Wheeling readies new group for Hall of Fame
Wheeling High School has set the date for the induction of its 2017 class to its Athletic Hall of Fame.
The ceremony to honor the newest members will take place at halftime (approximately 8 p.m.) of the Wildcats' boys basketball game against Buffalo Grove on Friday, Feb. 17.
Here is a list of this year's inductees.
Darleen Reichmuth Croft: Reichmuth Croft was a member of the 1984 cross country state championship team. Her teams also won multiple Mid-Suburban League, regional and sectional championships. She was a three-time all-state runner, finishing 12th in 1982, 22nd in 1983 and third in 1984. In track and field, she was a member of three MSL and sectional championship teams and a five-time state medalist. Reichmuth Croft finished third in the 4 x 400 relay at the 1985 state meet.
She was a NCAA qualifier and an academic all Big Ten athlete at Northwestern and currently resides in London working as a director for Leverage Communications.
Aaron Kahn: Kahn held six school swimming records in individual events and relays. He currently holds the school record in the 200 IM with a time of 1:56.23. He was a Mid-Suburban League medalist in 1995 and 1996, qualifying for the state meet in the 200 IM and finishing 22nd as a junior in 1995. As a senior, Kahn was sectional champion in the 200 IM and set the pool record in the event. He was a state qualifier in the 200 IM and 100 freestyle that same year and finished 11th in the 100 freestyle and fifth in the 200 IM, making him an all-stater in two events. Kahn is the only two-time state medalist in the history of Wheeling boys swimming.
He swam four years for Iowa and was elected the Hawkeyes' team captain his senior year. While at Iowa, he earned a top-16 finish in the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke at the 2000 Big Ten Championships. His time of 49.26 in the butterfly was the seventh-fastest time in Iowa school history at the time of his graduation. He also earned All-Academic Big Ten honors his sophomore, junior and senior years.
George Sianis: Sianis, who enters under the title of 'Friends of Athletics,' has been one of the most supportive and involved parents in the history of Wheeling High School.
In his time serving Wheeling as a parent volunteer he was the face of the school. A lifetime member of the Wheeling Spur Club, the school's athletic booster organization, Sianis served as the president for three years. He was also very involved in the marching band and orchestra parent groups and helped coordinate summer athletic activities.
He never failed to attend an event and did whatever he could to promote Wheeling High School. He was instrumental in increasing participation in the booster club and spearheaded numerous fundraising campaigns to help its programs. Although his children graduated years ago, Sianis still supports the school financially and by attending events.
Edwardo Torres: Torres was a four-time all-state cross-country runner. He was 11th in the 1995 state meet, ninth in 1996, eighth in 1997 and third in 1998. His third-place finish helped Wheeling win the 1998 state title.
He was also a four-time state medalist in track and field. In 1998, he was fourth in the 1,600-meter run and second in the 3,200 run. In 1999, he was fourth in the 1,600 run and second in the 3,200 run. At the time of his induction, Edwardo was the Wheeling record holder in the 3,200 run with a time of 9:08.4.
At the national level, Torres was a three-time qualifier to the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships.
After high school, Torres was a three time NCAA all-American in cross-country and track and field at Colorado. He went on to compete at the international level and he was a member of the United States track and field team.
Torres was a key contributor to Colorado's 2001 NCAA cross-country championship team. After college, he signed an endorsement contract with Reebok and began competing professionally. He represented the United States three times at the World Cross Country Championships (2003, 2008, and 2009). Edwardo was also a member of the U.S. team at the World Championships in Berlin.
In 2015, he was inducted into the Footlocker Championship High School Hall of Fame. He is the owner of PR Medal Engravers, LLC and the current chairman of the USA Track and Field Men's Long Distance Running Committee.
Jim Wendler: Wendler, a coach and athletic director, positively impacted the Wheeling athletic program for many years. He was an assistant boys track and field coach from 1984 to 2001, coaching numerous Mid-Suburban League champions, sectional champions and state qualifiers.
