Utah State Inducts Five Into Inaugural Hall of Fame

This year, the Utah State Men’s Lacrosse program celebrates its 50th anniversary, marking the milestone by inducting five former Aggies - one from each decade - into its inaugural Hall of Fame.

L to R: Nilsen, Ringle, Larkin, Gilstein, Fiat

The inaugural members are: Ken Gilstein (70s), Doug Ringle (80s), Paul Larkin (90s), Kyle Fiat (00s) and Trace Nilsen (10s).

Gilstein played for Cornell where he won two Ivy League championships (1969-70) and then went on to coach Fairfield in 1972 and 1973. He came to Utah State in 1973 to get a doctoral degree in psychology.

“In the spring of 1974 Joel Staub started the Logan youth lacrosse league,” said Gilstein. “He had moved to Logan from Long Island, New York, with his family which had 3 sons who were lacrosse players. I was one of the coaches along with George Morgan and Rob Scott, both undergraduates at USU.”

Gilstein started the program in the fall of 1974.

“The challenges we faced was that only a handful of us had ever played the game before,” said Gilstein. “The first practices involved things like: this is a lacrosse ball, this is a lacrosse stick, this is how to throw, this is how you catch. Just the very basics.”

Gilstein continued, “My favorite memory of playing at Utah State was getting a group of college students, most of them who had never played or seen a lacrosse game before, to blend together to form a team that even won some games our first year.”

Gilstein continued to be involved in lacrosse throughout the country. After the initial season at USU, he moved to Connecticut and again coached at Fairfield University for two more seasons while also helping to start the Guilford, Connecticut youth league where he coached for 15 seasons.

“I have since retired from coaching and have pursued a career as a clinical neuropsychologist with an expertise in Traumatic Brain Injuries and Sports Concussions, having given presentations throughout the United States and internationally,” said Gilstein.

Ringle has been a staple of lacrosse in Cache Valley since he began playing in high school in 1980 and his time at Utah State only helped to solidify his role in the growth of the game. 

“In the 1980s, the only high school lacrosse was at Logan High, with original players from the Logan school district,” said Ringle. “We practiced before school for about one hour each morning. Our coach, Chuck Ferris, had played lacrosse at Ohio State (club). Since we were the only team in Utah, we scheduled games in Colorado with private and prep schools. We played at Denver Academy, Cherry Hills, and Air Force Prep. In 1980 and 1981, we beat the high school teams pretty handily. High school lacrosse in Logan faded after we graduated, but in the early 2000s, I saw a resurgence. When my oldest son reached high school, I approached administrators at Logan, Sky View, and Mt. Crest about establishing lacrosse programs, with the help of Jon Atwood. We started with about 18 players between Sky View and Mt. Crest. From there, it took off in Cache Valley. Now, there are over 500 players in the community. I’m incredibly proud to see Cache Valley embrace lacrosse. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come. I feel like a father, grandfather of lacrosse in Cache Valley, I say to myself ‘look what I have done at times.’ I couldn’t be happier and prouder to see everyone embrace the game that has provided me with so much and given me foundation for my life. Once you pick up a stick you become a member of the lacrosse family, in our case in Cache Valley the Cache Valley lacrosse family.” 

Larkin led the way for the Aggies in the 90s and is one of the top officials and organizers in the state. 

“Playing lacrosse at Utah State helped guide my understanding of the value of showing up for my teammates and being organized,” said Larkin. “Being a college athlete and full-time student takes planning and commitment, no easy feat for someone fresh out of high school. A few years later I jumped at the opportunity to be USU Lacrosse team President and enjoyed my time in that role furthering the advancement of the number of players and skill on the team. Running the 2001 Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Lacrosse League Fall Brawl tournament at USU that brought out all the in-state and some out of state college teams was rewarding. It was wonderful to have so many great college teams in Cache Valley for the weekend. From that tournament I met Mike O’Malley, the lead Utah official at the time, and that relationship helped me to earn a job years later as Executive Director of the Utah Lacrosse Association (ULA). At the ULA we ran the high school and youth leagues as well as supporting officials and the sport in general. Part of the job was supporting O’Malley in running the Ski Town Shoot Out tournament in Park City that has positively impacted so many people from across the continent. Living and working lacrosse daily was an enjoyable experience and got me into officiating. After finishing my time at the ULA I stayed involved with the sport officiating for 15+ years. It was always great to run into people at games that I’ve known for years. The strength of the lacrosse community is special and something I do not take for granted. My experience at the ULA and officiating has greatly benefitted my professional career helping me be a problem solver, adaptable, and thinking calmly in emotional elevated situations. I’m a better person because of lacrosse and still enjoy playing in the occasional men’s summer league, pick up, and alumni games. As a PLL Utah Archers Homecoming Pass holder I enjoy taking family and friends to those professional games. I encourage everyone to try officiating even if you don’t have any experience playing lacrosse. Officiating pays well, you set your schedule, and you get to be involved with this wonderful sport of lacrosse. Visit the Utah Lacrosse Officials Association website to learn more and join their email list.”

