During the 45th anniversary celebration of Moraine Valley Community College Athletics, four honorees were inducted in its Athletics Hall of Fame on April 30. The class included basketball announcer Bill Antonion, assistant basketball coach Kyle R. Hastings, tennis player Michael Wojnarowski and volleyball player Julie (Moore) Wurster.
Antonion, a Korean War veteran, was a basketball announcer for the men’s and women’s teams starting in 1995 until 2015. He was a newspaper reporter and sports enthusiast, and a connection with Athletics director Bill Finn brought him to the microphone at Moraine Valley as a volunteer. He knew every player, stayed up-to-date with every Moraine Valley basketball team and practiced saying player names so he wouldn’t skip a beat at the score table. He also called some games at Governors State University and Triton College. Antonion was inducted posthumously.
Hastings was an assistant men’s basketball coach under Finn for a few years starting in 1983 shortly after graduating from Moraine Valley in 1977. He was Finn’s righthand man and an intense recruiter, finding top talent from Chicagoland and bringing them back to the college. He brought in the top scorers, defenders and most athletic players, who would go on to win close to 30 games each year. He became a head basketball coach at Trinity Christian College and also was an athletics director at Proviso West. He has been the mayor of Orland Hills for nearly 30 years.
Wojnarowski played tennis for Moraine Valley in the 2007 season. His skills on the court earned him a first singles championship as well as NJCAA Region IV and Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Player of the Year. He helped his team earn a Skyway and Region championship as well as compete in the NJCAA Division I men’s tennis championship. He also was an NJCAA Academic All-American for his performance in the classroom. Wojnarowski went on to continued tennis success at Lewis University before working as a teaching tennis professional for nine years.
Wurster was a talented, all-around athlete when she joined the volleyball team in 1991. She came in with a high volleyball IQ and was not a flashy player. Wurster was highly efficient as a setter, attacker and blocker. A left-handed setter, she often had the advantage and could pick apart the opponent’s defense to score with the team’s hitters or do it herself. She was always watching to see how and when to score depending on openings across the net, and she communicated well with her teammates. She also was an excellent server. Wurster later briefly coached at Celtic Force Volleyball Club.
“It’s exciting to induct each new group. I love going back through our rich athletic history and, for one day each year, relive some of the amazing contributions that have set the stage for what Moraine Valley Athletics now offers our community and students,” Finn said. “The Hall of Fame inductions truly affirm Moraine Valley and the south suburbs of Chicago are rich in athletic tradition and talented high-level athletes.”
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