The City of Elgin has a rich and extensive tradition of athletic excellence. Each year individuals and teams in youth, adult and senior competitions add to this tradition. The Board of Directors selected 61 individuals for recognition. Each individual received an Elgin Sports Hall of Fame Outstanding Achievement Award Certificate. Those honored along with their achievements are listed below.
High School
| Athlete | Sport | School | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daphne Brown | Girls Basketball | Harvest Christian Academy | 1000 point scorer for career |
| Luca Bryja | Boys Track & Field | Harvest Christian Academy | IHSA 1A 4th Place 1600 m |
| Alyssa Burke | Girls Volleyball | Harvest Christian Academy | Northeastern Athletic Conference (NAC) MVP |
| Mia Carter | Girls Basketball | Larkin High School | 1000 point scorer for career |
| Izzie Castro | Girls Basketball | Elgin High School | 1000 point scorer for career |
| Emma Engels | Girls Wrestling | Bartlett High School | 2025 – 125 lbs. IHSA All-State 3rd Place
All-Conference, Regional Champion & Sectional Champion |
| Brinlee Jimenez | Track & Field | Elgin Road Warriors/Larkin High School | AAU Junior Olympic Games National Champion Girls 3000M Race Walk
17-18 years old |
| Savannah Lynch | Girls Basketball | St. Edward Central Catholic High School | 1000 points for career |
| Taylor Martin | Girls Volleyball | Harvest Christian Academy | 1000 digs for career |
| Ben Mitchell | Baseball | Harvest Christian Academy | Two-Time Northeastern Athletic Conference MVP |
| Matt Morrice | Boys Basketball | St. Edward Central Catholic High School | 1000 points for career |
| Alaina Nolan | Softball | St. Edward Central Catholic High School | Chicagoland Christian Conference Pitcher of the Year |
| Samantha Pogorzelski | Girls Volleyball | St. Edward Central Catholic High School | 1000 assists for career |
| Fabian Ramirez | Boys Wrestling | Elgin High School | Upstate Eight Conference Champion, Sectional Champion and 3A IHSA 5th Place Finisher – 175 Pound Weight Class |
| Tyler Samaan | Golf | Burlington Central High School | Northwest Herald Boys Golfer of the Year |
| Ella Schoenberg | Girls Volleyball | Harvest Christian Academy | 1000 assists for career |
| Nathan Scholl | Swimming | Elgin Blue Stars | 1st Place Illinois Special Olympics 25m Freestyle Swim & 1st Place Illinois Special Olympics 25m Backstroke Swim |
| Grace Tetrev | Softball | Elgin High School | Broke Two Elgin HS School Records with .527 Batting Average and 43 Stolen Bases in a Season |
| Cole Tupper | Boys Track | Elgin High School | Broke 54 year old Elgin HS school record for 3200 m (9:21.42) |
Youth
| Athlete | Sport | Team | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Gibb | Track & Field | Elgin Sharks/Home School | AAU Junior Olympic Games National Champion Boys 1500M Race Walk
12 years old with National Record of 7:02.43 |
| Amelie Guzman | Track & Field | Elgin Sharks/Fox Meadow Elementary | AAU Junior Olympic Games National Champion Girls 1500M Race Walk
12 years old |
Coaching
| Coach | Sport | School | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Angelo | Baseball | Elgin Community College | 2024 Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year
2024 Illinois Skyway Collegiate Male Coach of the Year |
| Diego Cevallos | Women’s Soccer | Judson University | 2nd Place NCCAA National Championship |
| Corinne Grotenhuis | Swimming | Elgin Blue Wave Master Swim Team | Won Illinois Masters State Championship |
| Rafa Heck | Men’s Soccer | Judson University | NCCAA Coach of the Year
NCCAA Coach National Championship |
| Evan Ruechel | Baseball | Judson University | CCAC Coach of the Year |
| Dimitri Tsoukalas | Men’s Soccer | Elgin Community College | Region IV Coach of the Year
Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year |
| Jacob Wallin | Men’s Volleyball | Judson University | NCCAA North Central Region Coach of the Year |
College
| Athlete | Sport | School | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant Alexander Jr | Football | Judson University | School Record of 223 receiving yards in game, school record of 1194 yards in season, school record of 119.4 yards per game and TDs in season (11) |
| George Bellevue | Men’s Basketball | Judson University | CCAC Conference Freshman of the Year |