He served as the boys athletic director for 17 years, overseeing an expanding athletic program that served thousands of student-athletes. He mentored many coaches and served as the tournament manager for many events at Wheeling, including regional and sectional tournaments.
Wendler was the long time manager of the 16-team Wheeling Hardwood Classic boys basketball holiday tournament. Under his direction, the event grew into one of the premier holiday tournaments in the state.
Wendler earned a bachelor's in Science and a Masters in Science in the field of education from Northern Illinois, where he was a three-year varsity football player.
Prior to Wheeling, he taught physical education and was the boys track and field head coach at Elk Grove. He also taught physical education at Prospect.
Men's soccer
Central College (Iowa) 5-foot-10 sophomore defender Kiel Pederson (Hersey) earned his second varsity letter last fall as he collected 5 goals, 3 assists, 13 points, 32 shots and 14 shots on goals in 18 games.
Rugby
Arlington Stallions alum Jack Carso, a 2013 graduate of Hersey, is starting the USA Rugby Division 1A competitive season at wing and fullback for nationally-ranked St. Mary's (CA.). In the final preseason match against a top-15 ranked Utah, Carso scored a second half try to contribute to a 55-12 victory.
Football
Augustana senior linebacker Jack Asquini (Buffalo Grove) was named the Most Valuable Player for coach Steve Bell's 2016 Augustana Vikings football team. Asquini led Vikings in tackles, tackles for loss, and sacks on the year.
He finished the season with 112 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks which were all team highs. He was second in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin in tackles and ranks second in school history for unassisted tackles in his career. Asquini was an All-CCIW selection for the third straight year.
• Vikings senior safety Frank Kalble (Hersey) took home Augustana's Defensive Player of the Year honor.
He was the Vikings' second-leading tackler for the second straight year with 80. He was the only player to record an interception, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble for the Vikings' defense. Kalble wraps up his career at Augustana sixth all-time in unassisted tackles with 122. He was also named to the All-CCIW 2nd team for the second straight season.
• Augustana freshman running back Bobby Jarosz (Prospect) earned Augustana's 'Offensive Rookie of the Year' award. He played in all 10 games, rushing 56 times for 238 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also had a receiving touchdown, tying him for the team lead in total touchdowns with 5.
Men's track
Augustana junior Josh Yamamoto (Fremd) was part of the 4X400 relay team that finished second (3:21.32) at the Squig Converse Invitational in Whitewater, Wis.
Yamamoto was also part of the winning 1600 relay by 2.6 seconds over second-place North Central at the Olivet Nazarene Invitational at the Perry Student Life Recreation Center.
Augustana junior Evan Murphy (Buffalo Grove) turned in a fifth-place finish (44-1½) in the triple jump.
Women's basketball
Saint Louis junior guard Jackie Kemph (Rolling Meadows) was the Atlantic 10 Conference women's basketball co-Player of the Week.
She shot 57 percent from the field and averaged 19.5 points, 6.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds to help lead the Billikens to A-10 victories over George Washington and Fordham.
Kemph leads the A-10 in assists (7.7 apg, No. 4 in the nation) and assist-turnover ratio (2.19:1). She ranks eighth in scoring (14.2 ppg), tenth in minutes (34 mpg) and 11th in free throw percentage (.766).
• Cornell College senior forward Diamond Boyd (Elk Grove) was named the Midwest Conference 'Performer of the Week.'
Boyd tossed in a career-high 32 points to go with 12 rebounds and 4 steals on her Senior Day as Cornell's 82-74 win over Knox clinched a berth in the MWC Tournament.
For the week, Boyd averaged 21.5 points, 10 rebounds and 3.5 steals while shooting 91.7 percent (11-of-12) from the foul line. She leads the conference in rebounds and steals, and ranks second in points and field goal percentage.
• Email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com.