The McHenry County College (MCC) Athletics Department will host a Hall of Fame induction on Tuesday, January 25. The ceremony will take place between the Women’s Basketball game and Men’s Basketball game at approximately 7 p.m. The 2022 induction class includes two former student-athletes and a coach.
“We are proud to honor this year’s inductees, to share their accomplishments and contributions to MCC, and to thank them for being part of our Scot family,” said MCC’s director of Athletics Karen Wiley. “We have amazing individuals to shine the spotlight upon.”
Honorees include Maddy Cysewski, an outstanding volleyball player for MCC from 2014-16. The Crystal Lake Central High School grad was an NJCAA First Team All-American in 2015, earned ISCC All-Conference honors in 2014 and 2015, and was awarded ISCC Player of the Year for the 2015 season. She holds MCC’s record for all-time kills (958 total), is second in all-time aces (95), is fourth in kills per set, and fifth in aces per set. In 2014, her team finished the season as conference and regional champions with a 39-9 overall record. The team was again conference and regional champions in 2015, finishing with a 28-14 record. Maddy also graduated MCC as an ISCC All-Academic honoree. She went on to play volleyball for two years at Roosevelt University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biology. She is currently continuing her education in diagnostic cardiac sonography.
Also inducted this year is Leon Palatas, an MCC Softball coach from 1999-2009. Coach Palatas completed eleven seasons as the women’s head softball coach and thirteen seasons as a coach overall at MCC. During his tenure as head coach, his teams won the Skyway Conference regular season championship in 2001, 2003, and 2004. He was named the Skyway Conference Softball Coach of the Year in 2001, 2003, and 2004, and the Skyway overall Women’s Coach of the Year in 2003. In 2003, his team set a school record of 24 straight wins, finishing 35-10 overall, and competing in the Region IV Championship game. His team also competed in the 2004 Region IV Championship. Palatas completed his MCC coaching career with a 255-193-1 overall record. He currently resides in Woodstock with his wife. They have two daughters—one living at home, one married—and has a grandson named Jaxson.
Hall of Fame honoree Nikola Vasic was an exceptional baseball player for MCC from 2016-18. As a freshman, the New Berlin, WI high school graduate earned ISCC All-Conference All-Region IV honors. With Nikola playing shortstop, his 2016 squad went 50-12 overall, winning the conference and Region IV tournament. His sophomore season saw the team with a 41-12 record, winning the conference and Region IV tournament again. Vasic earned All-Conference Player of the Year honors, Region IV Player of the Year, and NJCAA All-American status. He went on to graduate and play baseball at Southern Illinois University, then later went on to play professionally with the Gary Railcats and Windy City Thunderbolts. He currently resides in Wisconsin and works independently in a private business.
The McHenry County College Athletics Hall of Fame was instituted in 2004. It honors teams, student-athletes, coaches, administrators, community members, and volunteers who have demonstrated a high degree of success, significant contributions, or meaningful service to MCC Athletic programs. The nomination form, guidelines, and criteria can be found at
https://mccscots.com/hof.
Each inductee and their immediate family are invited to attend the induction ceremony January 25 to receive a Hall of Fame plaque. They will also be honored with a plaque on the Athletic Hall of Fame wall outside of the gym and recognized on the MCC Athletic Hall of Fame page on the athletic department’s website.
The Hall of Fame induction ceremony is open to the public.
