St. Viator prepares nine individuals for Hall of Fame

Later this month, the St. Viator Athletic Hall of Fame will add several new faces as well as standout teams.

A dedication ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 22 will start at 5:30 p.m. in the Boler Center at the high school.

The 2011 individual inductees are Joe Majkowski, Chuck Henrich, Josh Kay, Jennifer Ansani Kottra, Mike Manno, Bob Moynihan, Jarrett Payton, Mark Rossi and John Vandenbergh.

Team inductees include basketball (1985-86), football (2000-01), soccer (2000-01) and cheerleading (2000-01) while the Robert C. Artman Award recognizing the Sports Person of the Year goes to Susie McNamara.

Here is a closer looked at the individual inductees.

Mike Manno: A three-sport athlete and Male Athlete of the Year his senior year in 1994. Manno scored 22 career goals under Hall of Fame soccer coach Mike Taylor. His 1992 team won conference, regional and sectional titles. Manno also played basketball for fellow inductee coach Joe Majkowski and was a three-year varsity baseball standout earning player all-area status and team MVP as a senior.

Manno played soccer and baseball at St. Norbert College. He has been the assistant athletic director and baseball coach for St. Viator the last six years.

Mark Rossi: Rossi helped his football and baseball teams to championships. He was a junior when the 1969 football team claimed the Chicagoland Prep League title under Hall of Fame Joe Gliwa and defensive coach Sal Nuccio. Rossi was all-conference as a junior and senior (co-captain).

He was also an all-conference shortstop for coach Pat Mahoney’s 1970 and 1971 championship conference teams and had two memorable home runs that gave the Lions a win over Holy Cross to tie for the championship in 1971.

Rossi played at John Carroll University.

Josh Kay: Kay is in the school’s top five for batting average (. 450, first), RBI (107, second), home runs (17, third), doubles (25, second) and walks (40, fifth). An outstanding catcher, Kay was a three-year starter and Wendy’s Heisman Award winner.

He became a relief pitcher for the University of Cincinnati and was drafted by the Oakland Athletics before retiring due to an injury.

John Vandenbergh: He was a valuable member of four exciting football teams from 1966-1969. As a freshman, he played for an undefeated team coached by Hall of Famer John Zid. The team did not give up a point. He moved to the varsity as a sophomore to play defensive middle guard/nose tackle. He played both ways at tackle during his junior year, earning all-conference and all-area team honors. Vandenbergh was a co-captain his senior year. In the fall of 1969, the team defeated DeLaSalle for the Chicagoland Prep League Championship, the first in school history. He also lettered in wrestling and track and field and was President of the Letterman’s Club.

Joe Majkowski: Majkowski compiled a 367-280 record in 24 seasons. He won his 300th game Dec. 30, 2006, in an overtime win against Notre Dame. His 1996-97 team captured the East Suburban Catholic Conference title. He won regional titles in 2001 and 2010. His 2009-10 team advanced to the Class 3A supersectional game and the Elite Eight for the first time in school history. Majkowski was also honored as Illinois Basketball Coaches Association co-coach of the year for District 4, Class 3A/4A in 2010, and he was inducted into the ESCC Hall of Fame in 2011.

Jennifer Ansani Kottra: She was a cross country co-captain her junior and senior years, receiving the prestigious “Lion Award” her sophomore, junior and senior years. In basketball, she was co-captain, MVP and ESCC all-conference as a sophomore, junior and senior years, and she earned all-area honors in her junior and senior years. She was the school’s 1999-2000 Female Athlete of the Year. She scored more than 925 career points and had more than 1,000 career rebounds. She also returned to St. Viator in 2005 to teach English and she served as an assistant girls basketball coach for three years, two as the head freshman coach when she assisted by her father, Dan. They won two conference championships.

Jarrett Payton: Payton was named Male Athlete of the Year for 1998-99. Under Hall of Fame soccer coach Mike Taylor, he helped lead the team to its first state final series (third place in 1996). He earned all-conference and all-state honors that year. Payton then switched to football where he helped lead the 1998 team to its first playoff appearance since 1988. Payton gained 2,842 all-purpose yards, playing quarterback (passed for 1,088 yards and rushed for 1,345 yards), tailback and wide receiver. He was a nationally-ranked player and committed to the University of Miami in 1999.

Chuck Henrich: A 1965 charter class graduate, Henrich was awarded four letters in football and baseball and one in basketball. He was a two-way football starter, playing split end and defensive safety. He led the first varsity team in scoring and interceptions as a junior and set a record for the longest touchdown catch (83 yards). In baseball, he was a four-year starter and named to the all-state tournament team when the Lions took second place in 1965. In the state championship game, Henrich hit a 2-run single in the sixth inning to give St. Viator its only lead at 2-1 before coach Len Sparacino’s Lions lost 4-2 to Peoria Manual.

Bob Moynihan: Moynihan was an all-conference football and baseball player. His senior team was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year as one of only two football teams to go undefeated in conference in school history. Moniyhan continued at Harper College. Freshmen year, he suffered a severe neck injury and was told he would never play again. After working with Shaun Doran (class of 1980) in the weight room, Monhiyan made it back and earned defensive player of the week for the conference twice and was named all-N4JC.

He played outside linebacker at Southeast Missouri State University.

Football

North Dakota State senior Scott Stoczynski (Hoffman Estates) was credited with 2 solo tackles, 1 pass break up, and 1 quarterback hurry as the Bison defeated Illinois State 20-10 in Fargo.

Sam Ojuri (Barrington) had 5 carries for 31 yards for the Bison.

Stoczynski also had 2 tackles, including a sack, when the Bison (4-0) beat Minnesota 37-24 a week earlier. Ojuri scored a touchdown in that game.

Men’s soccer

Sophomore Jake Muszczynski (Rolling Meadows) scored a hat trick in North Central’s 6-0 victory over Millikin and he had a goal in the Cardinals’ 4-0 victory over Lakeland College.

Pro volleyball

Ingrid Hanson-Tunland (Wheeling) has been selected to play in Denmark. Formerly of Katrineholm, Sweden, the former Wheeling and University of North Carolina standout is now playing for Vordingborg, Denmark.

Women’s cross country

North Central’s Kala Bingham (Barrington) was named the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Women’s “Runner of the Week.”

Bingham placed third at Wheaton’s Dodds Invitational, finishing the 6K with a time of 22:04.14. As a team, the Cardinals placed second in the five-team meet, just behind nationally-ranked Washington (Mo.).

Men’s cross country

North Central junior Matt Perez (Hoffman Estates) finished seventh in the Notre Dame with a team-best time of 25:16.

Ÿ North Central sophomore Aaron Ferst (Fremd) finished eighth in the Cardinal Classic in Warrenville with a team-best time of of 26:35.

Junior Knights

Tryouts for the Prospect Lady Junior Knights 2011-2012 Feeder basketball program will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 26 and Sunday, Oct. 30 at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Mt. Prospect. For further information, email at ktc1964@msn.com and put “Basketball Tryouts” in the subject line or visit www.juniorknights.com.

Ÿ The Prospect Boy’s Feeder Basketball tryouts will be held on Sunday Oct. 16, 2011 at Prospect High School. Seventh and eighth graders from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. sixth graders from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. For further info visit the website www.juniorknights.com.

Ÿ Please e-mail Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com or FAX to (847) 427-1173.