Press Release:

March 12, 2007

WALTHER LADY BRONCO HOOPSTERS HONORED BY MAYOR SERPICO

	4th in State Lady Broncos model their hardware.
	left to right: Juniors Jazzmyn Harvey and Ashley Strong and senior Kristin Zielke are all smiles.
	Head coach Todd Fisher is interview during the IHSA championship broadcast.

The Walther Lutheran High School Varsity Girls’ Basketball Team has been honored by proclamation from Mayor Ronald M. Serpico of the Village of Melrose Park. The Walther team, known as the Broncos, was invited by Serpico to join him in celebrating their victory as the 4th place team in the State of Illinois. Mayor Serpico lauded the hometown girls with an after school fiesta at Los Comales on Lake Street in Melrose Park.

Serpico and the girls are not the only ones smiling about the Walther victory. Walther Principal Stephen Zielke, who youngest daughter played on the team, smiled and said, “I’m proud of their accomplishment. For the seniors, we wish them as much success off the court as well as on, and that they will continue to grow in God’s will through all they do.” Bronco Athletic Director Bruce Tuomi chimed in enthusiastically with, “Fantastic finish! This is a team that peaked at the right time. They struggled early on, but they worked hard and it paid off.”

This is the second consecutive year that Walther’s basketball girls have gone downstate as part of the Elite Eight in the Illinois High School Association Class A Tournament. It is also the second year in a row that their head coach, Mr. Todd Fisher, was named Class A Coach of the Year by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, District 7.

For all but two members of the girls’ squad, the trip to play in the IHSA State Championship Tournament at Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena was a return experience. Last year, the same girls, plus two Class of 2006 graduates, made the mark for northern Illinois at the Bloomington-Normal event. Walther’s 2006-2007 varsity players included fives seniors: Keosha Campbell of Forest Park, Jana Desch of Northlake, Katie Hemmann and Janae Sims of Berkeley, and Kristin Zielke of Elmhurst. Juniors on the team were Jenna Duff of Itasca, Rebekah Fields of Maywood, Jazzmyn Harvey and Ashley Simon of Bellwood, and Ashley Strong and Shanelle Wright of Chicago. The team’s underclassmen included sophomore Emma-Schmidt Swartz of Maywood, sophomore Dominique White of Bellwood and freshman Shanika Bryant of Chicago. Student managers for the team included senior Brittany Porter of Bellwood and junior Melvis Thompson of Chicago. Along with Fisher, who teaches a variety of Social Science courses at the Melrose Park college prep school, the team’s coaching staff included Mr. Dave Van Tholen and Ms. Kari Zielke, both Walther graduates, along with Mr. Andre Harvey. Additionally, Mr. Matt Tuomi and Ms. Lynn Korff, Walther girls’ basketball program coaches and faculty members, stepped up to work closely with the varsity squad in the post season.

Girls’ basketball is just one of the sports offered at Walther Lutheran High School, which also had five wrestlers compete at the IHSA state level last month. Walther’s student body reflects a diverse community that comes from over fifty Chicagoland zip codes. Walther Lutheran High School’s emphasis on quality education, rich extracurricular offerings and abundant service opportunities has brought the school’s students continued academic success. Walther graduates are counted as students and alumni at Big Ten and Ivy League schools, as well as institutions affiliated with nationwide church bodies and the Illinois state university system.

For more information about Walther Lutheran High School, visit Walther.com or call 708.344.0404.

Press Release contact: Lori Solyom, Public Information Coordinator