Led by a core group of sophomores with some talented upperclassmen mixed in, the 1996 Salem Lady Wildcats volleyball team began a three-year run that saw the program go 89-15. The 1997 and 1998 teams were previous selections for the Salem High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Under the direction of Coach Suzanne Henry-Brown, the 1996 squad started that stretch of success with a 26-7 overall record that included a perfect 7-0 record en route to the North Egypt Conference championship. The Lady Wildcats dropped just one set in league play. It also included the championship of the Class AA Salem Regional and advancement to the championship game of the Belleville East Sectional.

Salem cruised through most of the regular season. The Lady Wildcats sported a 22-3 record before they dropped three straight with setbacks to Kansas and Shelbyville in the final two games of the Edwards County Tournament followed by a match against Centralia. Salem snapped its late-season slide in the regular season finale with a hard-fought 15-11, 15-13 victory over Fairfield that clinched the NEC championship.

The Lady Wildcats successfully defended their home floor during the regional as they rolled past Mt. Vernon in the semifinals 15-3, 15-0 followed by a 15-7, 6-15, 15-9 win against Centralia in the championship match that avenged that late-season loss to the Annies. Salem extended its season when it knocked off Granite City 15-6, 15-10 in the opening round of sectional play. A powerful Belleville West squad ended the Lady Wildcats postseason run with a 15-2, 15-4 verdict in the title match.

Audrey Husk won the first of her three straight NEC Most Valuable Player Awards, while Trisha Hustedde joined her on the First Team. Husk and Hustedde were also Class AA All-South selections. Malissa Finney was an NEC Second Team choice and Marissa Tolliver was Honorable Mention. Emily Steavens received the squad’s Best Defense Award and Chandra Hensley was Most Improved.

Front Row: Emily Lloyd, Melissa Cochran, Carrie Stremstafer, Erin Luallen, SarahBeth Ferrell.
2nd Row: Sundari Suppiah, Tina McCullum, Bethany Meyer, Kelly Harris, Heather Wilson, Jennifer Brewer.
3rd Row: Coach Brad Steig, Emily Nattier, Jennifer Wooters, Beth McNally, Jamie Githens, Jackie Armbrust, Erika Howard

Brad Stieg coached the Salem Lady Wildcats tennis program only one season, but that 1997 campaign was a historic one. Not only did the squad capture its first sectional championship, but it became the first girls’ tennis team in school history to be inducted into the Salem High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Stieg inherited the team after Bernie Bryant had coached the program the previous five seasons. Bryant would return to his previous position in 1998.

Salem compiled a 29-9 record for the season, which included the championship of the Carmi Quad Doubles Tournament. While winning that event was the highlight of the regular season, the Lady Wildcats postseason aspirations took a big blow when they only finished fourth out of six teams at the North Egypt Conference Meet.

Salem saved its best performance for the Olney Sectional as it tallied an event-high 24 points. That was six more than runner-up Flora’s 18.

Junior Bethany Meyer and freshman Sundari Suppiah led the Lady Wildcats postseason charge and earned state berths in singles competition. Meyer’s state berth was her second in as many seasons as she finished second overall. Suppiah punched her ticket with a fourth place effort.

On the doubles side the team of Heather Wilson and Jennifer Wooters got a first-round bye and a second-round win before falling in the semifinals. The other doubles team of Erika Howard and Jennifer Brewer contributed a first-round win before they lost in the second round.

Meyer and Suppiah lost their only singles match at state as inclement weather reduced play from double to single-elimination.

Bernie Bryant turned what had been a struggling program into a consistent winner during his 16 seasons as Salem Lady Wildcats tennis coach. Those 16 seasons included two stints, the initial one from 1992-1996 and the second from 1998-2008.

It took some time for Bryant to build up the program. That success started to arrive in 1997 when the Lady Wildcats won their first sectional championship. Ironically that was year Bryant stepped away from coaching, but nearly all of those players had played for Bryant in previous seasons and in summer competition.
Under Bryant’s direction Salem won its first North Egypt Conference championship in 2002, which happened to be the league’s final year of existence. The Lady Wildcats won another conference title the following season during its first year of competition in the Apollo Conference. Besides its championship in 2003 Salem won Apollo Conference titles again in 2005, 2007 and 2008. While Bryant missed out on Salem’s first sectional championship, the Lady Wildcats won three straight under his direction during the 2004, 2005 and 2006 seasons.

Besides the team’s success Bryant coached 26 players who qualified for state competition, 12 in singles and 14 in doubles from seven doubles teams. Two of Bryant’s players went on to play at Division I level, two more at the Division II level and several at the junior college level.

Bryant along with his wife, Linda, helped develop most of the high school players during the summer when he coached area youth in the United States Tennis Association. Among those players included his daughter Adrienne and sons Alex and Ethan. All three made significant contributions to the girls and boys tennis program at Salem Community High School. Bryant served as president of the Southern Illinois Tennis Association.

Bryant, who graduated from Olney High School, Olney Central College and Eastern Illinois University, taught at SCHS 33 years. After retiring from teaching the Bryants have relocated to Jonesboro, Arkansas.

