St. Charles inducts class filled with champions

There is no disputing the worthiness of the quartet recently selected to join the St. Charles (East) High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

The Jodie Harrison Lifetime Achievement Award recipients for 2015 are David Fix, Ryan Lindgren, Anne Poulin and the late Stryker Reed. They'll be honored prior to Saturday's 6 p.m. varsity basketball game between St. Charles East and West Chicago.

During their 16 years of high school, the four were members of 12 state championship teams.

David Fix (Class of 1986)

Fix became a fixture for the Saints' swim team from 1982-86.

As a 4-year varsity participant, Fix was a member of 4 consecutive state title-winning teams at St. Charles.

"I have such fond memories of my high school swimming days," said Fix, who works as a wealth strategist for Northern Trust. "Nobody had a greater impact than my coaches and teammates."

Fix, who began swimming in the St. Charles youth program when he was 7, recalled a significant moment occurring during his younger days.

"St. Charles had just won its first state title and the team was invited at appear on Ray Rayner's TV show on Channel 9," said Fix.

"I asked my parents if I could stay home from school so I could watch the show. I was 11 or 12 at the time and it really flipped a switch in my head."

From that point forward, Fix began to swim with an added purpose.

"I had a certain amount of talent but I also worked hard," said Fix. "I never missed a practice and never missed an opportunity to improve."

The senior team captain was a member of the state champion 400-yard free relay team while also completing a rare double - winning state titles in the 500 free and 100 fly.

"That's what I'm most proud of," he said.

The feat hasn't been duplicated since.

"It's fun to think about," said Fix, who was a High School all-American all 4 years.

Humbled by the Hall of Fame honor, Fix praised legendary Saints coach Dave Bart for his guidance.

"Coach Bart was a mentor and motivator in every sense of the word," said Fix. "He was very tough but he kept my eyes focused. He also kept us low to the ground."

Fix was a freshman during Stryker Reed's senior campaign.

"Stryker certainly was a role model for me," said Fix. "He was a neighbor of mine and we became closer friends when I got to high school. It is a huge honor to go in along with Stryker."

Fix went on to swim collegiately at Arizona State before qualifying to compete in the 200 fly and 400 IM during the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials.

Ryan Lindgren (Class of 1996)

Lindgren was a 2-sport standout at St. Charles from 1992-96, helping lead the Saints to the state boys soccer title in 1995 while also being a member of 2 regional championship basketball teams and a sectional championship squad.

"Our teams were very close," said Lindgren, who earned Illinois Boys Soccer Player of the Year honors in 1995. "That's one thing I noticed with our group - we were a tight-knit group of guys. Most of us had played soccer together since our Pee-Wee days and 'Bitty' basketball."

As a senior, Lindgren was part of a dominant team that finished with a 28-0-1 record and captured the state soccer title with a 3-0 championship triumph over Evanston.

Coach Paul Keenan's squad compiled a 20-game winning streak that included a 3-0 quarterfinal victory over Naperville North and a 2-0 semifinal whitewash of Palatine.

"That season was memorable for a lot of reasons," said Lindgren. "We had a great team. I think all but one or two starters went on to play Division I soccer. Going unbeaten was quite an accomplishment."

The only "blemish" that season was a 1-1 tie with St. Viator.

"I scored the tying goal in the final minute," said Lindgren.

According to Lindgren, the team gained a valuable lesson from the 1994 squad that lost a 3-2 double-overtime heartbreaker to Granite City in the state quarterfinals.

"We were up 2-0 in that game," said Lindgren. "There's no reason we should have lost that one. We learned from that quite a bit. We arguably had a better team my junior year than the one we had my senior year."

As a junior, Lindgren was a starting forward on the Saints' basketball team that finished 23-7 and reached the Class AA supersectional before falling to Hersey (73-58).

The junior-driven team included Kevin DiPiazza, Steve Ball, Casey Dodson and Matt Wasinger.

During his senior season, Lindgren earned Most Valuable Player honors for legendary coach Ron Johnson's Saints.

"Playing for Ron was special," said Lindgren, who works for UBS Investment Bank. "We loved and respected him. He was like a father/grandfather figure to me."

Lindgren went on to play college soccer at UIC, where he led the Flames to their first NCAA Tournament appearance.