| Josh Caccia | Baseball | Elgin Community College | Pitcher of the Year Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference and All Region 1st Team |
| Elena Carlos | Women’s Soccer | Elgin Community College | 1st Team All Region |
| Hudson Deal | Baseball | Judson University | NCCAA Region Player of the Year |
| Adrian “Tito” Diaz | Men’s Soccer | Elgin Community College | 1st Team All Region |
| Marcus Duarte | Men’s Soccer | Judson University | 1st Team All-American and 1st Team All-Region |
| Eva Fernandez | Women’s Soccer | Judson University | 2nd Team All-American and 1st Team All-Region |
| Yomailis Fernandez | Women’s Volleyball | Judson University | 1st Team All Region |
| Davee Flowers | Men’s Basketball | Elgin Community College | 1st Team All-Region and NJCAA 3rd team All-American |
| Alyssa Gerzel | Women’s Volleyball | Judson University | 1st Team All-American, 1st Team All-Region & 1000 career kills, digs and aces |
| Ariel Gomez | Men’s Soccer | Elgin Community College | 1st Team All Region |
| Brandon Gonzalez | Men’s Soccer | Elgin Community College | Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Goalie of the Year |
| Brooke Heiman | Women’s Basketball | Judson University | NCCAA 1st Team All-Region |
| Luca Kallinich | Men’s Soccer | Judson University | CCAC Freshman of the Year |
| Jack Kerno | Baseball | Elgin Community College | NJCAA 2nd Team All American
All-Region 1st Team & NJCAA DII ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award |
| Peyton Kohn | Women’s Soccer | Elgin Community College | 1st Team All-Region |
| Kelly Leon | Women’s Soccer | Judson University | 1st Team All-American,
1st Team All-Region and CCAC Midfielder of the Year |
| Joe Sacco | Football | North Central College | 2024 Football NCAA DIII National Champion
Ranked 1st in CCIW and 4th nationally in yards per carry (7.5 yds) Rushed for 1211 yards on 161 carries and 13 touchdowns |
| Javier Sanchez | Mens Tennis | Judson University | CCAC Freshmen of the Year |
| Payton Siragusa | Womens Soccer | Judson University | 1st Team All Region |
| Gabrielle Stephen | Women’s Gymnastics | Michigan State University/Bartlett High School | NCAA 1st Team All-American on bars, 4-time first team All Big Ten
George Alderton Female Athlete of the Year and Big Ten Medal of Honor Recipient, Collegiate Gymnastics Association Region 1 Gymnast of the Year |
| Daley Thompson | Baseball | Judson University | NCCAA All Tournament Team |
| Gabriel Trevisan | Men’s Soccer | Judson University | National Tournament Most Outstanding Player |
| Gabriel Uno | Men’s Soccer | Judson University | 2nd Team All-American and 1st Team All-Region |
| Nick Weaver | Baseball | Elgin Community College | MVP Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference, Region 4 Defensive Player of the Year and All-Region 1st Team |
| Elijah Wrobel | Mens Volleyball | Judson University | NCCAA 1st Team All-American, CCAC Setter of the Year and had over 4000 career assists |
Adult
| Athlete | Sport | School | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhonda Brandes | Running | Elgin High School | Has completed all seven of the Abbott World Major Marathons
(Berlin, Tokyo, Boston, New York, Chicago, London, Sydney) Ran a Marathon on Seven Continents |
| Ben Culver | Swimming | Elgin Blue Wave Master Swim Team | 2024 National Titles in Mens 45-49 yrs, 400 individual medley & 1650 yd freestyle 9-State Records and 8 High Point Finishers at Illinois State Championships |
| Jon Duppler | Golf | Larkin High School | Qualified to play in PGA Professional National Championship in St. Lucie FL |
| Corinne Grotenhuis | Weightlifting | Inducted into the Pan Am Masters Hall of Fame as a Significant Contributor in Weightlifting | |
| Rick Short | Baseball | Larking High School | Assistant Hitting Coach Arizona Diamondbacks
2023 National League Wild Card, 2023 National League Champions, 2023 Major League Baseball World Series vs. Texas Rangers |
| Ryan Sienko | Baseball | Larkin High School | Catching Coach Detroit Tigers, 2024 American League Central Division Playoffs |
| Britney Whitehead | Cross Country/Track & Field | Eastern Illinois University / Larkin High School | Inducted into Eastern Illinois University Hall of Fame |
Experience it in person!
If you’d like to view previous Award Recipients we invite you to the ESHOF on-site Touch Pro Experience, located at The Centre of Elgin.
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