Service scheduled for Palatine girls sports pioneer Tefft
A Life Celebration Service will be held at Kolssak Funeral Home today from noon to 4:30 p.m. for former Palatine teacher and coach Linda Tefft, who recently passed away.
Tefft served as the first softball coach at Palatine High school, where she taught driver’s education and physical education.
She also coached bowling and gymnastics at the District 211 school.
Longtime softball coach Jerry Kublank, who retired in 2002, and his wife Karen, began teaching and coaching with Tefft in 1972 at Palatine. Tefft’s husband Jim was also a physics teacher at Palatine High School.
“Linda even taught a motorcycle class at one time,” Kublank said. “She was a wonderful person, and a true pioneer of the early years of girls athletics. Sometimes the first coaches do not get the credit in laying a foundation for players and coaches who follow them. If they failed, it would have taken a lot longer to develop other programs. Linda will really be missed.”
Donations may be made to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. For funeral information, call (847) 537-6600 or visit www.funerals.pro or facebook.
Soccer: Liberty’s Scott Sutarik, a 2011 Fremd graduate, is one of five collegiate goalkeepers featured in Top Drawer Soccer’s 91st minute. Last season, Sutarik ranked seventh nationally and led the Big South Conference with a 0.56 goals-against average. He also led the conference with a .850 save percentage.
The Palatine native posted a 5-2-3 record, earning both Big South All-Tournament and All-Freshman team honors, helping Liberty (11-6-3) capture the Big South title. Sutarik and the 2012 Flames will open their defense of their 2011 Big South Conference title by hosting the N.C. State Wolfpack on Aug. 24 at Osborne Stadium.
Diving: Palatine graduate Ian McNair , a junior at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, won his second NAIA national diving championship on the 1-meter diving board with a score of 326.85. The meet was held at Oklahoma Baptist University.
McNair placed second on the 3-meter board with a score of 281.00.
He currently holds the school records for the 6 and 11-meter dives at IIT where he is majoring in physics and science education.