Judson to induct five into Hall of Fame
Jason Russell, a 1989 Dundee-Crown graduate and the current assistant boys basketball coach at St. Edward High School, highlights the list of five new inductees to the Judson University Athletic Hall of Fame.
The induction ceremony and banquet will be Saturday, Jan. 22 at the Holiday Inn & Suites in Elgin.
Russell played basketball and baseball at Judson and was a four-year letter winner for the Eagles in both sports.
His senior year, he was a NCCAA first team All-American in basketball as well as being an NAIA All-District player. He was also an all-conference and all-district baseball player.
Russell, whose sister Michelle is the varsity girls basketball coach at Dundee-Crown and whose father Tom was a longtime football, wrestling and softball coach at D-C, scored 1,049 points in his Judson basketball career, which encompassed 89 games. His 603 points his senior season rank ninth for a single season in Judson history.
Other former Judson athletes being inducted include Andrew Burdett, Jon Hanchett, Jeff Montgomery and Jennifer (Gentry) Salazar.
Burdett, a 1999 Judson grad, was an NCCAA All-American in basketball and soccer. He was a four-year letter winner in basketball and is the program's third all-time leading scorer with 1,671 points. He holds a place in the top 10 in six statistical categories. He was Judson's Male Athlete of the Year his sophomore year. In soccer, he only played one season, his senior year, helping the Eagles to a second-place finish in the NCCAA National Tournament.
Hanchett is a 1973 Judson alum who is being inducted for baseball and soccer. He was the 1972-73 Male Athlete of the Year and had a career ERA as a pitcher of 2.23. He ranks second in career strikeouts and wins and was twice recognized with the Outstanding College Athlete of America award. His team also voted him the most inspirational player in 1971 and 1972. He played just one year of soccer, 1972, and scored 6 points for a team that finished 8-2-2.
Montgomery, a 1999 graduate, is being inducted for soccer. He helped Judson to two NCCAA national championships and four straight NCCAA regional titles. In addition to the two national titles, Montgomery played on teams that finished second and fourth in NCCAA national tournaments. In 1997, he led the team with 63 points and was named to the NSCAA All-Midwest team. In his four years at Judson, the Eagles went 82-22-2.
Gentry Salazar, who graduated in 1994 and then came back to coach at Judson from 1997-2002, is being inducted for volleyball. As a player, she was a two-time team MVP and a two time NCCAA All-Region selection. She helped the Eagles to a fourth-place finish at the NCCAA National Tournament her sophomore year. She is second all-time in kills, block assists and total blocks. As a coach, she took over the program in 1997 and won two CCAC conference championships, In her first season the Eagles won a program record 33 matches. She is tied for the most coaching wins in program history with 111.
The Jan. 22 event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a social hour. Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to the event are $25 and can be purchased by contacting Jan Andresen at (847) 628-1580 or via e-mail at jandresen@judsonu.edu.