By Jeff Vorva
Correspondent
Area fans of the Summer Olympics will have extra reasons to cheer athletes from the United States in the upcoming Paris Games.
Dana Rettke of Riverside is a member of the U.S. women’s volleyball team and Palos Heights native Ryan Murphy will represent the country in swimming.
Rettke, a 6-foot-8 middle hitter who played high school volleyball at Riverside-Brookfield, enjoyed a spectacular career at Wisconsin and made history by becoming the first five-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American. She was granted an extra year of college eligibility because of COVID-19 shortening the 2020-2021 NCAA season.
The team features eight players who were on the U.S. gold medal-winning team at the 200 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. gold in Tokyo. Rettke is one of four newcomers and one of three players from Illinois, joining Lauren Carlini of Aurora and Kelsey Robinson Cook of Bartlett. Ali Frantti of Spring Grove is an alternate.
“We are ecstatic for this group and for our program,” U.S. coach Karch Kiraly stated in a press release. “This group of athletes will be set to bring their best and be their most bulletproof in what might be the deepest Olympic tournament ever.”
Murphy no longer lives in the Southwest Suburbs but still has friends and family living here. This is his third trip to the Olympics, and his time of 52.22 seconds in the 100-meter backstroke in the Olympic trials in Indianapolis helped get him there. He also qualified in the 200 back.
Murphy won gold medals in the 100 backstroke, the 200 backstroke and was a part of the top 400-medley relay team in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio.
Baseball stars
A handful of area baseball players earned all-state designation for the 2024 season.
The Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association named St. Laurence junior pitcher Joe Olson, St. Rita senior first baseman Jackson Stanek and St. Rita senior catcher Sir Jamison Jones to the Class 3A All-State team.
In Class 4A, Sandburg senior pitcher Nick Bestrick, Richards junior pitcher/shortstop Sean Cody and Nazareth junior pitcher/third baseman David Cox.
Nazareth junior catcher Jaden Fauske and Cox made the Illinois Prep Baseball Report All-State First Team.
Nazareth senior shortstop Cooper Malamazian made the second team and Olson, Bestrick and Cody made the third team.