Captain of the swim team for three years, Chad Rusk produced a prolific season his senior year. He broke the school record in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle, won the conference champions in the 50-, 100-, and 200-free, and placed second at sectionals in the 50 and 100. He closed by earning All-State honors with an 11th place finish at the IHSA finals. Chad also served as captain of the volleyball team as a junior and senior. He helped lead the Astros to the conference title while setting Shepard records in season blocks, career blocks, season kills, and career kills. As a senior he was named All-State, one of the few athletes to earn the honor in two sports in the same year. We always ask HoF recipients to name their favorite athletic moment at Shepard: “Qualifying for finals at the state meet in the 50 freestyle my senior year and seeing Coach Larson so happy,” he said. After Shepard, Chad was selected as one of 6 middle hitters for the All-Tournament team at the Junior Nationals Championships in Reno, NV. He also swan at Ball State University for three years, serving as captain his final season. He took third in the 50 freestyle, 8th in the 100 free-, and 9th in the 100 butterfly at the Mid-American Conference meet. Chad has coached at Warren Township and Libertyville high schools. “I was able to coach swimmers from complete beginners all the way up to Olympic trials qualifiers and top 10 junior national finalists,” he sa