Waubonsee Community College recently honored its top student/athletes for 2011-2012 at the school’s annual Athletic Awards Banquet. Individual achievements as well as team accomplishments were recognized during the festive evening in the college’s Academic and Professional Center.

Student/athletes from throughout the Fox Valley area and beyond were among those honored during the evening.

In addition, the sixth class of inductees to Waubonsee’s Athletic Hall of Fame were formally enshrined during the evening’s festivities.
Hinckley-Big Rock graduate Maxzine Rossler was a unanimous choice as the Female Athlete of the Year. The record-setting forward became Waubonsee’s first two-time NJCAA All-American in soccer last fall when she was named to the Third Team. Rossler was also selected to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-American Second Team. She finished this past fall second nationally in goals scored (34), third in points (84) and 12th in assists (16) among NJCAA Division I players. Rossler also was named First Team NJCAA All-Region, First Team All-Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC), was tabbed an NJCAA National Player of the Week, an ISCC Player of the Week, and finished her Waubonsee career holding 18 school records. As a freshman she was an NJCAA Second Team All-American, the NJCAA Region IV and ISCC Player of the Year, an NJCAA National Player of the Week, NSCAA All-Central Region, and finished third nationally in both goals (37) and points (82). As if that was not enough, the 5’6” dynamo was also All-ISCC both years on the basketball court, and All-Region Second Team as a freshman. Rossler averaged 12.5 points and 3.5 assists every time she stepped on the floor for the Lady Chiefs, while knocking down 105 three-point shots the last two seasons. An elementary education major, Rossler will continue her playing career at Purdue University-Calumet in Indiana, where she will again play soccer for former Waubonsee coach Leslie Ferguson, who took over the first year NAIA program in February.
Waubonsee golfer Tim Schofield was chosen the Male Athlete of the Year after qualifying for the NJCAA Division II National Tournament for the second straight year. A business management major, Schofield was the ISCC Medalist and Player of the Year as a freshman, leading the Chiefs to the league title. He then finished eighth at the NJCAA Region IV Division II Tournament to qualify for Nationals. The Batavia High School graduate was in the top-20 after the second round before falling off the pace and finishing 77th overall at the 2011 NJCAA National Tournament. This past fall he again qualified for the Nationals by placing fifth at the Region IV Tournament, leading Waubonsee to a third-place finish. During the season he helped the Chiefs establish a new school record with a team total of 288 at the Black Hawk Invite, shattering the previous mark of 295. 
Fellow golfer Andrew Morreale was named Waubonsee’s Most Improved Male Athlete. The business major from DeKalb High School was a solid contributor to the Chiefs’ ISCC title winning team his freshman season. Morreale finished 11th in conference play and 16th at the NJCAA Region IV Division II Tournament. However, as a sophomore, he trimmed nearly three strokes off of his average score to earn All-ISCC honors by placing sixth overall. His 77.0 average in ISCC matches as a sophomore would have tied him for medalist honors the previous year. Morreale also fired a two-under 70 to lead all golfers after the first day of the 2011 NJCAA Region IV Division II Tounament. He finished the three-day event with a 235 total to place seventh overall and qualify for the 2012 NJCAA National Tournament this spring.  
Waubonsie Valley High School graduate Rebecca Randall was chosen as the Most Improved Female Athlete by Waubonsee’s coaches. A business major, Randall helped the Lady Chiefs’ softball team win the ISCC title for the second straight year. The right-hander won eight games as a pitcher, compiling a 3.03 earned-run-average against many of Waubonsee’s toughest opponents. Tossing an identical 74 innings in each season, this spring Randall yielded 30 less hits and 15 fewer earned runs. At the plate she drove in 16 runs compared to only five as a freshman. This season she also scored 39 runs, drew 24 walks, stole 16 bases and had an on-base percentage of .338, nearly 60 points higher than last season.
Becky Bartos, an elementary education major from Batavia High School, was the recipient of the Vermilion and Gold Award. This award is given annually to the Waubonsee student/athlete who best exemplifies the true ‘heart and soul’ of Chiefs’ athletics. “Essentially someone who helps others and gets involved on campus,” describes Athletic Manager Dave Randall. Bartos was a co-captain on the Lady Chiefs’ soccer team that set nine school records last fall and won 35 games the last two seasons. The midfielder finished her Waubonsee career with 20 assists — the fourth most in school history. She holds the Lady Chiefs’ career (18) and season (14) records for most games with an assist, the fastest assist to a goal to start a game (0:10) in school history, and her single-season mark of 15 assists in 2010 is the third most in Waubonsee history.
Softball player Kristen Stralka was selected as the S.T.A.R. Award recipient, given to the student/athlete who displayed a good work ethic, dedication to academics and achieved perfect attendance in Waubonsee’s athletic monitoring program. Stralka demonstrated these attributes and more while helping lead the Chiefs to a second consecutive ISCC Championship. The business major from Kaneland High School batted .263 with 21 runs driven in and 23 runs scored in 49 games played.
Individuals achieving All-Conference, All-Region and Academic honors during the school year were recognized throughout the evening. Long-time head baseball coach Dave Randall was also recognized for his 800th career coaching victory. Team accomplishments were acknowledged, including the record-setting women’s soccer team, which became the first Illinois team to ever advance to the NJCAA Division I Women’s National Tournament. Women’s softball was honored for winning the ISCC title for the second consecutive year; men’s basketball was recognized for being co-champions of the ISCC, while the men’s golf team was praised for shattering the school record for team score in a match and for having a pair of individuals card holes-in-one on the same day.  
Waubonsee’s 2012 Hall of Fame class included former baseball player, coach and administrator, Dr. John Avendano; basketball player and current Indiana University assistant coach Tim Buckley; long-time area sportscaster and Chiefs’ supporter Jim Teckenbrock; two-time All-American wrestler Stanley Gress; and record-setting former baseball player Bob Stehman.