Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/55474
REDBIRD ALL-AMERICANS & OLYMPIANS LEIGH PETRANOFF 2011 | JAVELIN The daughter of an olympian, Leigh Petranoff holds the two highest throws in school history for the Redbirds, winning back-to-back-to-back MVC titles, and placing sixth at the NCAA Championships as a junior. PETE PALUMBO 1979 | OUTDOOR 1,000M A two-time MVC champion, Pete Palumbo owns the school record in the 1,000-meter run. He also was part of two relay teams that still hold Illinois State records. DAVE RZESZUTKO 1990 | INDOOR 800M A three-time league champ, Dave Rzeszutko ran to All- America honors as a sophomore. DAN SCHROCK 1999 | DISTANCE MEDLEY RELAY Dan Schrock ran the third leg of the distance medley relay that finished second at the indoor championships. The distance medley relay also ran the fastest time in school history. SAM SERRANO 2000 | 20-LB. WEIGHT THROW Sam Serrano's 10th-place finish at the 2000 indoor championships earned her All-American status. DION SIMMONS 1992 | OUTDOOR TRIPLE JUMP An All-American and U.S. Olympic Trials participant in the triple jump, Dion Simmons won five MVC titles and holds the outdoor school record. BRITTANY SMITH 2011 | INDOOR SHOT PUT 2011 | OUTDOOR HAMMER A junior national champion, Brittany Smith has competed at the highest level of her collegiate career, earning two All-American certificates in her sophomore year. TOM SMITH 1987 | INDOOR HIGH JUMP 1987 | OUTDOOR NCAA HIGH JUMP CHAMPION 1988 | INDOOR HIGH JUMP 1988 | OUTDOOR NCAA HIGH JUMP CHAMPION Tom Smith set the standards by which all Redbird high jumpers will be measured. He set an NCAA Meet record with a jump of 7-07.75 feet in 1988, and he holds the outdoor school record and a share of the indoor school mark with Kevin Clements. WENDY VANMIERLO-LITTLE 1983 | INDOOR 5,000M 1983 | OUTDOOR 5,000M Wendy VanMierlo-Little, a member of the ISU Athletics Hall of Fame, set five school records. KLINT WESCOM 1999 | DISTANCE MEDLEY RELAY Klint Wescom owns school records in the indoor and outdoor 800. DEE WILSON 1974 | AIAW PENTATHLON CHAMPION Illinois State's first, and only, female national champion was Dee Wilson, who won the 1974 pentathlon in the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) national meet in Denton, Texas. The pentathlon, a supreme test of athletic ability, consists of the 100-meter hurdles, 200-meter dash, long jump, high jump and shot put. Wilson bettered her career marks in four of the five events during this grueling test of stamina at the national meet. ILLINOIS STATE OLYMPIANS EVENT 1936 BERLIN Tidye Anne Picket-Phillips 1972 MUNICH Adeola Aboyade-Cole George Daniels Bruce Ijirigho 1976 MONTREAL Adeola Aboyade-Cole Bruce Ijirigho 80-meter hurdles 110-meter hurdles 100M, 200M, 4x100 400-meter dash 110-meter hurdles 400-meter dash COUNTRY United States Nigeria Ghana Nigeria Nigeria Nigeria HALL OF FAME MEMBERS Illinois State track & field and cross country has a storied history, one that dates back to the mid-1920s. The following is a list of Illinois State Athletics Hall of Fame members who have ties to the Redbird track and field and cross country programs. NAME Mike Baker Richard Baldrini Roosevelt Banks Wilbur Barton Ronald Beales Mary Bell Stacia Beste Paul Carther Stanley Changnon Marion Cole John Coughlan* Floyd Covill Sue Daggett-Miller Mary Dagraedt Chester Dillon James Duncan Robert Eudeikis Bruce Ewen Darryl Frerker James "Pim" Goff Christian Goy Eugene L. Hill Lyle Hutton Vince Jones Richerd Kavanagh INDUCTED NAME 2003 Walt Laitas 1973 1973 1978 1977 1982 2011 1979 1972 1972 1993 1981 2004 1978 1973 2006 1985 2008 1997 1972 2010 1972 1972 1979 1974 Eugene Masters Claire McCreight Mike Mittelstaedt Joyce Morton-Kief* Stan Petty Marty Rademacher Bob Riggenbach Harold "Sam" Samorian Ron Schieber Lori Schutt John Scott Bob Skinner John Snyder John Swalec Del Swearingen Alan Taylor Angie Taylor Wnedy VanMierlo-Little Roger Weller* Dee Wilson Ron Zaeske INDUCTED 1974 1976 1972 1975 1983 1976 Tidye Ann Pickett-Phillips 1973 Henry V. Porter 1972 1989 1974 2000 1976 1979 1972 1992 1979 1983 1976 1976 2008 1996 1991 1985 1976 * Denotes inducted as a coach TIDYE ANN PICKETT-PHILLIPS 1936 | OLYMPICS BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS: A PIONEER OF HER TIME Overcoming unimaginable obstacles, Theodora Ann "Tidye" Pickett-Phillips was a pioneer for women and African- Americans. At the time Picket-Phillips was attending Illinois State, the university did not sponsor women's athletics; however, she is still considered by the department to be the first Illinois State athlete to ever compete for the United States Olympic Team and was awarded an ISU letter in 1973 and was inducted into the ISU Athletics Hall of Fame that same year. The Chicago Heights, Ill., native began her Olympic quest in 1932 competing for the Chicago Park District. She was competing for a position on the 1932 Olympics, which was only the second games held that allowed women to compete; the first was in 1928. Pickett-Phillips was one of two black American women who qualified for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, but were not allowed to compete. She and Louise Stroke from Massachusetts were the first black women to ever represent the United States in Olympic track and field competition. Not allowing the set back of 1932 to interfere with her dreams, she reached the quarterfinals of the low 80-meter hurdles at the 1936 Games in Berlin, but suffered a broken foot when she hit a barrier and was unable to continue. At one time, she held the women's world indoor record for the 40-yard dash, and the Canadian record for the running broad jump. Picket-Phillips was the principal of Woodlawn School in East Chicago Heights, Ill. Pickett-Phillips being presented an ISU letter 2011-12 TRACK & FIELD 65