A three-sport participant at Salem Community High School, Kacy (Gruenkemeyer) Greer used her golf skills as her path to college and the Salem High School Sports Hall of Fame.

The 2000 graduate provided a sign of things to come during her sophomore season when she received the program’s Most Improved Player Award. By the time she became a senior she had elevated her game and was a Southern Illinois Coaches Association All-South selection as well as team Most Valuable Player.

Greer, who spent two seasons with the Lady Wildcats basketball program, was a four-year participant for the girls track program. As a senior she received the track program’s Most Improved Player and B.E. Gum Awards. 

During her time at SCHS Greer was a member of the National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the SCHS Female Scholar/Athlete of the Year for the 1999-2000 school year awarded by the Salem Times-Commoner.

Greer received a full-ride scholarship at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville where she took her golf game to new heights. During the 2002 campaign Greer became SIU-E’s first Great Lakes Valley Conference individual champion and was named GLVC Player of the Year. She was also a All-GLVC selection in 2003. During her time at the school Greer served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Greer has used her education towards a highly successful career with Aflac. During her time with the company she became the youngest female State Sales Coordinator in Aflac history when she was promoted to that position in 2013 for the state of Iowa. At the time of her induction into the Salem High School Sports Hall of Fame Greer was serving as Aflac Sales Training Consultant.

Greer currently resides in Chattanooga with her husband, Ethan, and children Maxwell and Meyer.

Not many could keep up with Trisha (Ward) Mosbarger and the Salem Community High School girls track record book reflects that. The 1995 graduate owned three individual records and was part of five record-setting relay teams on her way to induction into the Salem High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Mosbarger set the first of her two individual records as a junior in 1994 during a meet at Olney as she set a new mark in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.4. It also the very first time she had competed in that event. Mosbarger established her second individual school record as a senior in 1995 when she posted a time of 26.0 in the 200-meter dash.

Besides her two records set outside, Mosbarger also broke the school record in the 200-meter dash during indoor competition in 1994 with a time of 27.9. 

It was as a member of the 800-meter medley relay team where Mosbarger enjoyed her biggest accomplishment. During the 1994 postseason Mosbarger teamed up with Angie Burroughs, Julie Bierman and Serra Morton and earned an eighth place finish at the Class AA state meet with a school record-setting time of 1:49.6. That relay team has also been inducted into the Salem Sports Hall of Fame.

Mosbarger’s first school record came as a sophomore in 1993. She, along with Bierman, Morton and Erika Bryant, teamed up for a school record time of 4:05.2 in the 1600-meter relay.

Another relay mark fell in 1995 in the 800-meter relay as Mosbarger, Morton and Lori Huston posted a time of 1:47.0. It was also the 800 relay where Mosbarger helped set another record. This one was during indoor competition as she joined Huston, Morton and Stacey Easley and notched a time of 1:55.2.

Mosbarger, who also competed in cross country during high school, tried to continue her track career at Eastern Illinois University. That attempt ended her freshman season when she developed shin splints. Mosbarger was able to earn a BS degree in family and consumer science.

At the time of her Hall of Fame induction Mosbarger resided in Salem with her husband, Ivan, and son, Mays.

Front Row: Assistant Coach: Ziggy Tkaczenko, Stephen Bryant, Alex Henseler, Cole Piper
Second Row: Stephen Riley, Caleb Branch, Chase Smith, Keith Bumgarner, Coach Steve Ludwig, Cy Fogliasso

The 2008 Salem Wildcats bowling team continued to establish itself as one of the top programs in the state as it won its third state trophy in four seasons. While the Wildcats were unable to defend the state championship they won the previous season, Salem came away with an impressive second place finish.

After the Wildcats posted a solid 10-2 record during the regular season, Coach Steve Ludwig’s crew began its postseason march with a dominant performance at the Herrin Sectional where they took home the team title with a 183-pin margin of victory over runner-up Herrin. Salem, which compiled a winning team score of 6,286 pins, was led by individual champion Alex Henseler as the senior knocked down 1,419. Junior Chase Smith also played a key role in the 2nd placefinish as he finished fourth overall with 1,313 pins. The Wildcats also received contributions of 1,263 pins from junior Stephen Bryant, 1,176 pins from senior Keith Bumgarner, 936 pins from senior Steve Riley and 139 pins from sophomore Cy Fogliasso.

Salem made a strong bid to make it back-to-back state championships. The Wildcats were in first place after the initial day of competition as they led the field by 124 pins. However, a strong second day run by Freeport denied that opportunity as Salem finished 121 pins behind the state champions with a final team score of 12,817.

While the Wildcats were unable to take home the team state championship, Henseler secured the individual state crown with a total of 2,963 pins. Bumgarner filled the No. 2 position for the squad at state as he finished 25th overall at 2,560. Chase Smith was 28th at 2,550 and Bryant was 43rd at 2,494. Other contributors at state for Salem were Riley with 1,661 pins, junior Cole Piper with 237, senior Caleb Branch with 195 and Fogliasso with 157.