Three alumni and a former coach will be inducted into Blake’s Athletic Hall of Fame, which highlights the accomplishments of alumni, coaches and friends and celebrates the school’s sports history. New inductees will be honored during a banquet hosted by Blake’s athletics department on Thursday, Sept. 25 as part of Reunion and Homecoming Weekend.

Congratulations the 2025 Blake Athletic Hall of Fame inductees:

Leslie Dolland ʼ99
Leslie Dolland played on Blake’s girls’ basketball team from 1996-99 and served as co-captain in 1998 and 1999 when the Bears won back-to-back state championship titles. In the 1999 preseason, the Bears were ranked 12th in the nation. The team placed second at state in 1996. A member of Blake basketball’s 1,000-point club, during her high school career, Dolland was a three-year all-conference team honoree, was named to the Minnesota Basketball News preseason all-state first team and was nominated by USA Today to the all-USA honorable mention team. She received Blake’s Athena Award and the John Grafton Burgess Memorial and was a Bettels Scholar. Dolland was also the co-captain of Blake’s track and field team in 1998 and 1999, participating in shot put and discus. After Blake, Dolland played women’s basketball at Northwestern University (1999-2003) where she was a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee. In summer 2002, she represented Northwestern on the Big Ten Foreign Tour. In her senior year, Dolland was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree and received the Northwestern Roger L. White Student-Athlete Award. She went on to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology and earned a degree in women’s fashion design as well as a master’s degree in education from Relay’s School of Education. Dolland works as a school leader in the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Education and as a learning experience designer.

Jack Fecht
Jack Fecht worked at Blake from 1964 to 1998. He was hired to build and teach physical education in grades three through seven and build a sport orientation in seventh and eighth grade. During his tenure, he served as the director of junior school athletics and, in 1969, became the athletics director. Fecht coached Blake’s state-winning soccer teams in 1965 (assistant coach), 1966 and 1967. In 1970, he led the wrestling team to Minnesota Independent School League (MISL) and regional titles, winning the MISL title again in 1971. Over the course of the next few decades, Fecht coached many teams at various levels including boys’ soccer, football, wrestling, basketball, track and field and tennis and girls’ soccer, softball, volleyball and basketball. He was awarded Blake’s Frank Donaldson Sr. Faculty Sabbatical twice. He also served as assistant Middle School director. Post-retirement, Fecht has been involved with Blake in a number of ways including serving on the Bettels Scholarship Committee (2016-17, 2019-20) and as the 2020 Alumni Holiday Party session moderator/host. He has attended many Greater Blake Open golf events, Alumni Holiday Parties, Breakfast at Blakes, Bettels Picnics and Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremonies.nThe Jack Fecht Assistant Coach of the Year Award, first awarded in 1999, is named in his honor to an “assistant coach who exhibits sportsmanship and excellence in coaching on and off the field.”

Ben Hughes ʼ08
Ben Hughes played boys’ hockey and baseball at Blake, receiving all-state honors. In 2006, the hockey team took second at state, and in 2007 the Bears won sections. After Blake, Hughes attended St. Olaf where he was a member of the men’s varsity baseball team. In 2011, he served as team captain and was named MIAC Pitcher of the Year, all-American honors, first team all-region and all-conference. In summer 2010, he played on the Duluth Huskies as part of the Northwoods Collegiate Baseball League and was selected to the Northwoods League All-Star Game. Hughes was drafted by the Colorado Rockies Baseball Club and was a minor league pitcher for the club from 2011-13. He was the co-keynote speaker at the 2013 Minnesota High School Baseball Coaches Association St. Olaf Midwinter Conference. In the 2014-15 season, Hughes played for the St. Paul Saints Baseball Club. In 2016, Hughes pivoted to life after baseball and has since worked for Accenture Strategy & Consulting, specializing in corporate finance, CFO strategy and data and analytics.