Learn About the Newest Inductees to the Lemont High School Athletic Hall of Fame

A new set of names will be added to Lemont High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame. On Sept. 21, three outstanding athletes will take their place among the school’s finest. Find out a little more about each of them, before their big day.

Get the details on the big event.

DOUG FREEHAUF ‘67 – Outstanding three-sport athlete... all-conference performer in basketball, football and track and field... earned All-Northeast Conference accolades as a senior in 1966 after averaging 26.4 yards per reception, a single-season school record that still stands... averaged 20.4 yards per catch over two varsity football seasons... totaled four varsity letters in track and field... earned All-Fox Valley Conference honors by winning the high hurdles in 1966... Northeast Conference champion in both the high hurdles and long jump as a senior in 1967... regional champion in both the low hurdles and high hurdles as a senior... formerly held the school’s record in the high hurdles (15.3)... averaged a school-record 38 points per game as a basketball player in 1967, earning all-state accolades and helping his team to a Northeast Conference title in the process... tabbed as the “Most Athletic” in the Class of 1967... National Honor Society student... attended Northern Illinois University, where he was a member of the basketball, football and track and field squads... invited to participate at the Drake Relays as a freshman in 1968... served as a science teacher at Lemont High School for four years... coached boys’ and girls’ basketball and track and field at the middle school level... served as a travel coach for boys’ and girls’ basketball and football... totaled 21 years as a principal at several middle schools... finished his career in education as superintendent of Newark (Ill.) Community High School District 66.

VALERIE (RYDBERG) COLE ‘01 – Outstanding volleyball player and student... earned All-Suburban Prairie Conference honors in each of her three varsity seasons... tabbed as the team’s top defensive player as a sophomore in 1998, as the team went 28-6-1 and won the Suburban Prairie Conference title... repeated as the squad’s top defensive player as a junior in 1999, when the team again was the Suburban Prairie Conference champion... tabbed with team MVP and “Best Hitter” honors as a senior in 2000, as the squad finished with a 29-5 record... served as a team captain as both a junior and senior... National Honor Society student... earned a scholarship to play volleyball at Wake Forest University... redshirted with an injury as a freshman, but went on to earn two letters... led the team in kills, kills per game, digs,
digs per game, service aces and services aces per game as a redshirt freshman in 2002, and was tabbed as the Demon Deacons’ defensive MVP... first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference player and team MVP as a redshirt sophomore in 2003... also cited as a first-team All-Region player by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, and was an honorable mention All-America pick... led the squad in most offensive categories, including kills (429) and service aces (71), in which she established career highs... also paced the squad with a career-best 372 digs... was the only ACC player to rank among the league’s top five in kills per game and digs per game in 2003... two-time ACC Player of the Week... cited to five all- tournament teams over two seasons... now a pharmacist in Minneapolis, Minn.

SUZIE RZEGOCKI ‘07 – Dominates the school’s softball record book... holds school career records for wins (82), earned run average (0.29), complete games (102), no-hitters (34), shutouts (64) and strikeouts (1,467)... established the IHSA career strikeout record as a senior, and still ranks third on its all-time list... also ranks third in state history for career no-hitters, and ranks among its top ten in ERA and shutouts... for her career, averaged nearly two strikeouts per inning at 13.93 K’s/7 innings... three-time team MVP and four-time all-conference player.. four-time all-area honoree by the Joliet Herald News, a three-time all-area performer according to the Lemont Reporter/Met, and a two-time all-state hurler according to the Chicago Tribune... tabbed as the Illinois Gatorade Softball Player of the Year in 2007, while also earning Illinois Coaches Association all-state accolades and second-team National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America honors... cited as the Chicago Tribune/WGN-Channel 9 “Athlete of the Month” in April 2007... set a school record with a 0.08 ERA, allowing just two earned runs in 176.2 innings... fanned 386 batters for a career-best rate of 15.3 per 7 innings... posted a 20-4 record with 19 shutouts, and tied a state record (since broken) with 14 no-hitters... tied a state mark (since broken) by throwing five consecutive no-hitters... featured in Sports Illustrated after tying a state record with 38 strikeouts in one game against Oak Forest... fanned 24 straight batters over two outings, which still ranks among the state’s top streaks... cited as the “Player of the Year” by both the Chicago Sun-Times and Daily Southtown and as a Chicago Tribune all-state selection in 2006 after going 24-5 with a 0.17 ERA and striking out a school-record 445 batters... tossed a single-season school record 21 shutouts and collected 12 no-hitters as a junior... four-year letterwinner at Purdue University who earned team MVP honors as both a junior and senior... holds Boilermaker career records for wins (86), shutouts (29), strikeouts (728), starts (148), complete games (107), innings pitched (940.2) and appearances (174)... also ranks among the school’s top five with a 2.18 career ERA... tied a school record with 26 victories in 2011... holds down the school’s top two single-season strikeout totals, with 216 in 2010 and 200 in 2011... tied a school single-game record with two home runs against Ball State in 2010, while tossing a no-hitter in the same game... two-time Big Ten “Pitcher of the Week”... third-team All-Big Ten honoree in 2009... Academic All-Big Ten performer as a senior in 2011... has served as an assistant softball coach at Boston University (2012-13), and as a graduate assistant coach at Arizona State University (2013-14).

PHOTO:

Left: SUZIE RZEGOCKI

Middle: VALERIE (RYDBERG) COLE

Right: DOUG FREEHAUF