For the first time, the best of the best in CHS Athletics will get together.

The inaugural Chesterton High School Athletic Hall of Fame Class will be inducted on Wednesday, June 10, at 7 p.m. at Sand Creek Country Club.

In alphabetical order, the class will include Jenni Anderson, Maria and Mike Bachuchin, Tim Bagby, Warren Canright, Keith Davison, Leonard “Nook” Eason, Dr. John Forchetti, Larry James and Dr. Steve Wynder.

Jenni Anderson is a 2001 CHS grad who set standards in the pool that few will ever achieve.

The 2001 IHSAA Mental Attitude Award winner, she is a six-time State Champion including the 50 Free and 100 Back in three consecutive years (1999, 2000, 2001). Her time in the 100 Back in 2001 was the fastest time in the nation.

She was a four-time DAC and Sectional champion in the 100 Back and continued swimming at Auburn University after graduation.

At Auburn, she was a member of the National Champion 200 Medley Relay that also set the national record. The Tigers also won the team National Championship in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Maria and Mike Bachuchin helped the Trojan Gymnastics program become one of the State’s best.

The duo coached the Trojans from 1979-2003 (25 years) and amassed a career record of 256-34. They also won three State Championships (1993, 2000, 2003) and had three State Runner-up finishes (1985, 1995, 2002).

The Bachuchin’s won four IHSAA Regional titles, 11 Sectional championships, 39 Invitational championships and six DAC titles. In all, they coached seven individual state champions, two mental attitude award winners, 11 DAC MVP’s and had 54 gymnasts earn all-conference honors.

Maria Bachuchin was named State Coach of the Year four times (1985, 1993, 2000, 2002) and was a finalist for the 2000 National Coach of the Year Award. She was a 10-time District Coach of the Year and coached the 2000 and 2003 Indiana All-Stars at the NHS National Championships.

Tim Bagby was Chesterton High School’s first state champion winning the 1959 Cross Country title in 9:48.2, a state record at the time.

He made four appearances in the State Finals with top 10 finishes in his sophomore (9th) and junior (7th) years. Bagby also won the 800 Meter State Championship in 1960 in 1:56.50. His time is still the CHS school record.

Warren Canright was not only a standout athlete at CHS, but has been a life-long supporter of CHS sports as publisher of the Chesterton Tribune.

Canright played basketball, baseball and ran track at CHS where his greatest success came in the latter.

In track, he competed in the 100, 220, 440 and long jump. He also was the anchor in the 880-yard relay. He won the Gary Sectional title in the 100 and 220 in 1943 and 1944 to earn a berth in the State Finals in Indianapolis.

He was the second CHS athlete to compete in a state championship meet and was fourth in the 100 in 1944. His time of 10.0 seconds was the CHS school record for more than 40 years.

After serving in the Infantry from 1944-1946, Canright ran with the Indiana University track team during the 1946-1947 season.

Canright’s service to the community started as student body president in 1943-44 while he also worked Saturdays and weekday evenings at the Chesterton Tribune. The Canright family bought the Tribune in 1928.

The Tribune became a five-day a week paper in 1961 as Canright worked with his father (Warren) and brother (John). He and his wife Betty became sole owners of the paper in 1981.

Keith Davison won back-to-back Indiana State Championships in Wrestling in 1988 and 1989 and finished his career with a 129-17 record.

An All-Conference selection in football, Davison also was a two-time DAC champion, three-time Sectional champion, three-time Regional champion and two-time Semistate champion in Wrestling.

A third place finisher in 1987 in Wrestling and a Freestyle Junior National runner-up in 1989, Davison went on to wrestle at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Davison was the 1990 Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year, a four-time NCAA qualifier, a two-time NCAA All-American and the 1994 Big Ten Champion. He finished his career 114-43-2, was a U.S. Olympic Festival Gold Medalist and was a University Freestyle National Champion.

Leonard “Nook” Eason participated in four sports during his career at CHS before graduating in 1952.

Eason ran Cross Country for two years, played Baseball for three years and was on the Track team for four years. But, his greatest success came during his four years of play in basketball.

Eason scored 1,229 career points, holding the school record for more than 50 years, until it was broken in 2008 by Zack Novak. As a sophomore, he finished second in the county in scoring and then took the area scoring title as a junior with 483 points (20+ per game).

As a senior, Eason scored 347 points and finished his career with a 14.6 points per game average. He scored more than 30 points on several occasions and was held scoreless only once in his 84 game career.

Eason also advanced to the State Finals in the Shot Put as a senior with a third place finish at the Mishawaka Regional. He was the only state qualifier from Porter County that season.

Dr. John Forchetti has served as the team physician at Chesterton High School for 43 years.

A graduate of Villanova University in 1958 and Jefferson Medical School in 1962, Forchetti served as a medical doctor for the United States Navy from 1963-1965, when he began his career as the Trojans team physician.

Larry James was a long-time coach in the CHS Track and Cross Country programs before his untimely death on October 30, 1997.

James became Head Boys Track Coach in 1975 and Head Cross Country Coach in 1977. He would later become the Head Coach for the Girls Track and Cross Country teams as well. James also was an assistant basketball and golf coach at CHS.

James coached two individual state champions in Track and Cross Country and his teams finished second at State twice, third once and fifth once.

He also officiated college and Pre-Olympic events and officiated for the Pan-American Games, Olympic Trials and several other world class track meets. He was also an official at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Steve Wynder was the State Cross Country champion in 1968, finishing in 8:49. He led the CHS boys team to a third place finish that year.

Wynder still holds the CHS 3,200 meter school record of 9:16.1, set in 1969, and ran collegiately at Ball State.

Posted 6/2/2009