TriCounty In February 2008, Richwoods swimmer Matt Elliott became the first freshman in history to win two individual events at the IHSA swimming and diving state finals. Elliott won the 200-yard individual medley in 1:50.93 and the 100 breaststroke in :56.94.
He was the second-youngest male to participate in the 2008 Olympic Trials at Omaha, Neb., where then-15-year-old Elliott placed 52nd out of 64 starters in the 200-meter breast.
Illinois Swimming, the governing body of the sport in the state, honored Elliott as its Male Athlete of the Year in October. The Peoria Area Water Wizards swimmer currently is a member of the USA Swimming national junior team.
Jerry & Elaine Reibling For four decades Jerry and Elaine have volunteered their time and effort to benefit the runners competing in events within the Tri-County. Just prior to Jerry’s induction into the Steamboat Classic Hall of Fame in 2015, the race’s co-founder, Steve Shostrom said, “Jerry and Elaine are treasures in the running community. They have made substantial, lasting contributions to the Steamboat Classic and the Illinois Valley Striders over the years. They have worked tirelessly at countless local races through heat, rain, ice, snow and wind to get quick, accurate results for runners of all ages and abilities." Jerry was involved with the Steamboat Classic for 35 years and Elaine has been a part of the Race for the Cure for about 30 years. Married over 50 years, the Rieblings helped pioneer the transformation from hand timing to computerized timing for the major running events in the Tri-County area. In addition to the Steamboat Classic and Race for the Cure, they have served at the following events over their decades of service: the IHSA State Cross Country Meet; Illinois Valley Striders events; countless high school invitationals including the Richard Spring Memorial Invitational (Peoria Notre Dame) and the Peoria High Invitational at Detweiler Park; and Bradley University and the University of Illinois cross country meets and invitationals. Jerry has also raised funds for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by participating in the Memphis to Peoria Run and running the satellite event from Canton to Peoria. The dedication and passion of Jerry and Elaine for these events has enabled thousands of others to experience achievement and enjoyment while competing in running events. |