Two former athletes and one retired coach were the latest group inducted into the Moraine Valley Athletics Hall of Fame on Feb. 17. The sixth class of inductees includes a 16-year cross country coach and a volleyball and basketball player.
Mark Horstmeyer was hired at the college as the director of College and Community Relations in 1999. Shortly after, then-Athletics director Bill Finn asked if he could restart the cross country program even though Horstmeyer was a runner but hadn't coached. He led the Moraine Valley cross country program from 2000 until his retirement in spring 2016.
He coached the men's and women's programs to years of success, producing individuals and/or teams that competed at the national championship every season of his tenure. He mentored countless runners, several of whom became assistant coaches for him and one who became his successor of the programs – Dimitri Dimizas. Horstmeyer earned five Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year honors for the women's program and one for the men. He also earned four NJCAA Region 4 Coach of the Year awards for the women and one for the men.
Among his additional accomplishments between both programs, Horstmeyer helped the teams earn six Skyway Conference championships, five Region 4 championships, eight team berths to the national championship and 15 Academic All-American teams. He guided individual runners to success as well, seeing five Skyway Runners of the Year, three Region 4 runners-up, 38 All-Conference runners, 47 All-Region runners, 51 Academic All-Americans and one All-American.
"The great late Lou Gerhig said when he retired, 'Today, I consider myself the luckest man on the face of the Earth.' So, thank you. Thank you to 187 men and women who wore green and white over 16 seasons. They will always be close in my heart," he said.
Kara Kentner played on the Moraine Valley volleyball team in fall 2012 and 2013. In her freshman year, she collected 401 kills, ranking in the top five in the nation. She helped her team go undefeated, grabbing Skyway Conference and NJCAA Region 4 championships. She competed with her team at the national tournament, where they finished in 13th place. Kentner was named NJCAA Division II and Skyway Player of the Week thanks to triple-doubles in three Cyclones wins, averaging 3.54 kills, 3.00 digs and 5.18 assists per set. She was ranked as high as fifth nationally for her hitting percentage (.407). After that season, she was named to the All-Region and All-Conference first teams, named Skyway Player of the Year and received a nod to the NJCAA All-America Division II first team.
Her sophomore year, Kentner notched her 1,000th kill assist and helped her team go undefeated in conference and earn back-to-back conference and region championships. The team finished eighth at nationals where she was named to the NJCAA Championship All-Tournament Team for her 63 kills, 78 assists and 41 digs. After the season, Kentner was ranked No. 1 in the nation for her .440 hitting percentage. She added to her accolades by being named to the 2013 American Volleyball Coaches Association Two Year College All-America second team, NJCAA All-America Division II first team for the second time, All-Region team, All-Conference first team, Conference Player of the Year and was NJCAA Player of the Week.
"I could not speak any higher of Moraine Valley. I loved my time here, and I would come back in a heartbeat if I could. I truly feel like I'm at home while I'm here. Thank you," Kentner said.
Sharnita Lloyd was on Moraine Valley's women's basketball team between 2008 and 2010. She helped both her teams earn Skyway Conference championships. After her first year, Lloyd was named to the NJCAA All-Region 4 and All-Conference first teams as well as All-Region Championship Tournament team. In summer 2009, Lloyd and another teammate were chosen to compete in the women's inaugural junior college Top 120 national tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which included the best athletes from across the country.
In her sophomore year, Lloyd was named to the All-Region 4 and All-Conference first teams, All-Region Championship Tournament team, Region 4 Player of the Year, Conference Player of the Year and NJCAA Division II All-America first team. At the end of her tenure, Lloyd was the third leading scorer in the program's history with a season record of 526 points. She averaged 18.1 points per game, had the second best three-point field goal percentage both seasons (47%), had 32 points in her highest scoring game, led with the most consecutive free throws in a game (12) and was part of the team that allowed the least points in one game (18).
"I am very honored to have this induction. I'm glad Coach Jones stayed on me and got me to Moraine Valley. I had some great experiences here. My second year here, you don't know what's going to happen. I had colleges reaching out to me, they wanted me to change my major, they wanted me to come play, and you don't want to leave. I'm grateful for my time here," Lloyd said.
The night before the induction, inductees participated in a new event - Athletics Hall of Fame Conversations. The trio described their journeys and experiences at Moraine Valley with student-athletes and guests. Afterward they answered questions and interacted with attendees.
"We are so fortunate to have an impressive number of skilled student-athletes, coaches and staff over the years. They could have gone anywhere, but many recognized and valued the successful Athletics program at Moraine Valley. They've shared their talents and contributed to that success," said General McArthur III, Athletics director. "It was heartwarming to hear the stories of this induction class. I learned about their character, diversity, heart and soft skills that people don't realize are gained from being a coach and/or student-athlete such as commitment, punctuality, priority, life balance, teamwork and accountability. These are all things that provide a solid foundation for life."