Coach Bejlovec inducted into hall of fame

On Saturday, April 6, Jeannine Bejlovec, Wilmington High School cheerleading coach, was inducted into the Illinois High School Cheerleading Coaches Organization hall of fame.
Jeannine’s journey began at Joliet West High School where she was a cheerleader. Following high school she attended the College of St. Francis, while there she was a volunteer assistant coach.
She has been a coach since she graduated college. She began at Minooka Junior High then Minooka High School. Later she coached for the Joliet Township high schools before taking the position at Wilmington High School.
Jeannine has been coaching for 28 years, 20 of those years being spent with Wilmington. With all her experience, Jeannine has numerous awards under her belt:
Sixteen time IHSA State qualifier, nine times in the Top 10, 2016 Small State champion, 2019 Small State champion, 2021 Small State runner-up, six time Sectional champion, six time Conference champion, 18 time ICCA qualifiers, and 2019 ICCA Small champions.
“I have loved cheerleading for as long as I can remember and never imagined I would be named to a Hall of Fame among many successful cheerleading coaches,” Bejlovec commented.
Jeannine’s teams have earned the IHSA All-Team Academic Award 16 times! In addition to that they also received the IHSA Sportsmanship Award in 2023.
“I truly value and appreciate the dedication of my athletes and their families as well as the loyalty, assistance and friendship of the Cheerleading alum,” she said. “It is very important to me that the team upholds our traditions and culture.” She applauds the family and athletes of WHS Cheerleading.
The IHSCCO began the Hall of Fame last year. Their goal was to give recognition to cheerleading coaches who have made a life-changing impact on Illinois high school cheerleading. They established criteria, received nominations and the board determined the inductees. Last year 12 coaches were inducted into the Hall of Fame, this year there were eight.
“It is a complete honor to be inducted into the IHSCCO Coaches Hall of Fame,” Bejlovec exclaimed. “I am grateful for the support that I receive at Wilmington High School from administration and staff. This would not be possible without everyone’s cooperation and commitment.”