Larkin said his favorite memory is traveling to Boise State University and arranging for the team to stay overnight in the Boise State gymnastics gym. 

“It saved a lot of money for hotel rooms and made for some fun jumping into the foam pit and trying out the rings,” said Larkin. “Always memorable for the team.”

Fiat is the only Utahn to play on an NLL roster (among other accolades) and has had a successful coaching career in Maryland. 

“It was a true honor to play for the Aggies during the ‘03 and ‘04 seasons,” said Fiat. “In the fall of 2001, I had a career ending neck injury playing football at Dixie State. I was devastated and lost with what I should do. Two of my closest friends from high school, Matt Polityka and Matt Bodell, were playing lacrosse at USU and they encouraged me to come to Logan to join the team. This choice created an opportunity that would change my life forever. The two seasons that I played at USU offered me life-changing friends and teammates that would challenge me, support me, and encourage me to take a chance. They fostered me as I developed a love for the game of lacrosse. Without my time playing lacrosse at Utah State, there is no one way plane ticket to Baltimore to walk-on at Towson University. There is no opportunity to play after college for the Bayhawks, Wings, and Team USA in the 2007 World Indoor Games. There is no teaching and coaching at Dulaney High School where I met my wife, Dena Fiat, and three of my closest friends in the PE department. There are no identical twins and no building a life in Northern Baltimore County. Although I was only at USU for two seasons, they were two impactful years. The Utah State Club Lacrosse program offered me far more than I will ever be able to offer it, and it is truly an honor to be inducted into the Inaugural Class at the 50 year reunion of the program. Go Aggies!”

Fiat remembers the road trips in 15 passenger vans, heading all over the West. 

“It was a group of guys who loved lacrosse, had a blast together, and supported each other both on and off the field,” said Fiat. 

Nilsen played 49 games for the Aggies and was a 2x captain.  

“My time at Utah State, and particularly my participation with the team, has meant so much to me,” said Nilsen. “Most importantly my relationships on the team are what got me through my time at school, and they remain important to me today. Although I'm not the best at keeping in touch, I am so grateful for the times we had together as a team and as friends and brothers. A close second to the relationships, is the idea I mentioned earlier of getting out what you put in. Circumstances were not always perfect and we didn't have the means or the resources that some of our competition had. I learned not to use that as an excuse, and do what I could with what I had. I was never the most talented or the most athletic one in the field, but I could feel proud of the work I put in, and I was glad I could say I tried my best. Having learned this at Utah State has enabled me to continue to benefit in other aspects of my life. I'm very grateful for all of the experiences being on the team provided.”

Nilsen had a unique graduation with the Aggies as he lifted the conference tournament trophy in Boulder, Colorado.

“My Senior year we played in the conference championship in Boulder on the same day as commencement. It was a bummer missing out on graduation festivities, but after winning the championship I was able to celebrate with the trophy in my grad attire with some of the other seniors. That was pretty special.”

To future Aggies, Gilstein advises: “Look forward to an experience of a lifetime.” 

Larkin said: “Commit, show up when the team needs you at practice and games, and get to know your teammates personally. Being involved with a team is an honor and an opportunity to play a sport you love and make life-long friends.” 

Fiat said: “Appreciate the opportunity to play lacrosse for USU and find a way to leave the program better than you found it. Be the players on the team who set the standard for work ethic, commitment, and going above and beyond what is expected of you. Each player has a role on the team, but everyone should work to make the program better today than it was yesterday!”

Jared Day, the USU Alumni director said, “There were over 300 people in attendance at the event and more than 65 alumni. The event was a huge success. If anyone would like to support the alumni association you can donate via venmo: @usulaxalum.”