"We went 3-17 my first year but by the time I left we were 17-3," he said.

Anne Poulin (Class of 2000)

From her freshman season through her senior campaign, Poulin was a staple for the Saints' girls soccer program.

A 3-time all-state girls soccer player, Poulin was a member of 4 consecutive girls soccer state championship teams (1997-2000) at St. Charles.

"It was a great feeling to be part of a legacy," said Poulin, who will join older sister Ruth Poulin Vostal into the St. Charles Hall of Fame. "I walked into a situation where there was a tradition laid down years before me.

"I felt a fantastic weight to carry it on."

Carry on, she did.

During her first two seasons, the Saints did not lose a single game - compiling a 55-0-3 record.

As a freshman starting sweeper, Poulin helped lead coach Joe Moreau's Saints to a 26-0-2 mark in 1997, capped by their 4-0 state title victory over Lyons Township.

"I was in the last line of defense with a bunch of seniors," she recalled.

Poulin moved to a center midfield spot the next 2 seasons where she excelled on the offensive end. She notched a goal and an assist in the team's 4-0 state championship victory over Naperville North in 1998 (29-0-1 record) and duplicated the feat the next season as the Saints (28-2-1) defeated Lincoln-Way 3-0 in the title clash.

Her senior season got off to a somewhat rocky start - by St. Charles standards - as the Saints lost their first 2 games and held a 3-2-2 record after 7 contests.

"Early in the year, Coach Moreau asked me into the office and told me he was moving me back to sweeper because we needed some defensive help," said Poulin.

The strategy worked to perfection.

St. Charles finished the season with a 24-game winning streak - 21 by shutout - highlighted by a 2-1 title triumph over Lincoln-Way in 2000.

During her 4-year career, the Saints amassed an amazing 110-4-6 record.

"We were working for something bigger than ourselves," said Poulin. "We reaped the benefits of the work laid down before us and we didn't want to let those people down."

Poulin, who played collegiately at Arizona State and professionally in Europe for 2 years, now serves as an assistant girls soccer coach at St. Francis High School and is involved in several charitable works, including Blessings in a Backpack.

Stryker Reed (Class of 1983)

Reed made an immediate impact for the Saints' boys swim team, taking on a leg of the state championship 200-yard medley relay team as a freshman in 1980.

A 4-year varsity boys swimmer, Reed was a member of 3 state championship teams at St. Charles and high school all-American from 1980-83.

As a junior, he was a second-place state finisher in the 100 fly and followed that with a runner-up effort in the 200 medley and third-place state showing in the 100 fly during his senior campaign.

Reed, who went on to set school records in the 200 fly and 200 free at Clemson, died of injuries received in an auto accident in South Carolina toward the end of his sophomore year. He was 19 years old.

"Stryker was a leader who was in pursuit of excellence as a swimmer," said Aaron Gabriel, who was a co-captain on the 1983 Saints' team along with Reed and Mike Edmondson. "He was very charismatic - someone who lived life to the fullest.

"He had a great sense of humor and was very popular."

Reed helped lead the Saints to the first of their 5 consecutive state team titles in 1981-82 during Bob Teichart's final season as head coach.

As a senior, he battled through injuries as the Saints captured the state championship in Dave Bart's first year at the helm.

"He had some shoulder issues during his senior year," said Gabriel, who swam collegiately at Wisconsin and remained close friends with Reed during their early college days.

"He traveled with our team when we went to Hawaii during our sophomore years."

Mary O'Brien was overwhelmed when she received the news from St. Charles East athletic director Mike Sommerfeld that her son was a Jodie Harrison Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

"You can still cry 30 years after losing a child," said O'Brien, who was the CEO with Fox Valley Orthopedics before her retirement last December. "It means a lot to me.

"I'm sure my son would be privileged to be inducted along with David Fix," she added. "It brings back a lot of memories but is kind of bittersweet."

O'Brien called her son the ultimate "team guy."

"He'd rather win a relay than an individual event," she said.

O'Brien will attend Saturday's ceremonies along with Stryker's younger sister, Kelley, and her son, Kian.

"It's a wonderful honor," added O'Brien. "It's nice to have him still remembered."

You can reach Craig Brueske at csb4k@hotmail.com