The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is proud to announce its 2014-15 Officials of the Year in 20 IHSA sports. To be considered for this honor, an official must first be nominated by an Officials Association recognized by the IHSA. IHSA staff members then vote on the winners based on factors such as character, skill as an official, and levels worked in the IHSA State Series. All of this year’s winners will be recognized at a banquet during the 2015 IHSA Officials Conference, which will be held on Saturday, July 18 at the Embassy Suites in East Peoria.

“I commend all of the IHSA officials who give back to the games that they love,” said IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman. “Officiating is a tough job and these individuals deserve the respect of the coaches, student-athletes and fans. It’s important for the Association to take the time each year to recognize these individuals. Not only for their excellence in officiating, but also for the extra work they do behind the scenes to improve as officials, grow their Officials Associations, or mentor newer officials. My hat is off to this deserving group.”

Pictured is Boys Basketball Official of the Year Leonard Sanford courtesy of Visual Image Photography.

Sport	Official of the Year	Hometown
Boys Soccer	Joe Bean	Springfield
Girls Soccer	Tony Baines	Virden
Football	John Widmayer	Woodstock
Boys Basketball	Leonard Sanford	Matteson
Girls Basketball	Keith Nykiel	Downers Grove
Baseball	Jim Hayden	Roscoe
Softball	Larry Haywood	Country Club Hills
Girls Volleyball	Julie Terstriep	Industry
Boys Volleyball	Jason Palmer	Chicago
Boys Swimming	Fred Gafrick	Bartlett
Girls Swimming	Doug Surch	Wheaton
Water Polo	Andrew Mattson	Madison (WI)
Cross Country	Lonnell Poole	Richton Park
Boys Track	Geza Ehrentreu	Rockford
Girls Track	Richard Skirball	Granite City
Wrestling	Jack Wiesneth	Libertyville
Boys Gymnastics	Alan Galatte	Palatine
Girls Gymnastics	Vicki Munch	Arlington Heights
Competitive Cheer	Angie Wilmington	Chillicothe
Competitive Dance	Lynn Gelatka	Beecher