South Cook News

FOUR ATHLETES AND ONE TEAM ENTER ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME

Four talented athletes and a successful volleyball team was the latest group inducted into the Moraine Valley Athletics Hall of Fame. The fifth class of inductees includes a golfer, softball player, tennis coach/player, runner and the 1980 volleyball team. 

Ryan Frederick was on one of the most successful golf teams in 2011. As a transfer student, he helped his team earn an Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference championship and a berth to nationals after being runner-up in the NJCAA Region IV tournament. Frederick earned All-Conference honors, finished eighth in the region for his scores (71, 77, 73), was Skyway Conference Player of the Year and was named a team co-MVP. He helped his squad finish 12th at the national tournament while individually placing 13th among 128 golfers in the country to become Moraine Valley's first All-American and All-Tournament golfer. 

Christina Neitzke-Troike played on the softball team in 1999 and 2000. She was a member of two successful teams that each won Skyway Conference championships. Her 1999 squad went 35-11 overall and was undefeated (12-0) in conference. She batted .361 that season. The 2000 team went 33-15 and was runner-up in the Region IV tournament. She led the team that year with a .426 on-base percentage and seven triples. She also was named to the All-Conference, All-Region IV and All-Tournament teams and was the Tournament MVP and Moraine Valley Female Athlete of the Year. 

 Jordi Rangel ran cross country in 2016 and 2017. He helped his 2016 team earn a Skyway Conference championship and was influential in helping the 2017 squad earn a coveted Region IV championship and berth to nationals. He was named Individual Champion – Most Valuable Runner in 2016 for finishing first in the conference championship race and is one of 10 runners named to the All-Region IV and All-Conference teams both seasons at Moraine Valley. Rangel ran at the NJCAA Cross Country Championship both years and placed 92nd out of 320 runners in 2017, the first time a Cyclone finished in the top 100 in Division I. He also held several college records, including the Cyclones men's record for fastest 8K (25:53) from 2017 until 2022. His season average is the fastest in school history. 

Nicole Selvaggio, also an adjunct communications instructor, was a tennis player in 2011 and 2012 and then head coach from 2013 to 2016. She is one of the most successful tennis players in the Cyclones women's program's history. She was an undefeated first singles champion in the Region IV and Skyway Conference both seasons and helped her team qualify for nationals in 2011. In 2012, she helped her team go undefeated and earn conference and region championships before competing at nationals again. Selvaggio's awards include Region IV and Conference Player of the Year both seasons, Region Sportsmanship Award (2011), Moraine Valley MVP (2011) and the Dick Durrant Award (2012-13) for academics.

As head coach, Selvaggio earned Skyway Conference Newcomer Coach of the Year (2013), two consecutive Skyway Coach of the Year honors (2014-15) and Region IV Coach of the Year (2014). Her coaching record was 24-3. Two of her teams won the conference and region championships, and she took three teams to the national tournament.

The Athletics Department was created in 1976, but within a few years, the 1980 Volleyball Team brought success and prestige to a young Moraine Valley. This group was the college's first nationally ranked team, starting at No. 9 and moving up to No. 8, while also being the first team to compete at the national championship, where they took 16th place. They finished with a 38-4-3 record and won second place in the state tournament. One player on that squad, Ellen Schultz, earned NJCAA All-American honorable mention. Other members of the team included: Lisa Barcella, Sheila Burke, Jackie Davis, Maureen Frangella, Jackie Gruca, Joanna Poulos, Laura Sartausky, Patti Wolf, manager Carol Filipiak and Head Coach Sue Gasperec.

"I'm very pleased with our fifth class of inductees. They are loaded with talent and truly showed that Moraine Valley is a powerhouse for athletics," said Bill Finn, athletics director. "It was a fantastic night to celebrate this group. I'm so proud they represent Moraine Valley."

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