Staff
When Rockford College announced that
it would reinstate men’s & women’s cross
country - as well as track & field - as sports within
the Regents’ intercollegiate athletics program in
2004, it hired former Winnebago High School coach Roger
Fredrickson to lead the way. Fredrickson – who
retired from his coaching and teaching duties at WHS at
the end of the 2004 school year – brought impressive credentials
to his first collegiate coaching job.
In his second
year, Fredrickson led the Rockford College men's cross country
team to a 2005 NIIC Championship. He was responsible
for coaching Tony Hardin, the 2005 NIIC Runner of the Year
and Freshman of the Year as well as Chad Zeman, the 2005
NIIC runner up for Runner of the Year. Hardin and
Zeman also were conference champions in track and field
in the 1500 meter and the 5000 meter races respectively.
In a prep cross
country coaching tenure that spaned nearly 30 years, Fredrickson’s
numbers were staggering: 9 state team championships;
3 state team runners-up; 20 top-5 team finishes; 5 individual
state champions; and 3 individual state runners-up. Fredrickson
was inducted into the Illinois Track & Cross Country
Coaches Hall of Fame in 1999 by Joe Newton, the legendary
coach of Elmhurst York.
At Winnebago High School alone, he won eight of his state team
titles (1 boys and 7 girls) and established an Illinois High School
Association (IHSA) record with three-consecutive girls’ championships
from 1993-95, as well as the record for most total state titles
(7). At Winnebago, he produced 41 all-state performers, 23
conference titles, 15 regional championships, 12 sectional championships
and had 32 of his teams qualify for the state championships (including
17-consecutive appearances by the WHS girls’ team, the only
Class A school to do so since the institution of the two-class system
in 1988).
Fredrickson ranked second in IHSA history (to York High School coach
Joe Newton) in total number of Illinois state championships won
(8). He also won a boys state title in 1977 at Titusville (Fla.)
High School.
In addition to his tenure at Winnebago High School since 1984,
Fredrickson has held prep head coaching positions at Erie (Ill.)
High School (1982-84), Eau Gallie (Fla.) High School (1979-81),
Titusville (Fla.) High School (1977-78) and Belvidere (Ill.) High
School (1974-76).
“Rockford College is committed to developing a competitive
cross country program,” said Fredrickson. “I’m
grateful to be a part of this new and exciting opportunity. I
was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time in my life
when our paths crossed, and this opportunity was first being developed.
Fredrickson’s mother-in-law and daughter Lauren both attended
Rockford College. His daughter graduated in 2000 and her education
led to a position with the federal government in the Social Security
Administration. “It’s fair to say that this campus
has special meaning to our family,” explained Fredrickson.
“I’m honored to be a part of the Rockford College ‘family’
and look forward to the challenge of re-starting the program with
dedicated distance runners who will forge a trail for others to
follow,” Fredrickson continued. “Rockford College
has a reputation of academic excellence, a scenic campus and a comfortable
feeling that I want to be a part of and contribute to.”
Rachel
Tedrick was hired as Assistant Cross Country and Track coach
during the summer of 2007. Tedrick comes to Rockford College
from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where she was
a varsity letter winner and competed in the NCAA Cross Country
Meet in 2005.
Tedrick's
relationship with Regents head coach Roger Fredrickson goes
back to 1999, when Tedrick competed for Coach Fredrickson
at Winnebago High School . During her time at Winnebago,
the Indians won three state championships. Individually,
Tedrick made the Illinois All-State Cross Country Team twice
and qualified for the Illinois State Track Championship
Meet all four years.
Tedrick
recently earned her bachelor of sciences degree in Exercise
Science and Health Promotion. She is currently living in
Rockford , IL and pursuing a master's degree in teaching
with an emphasis on physical education.
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