Despite battling significant budget cuts each of the last two years as funding for Illinois schools from the state has declined, the John A. Logan College Athletic Department has not only found a way to survive the cuts, but has flourished.
For the third straight year, the Volunteers have been presented with the All-Sports Trophy in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference. The trophy is awarded on a point system based largely on team placement within the league. Logan competes in seven different sports ? men?s and women?s basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball and men?s and women?s golf.
Three JALC teams ? men?s and women?s golf and women?s basketball ? competed at the national tournament this past school year. The women?s golf team placed 10th overall, while the men?s team captured a second national championship in the last three years.
?Winning the trophy three straight times is unprecedented at Logan,? said JALC Athletic Director Jerry Halstead. ?We?re certainly proud of our accomplishments. Our success all starts with the administration and board of trustees. They are the ones who have given us the opportunity to compete at a pretty high level, even in these tough economic times.?
Returning sophomore Allison Krips powers the ball over the net for a kill in regular season game action last fall. Krips and her Vols teammates are again expected to contend for a GRAC title in volleyball.
Halstead said the college?s facilities remain ?at a pretty good level? and the staff he leads (Mark Imhoff and Zach Carpenter-men?s basketball; Marty Hawkins and Amanda Buldtman-women?s basketball; Bruce Jilek and Angie Jilek-softball; Tom Ferris-men?s golf and Bill Glenn and Harry Melvin-women?s golf) is one of the more experienced ones in the state, as well as the conference.
Halstead himself has the most seniority. He is beginning his 29th year as head baseball coach.
?From the secretaries (Tracy Elliott and Myschelle Burton) and student workers, who keep our office running, to the head coaches and assistants, it?s a group that is extremely dedicated to the tasks at hand,? he said. ?We pride ourselves in putting together a quality overall athletic program. We?re not just a one-sport school.?
JALC sophomore Reena Ruggles from Nashville makes contact with the ball in postseason action at Kaskaskia College against Wabash Valley. Ruggles is expected to play a key role with next year?s team.
Halstead said he and his staff try to focus on what they have to work with in terms of financial resources as opposed to what they don?t have.?It?s important to think positive and have a glass half-full approach rather than half empty. We may not have some of the luxuries we once had, but we keep plugging along. At the end of the day, our coaches have still managed to do a great job.?
Board of Trustees Chair Mike Hopkins, who also serves on the Athletic Committee, said he was proud of the athletic department?s accomplishments.
JALC righthander David Suarez rocks and fires in District Tournament game action with Iowa Western in May. Suarez is a returning sophomore.
?To win three straight All-Sports trophies is an incredible achievement. I?know that?s very difficult to do in these challenging times in terms of budget.?Hopkins said Halstead has guided the athletic department in the right direction.
?Jerry?s done an outstanding job for us. He?s the right captain at the helm. And everyone seems to be pulling their weight. I?m proud of Jerry?s efforts and all his staff?s efforts. I have no doubt that John A. Logan College will continue to succeed in all sports.?
Returning sophomore Austyn Ridings from Herrin drives to the hoop in Region 24 championship game action against Wabash Valley College last March. Ridings is the Vols? leading scorer going into the new season this fall.
Hopkins added that it is his hope that funding levels will be restored in the near future.
?I?d like to think so?once we get this budgetary crisis behind us.?Longtime board member Don Brewer agreed with Hopkins that the athletic program?s success has been ?significant? in light of limited funds.
?Having been a former athletic director myself, I can appreciate the job that Jerry has done here at Logan. He is running a well-balanced program that is almost always competitive. And that?s not easy to maintain.?
Brewer said there are some people who don?t agree with spending any money on athletic scholarships. He does not count himself as one.
?It?s easier to justify the expenditures when you see the success we have enjoyed here at Logan,? Brewer said. ?Their accomplishments have come under adverse conditions, and as long as money remains tight from Springfield, the situation isn?t going to get any better.?Jake Rendleman is another longtime JALC board member who has served on the Athletic Committee. He said Halstead and his staff are to be commended for a job well done.
Returning sophomore forward Anthony Shoemaker of the Vols slam dunks the ball in Region 24 tournament action last March at Rend Lake against Southeastern Illinois.
?To take a $200,000 cut last year and another $100,000 cut this year and still maintain all seven sports and be successful on top of that?it?s a tribute to Jerry and the coaches, in particular. It also speaks to the caliber of student-athletes that have been recruited. Many of those young men and women are true student-athletes.?
Rendleman added that JALC has persevered even though some schools within the conference dedicate more financial resources to athletics.
?I had a game plan when I was hired as athletic director several years ago to see all of our sports succeed,? Halstead said. ?And I think we?re doing that. As long as we continue to have the support of the administration and board, we will continue to squeeze every ounce of every penny we have to remain successful.?
Post Published: 01 September 2011Author: JALC Community Relations
Found in section: Sports
Source: http://www.jalcnews.com/?p=2254
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