UWEC Athletics Hall of Fame
Julie Hardtke was a member of the gymnastics team at Eau Claire from 1981 to 1985 and holds the distinction of being the first Blugold gymnastics national champion. Hardtke won the NCGA crown on the balance beam in 1985 and was also named All-American on the vault, beam and in the all-around competition in 1985. She finished ninth on the vault at the national meet in 1984 and was the WWIAC champion in that event in 1982. A three-time Blugold Most Valuable Performer, Hardtke was the conference runner-up in the all-around in 1985. She earned the team Most Inspirational award in 1983 and the Hardest Worker award in 1985. Hardtke was the Blugolds' most consistent performer each of her four years on the gymnastics team. A 1981 graduate of Mukwonago High School, Hardtke received her bachelor's degree from UWEC in 1985 and her master's degree in nursing from Marquette University in 1991. At the time of her induction, she was a nurse manager at St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee and the mother of two.
