open in 2023. The NFR Open is the most prestigious rodeo under the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit system.