One team, five individuals honored by Galesburg Silver Streaks Hall of Fame
GALESBURG — The Galesburg Athletic Hall of Fame will induct one team, four individual athletes and a friend of the program during ceremonies at the high school Nov. 26 as part of the Galesburg Thanksgiving Tournament.
The 2022 class will include the 1980 football team, swimmer Kenton Cooper (Class of 2009), track star Albert Greene (2002), golfer Taylor Nesselroad (2017), baseball player Steve Schwab (1980) and WGIL play-by-play broadcaster Brad Bennewitz.
Induction ceremonies will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26, in the Hegg Performing Arts Center and the inductees will also be introduced later between games of the basketball tournament.
The 1980 football team was coached by Kelly Kane and was undefeated Western Big 6 Conference champion while compiling an 8-1 regular season record. The Streaks lost to Belleville East in the first round of the state playoffs.
Cooper was voted the Streaks most valuable swimmer in 2007-08 and 2008-09. He was a nine-time sectional champion and a 10-time Western Big Conference champion. He set the 200 freestyle record of 1:44.99.
Cooper is a 2013 graduate of Calvin College where he was a member of the swim team for two years.
Greene earned three letters in track, two in football and one in basketball for the Silver Streaks.
He excelled in the triple jump, advancing to state twice and placing 10th at state in 2002. He was a two-time Western Big 6 Conference champion in track and field.
Greene went on to star in both football and track and field at Monmouth College, where he graduated in 2006. He was a 7-time track and field national qualifier and the school record holder in the triple jump. Greene finished third and was an All-American in the triple jump in 2006.
Nesselroad was a four-time all-stater in girls golf for the Silver Streaks. She held both the 9-hole (31) and 18-hole (68) record low scores in school history.
She was Western Big 6 All-Conference all four years, placing first as a sophomore, junior and senior. Nesselroad was the 2016 individual sectional champion and a three-time regional individual champion.
She’s a graduate of Valparaiso University.
Schwab was a standout pitcher for the Silver Streaks and the 1980 Galesburg American Legion state runner-up team.
Schwab has been an assistant baseball coach at GHS since 1999, and the concession manager at the school since 2002.
As a friend of GHS athletics, Bennewitz began his radio career in 1991 at Galesburg Broadcasting Company and started handling play-by-play duties for football and boys basketball on WGIL in 1992. He has been named the best play-by-play announcer for small market radio by the Illinois Broadcasters Association.
He has been teaching in the GHS English Department since 2006.
This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: One team, 5 individuals honored by Galesburg High School Hall of Fame
