Honoring the Class of 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees

This May, the Cincinnati Country Day School community gathered to celebrate the Class of 2023’s induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2023 inductees are:
Burke Byer `97
Meredith Hilleary `00
Peter Kistinger `07
Coach Tim Dunn

“This event is always one of the highlights of the year,” said Rob Zimmerman `98, head of school. “The stories of how Country Day changed the lives of our student-athletes never fail to inspire me, and they reaffirm my faith in the power of athletics as an essential element of a well-rounded education. At Country Day, we firmly believe that athletics are not simply an extracurricular activity; they are central to our mission of creating leaders.”

The purpose of the Athletic Hall of Fame is to honor former Country Day athletes, coaches, and members of our community who have contributed to the strong tradition of Country Day athletics.

Burke Byer `97
According to Tim Dunn, “Winning follows Burke wherever he goes.”

Burke was a two-sport captain at Country Day who earned nine varsity letters in football, wrestling, and track. As a senior on the wrestling mat competing in the heavyweight division, Burke compiled a 16-4 record and made it to the state quarterfinals. During the track season he competed in shotput and discus where he qualified for the regionals. Burke went on to throw both the discus and javelin in college.  As a two-way football starter, he served as captain. During Burke’s football tenure, the team compiled a 35-4 record and was a perennial league champion. He was first-team all-league twice, first team all-city, first team all-Southwest Ohio, and first team all-state his senior year while leading the team in tackles. He went on to start his freshman and sophomore years at Division III powerhouse Washington and Jefferson College. Burke then transferred to Division I University of Dayton, where he started on defense as Dayton won two consecutive league championships.

“Despite all these impressive accomplishments on the field, they pale in comparison to the leadership Burke provided. Burke led by example. Burke lived by the mantra, and I’m sure he still does, ‘Don’t tell me who you are. Show me who you are.’ Burke showed his opponents, his coaches, and most importantly his teammates who he was every time he stepped onto the practice or game field.” – Tim Dunn, retired CCDS coach and teacher

Meredith Hilleary `00
Meredith is a recipient of the Shirley Heinichen Award for Outstanding Female Athlete. She participated in four sports during her time at Country Day: volleyball, basketball, cheerleading, and softball. Most of Meredith’s accolades were from her successes in softball. During her career, she led the city in strikeouts and led the team to a 16-0 record. Notably, from her senior year as a pitcher, she earned the All-Star Award, Most Valuable Player, first team all-state, as well as Player of the Year for the Miami Valley Conference.

“I had the honor of being her coach here at CCDS as well as the pleasure of being her father….While she was loyal to all four sports for all of her high school years, the reason she is here today is softball. She was a fast pitch softball player. In this sport, pitching and catching is the name of the game. Pitching is something I cannot take any credit for teaching her – she was taught by her older sister, Sarah [`95], who was also an all-state pitcher.” – Jim Hilleary, former CCDS coach

Peter Kistinger `07
In cross country, Peter was first team Miami Valley Conference for four years. He was the MVC Runner of the Year in his junior and senior years. The Cincinnati Enquirer also named Peter the 2007 Runner of the Year. Peter was a two-time state qualifier, team MVP, team captain, and led the cross country team to its first MVC title in more than a decade.

In track, Peter was the first team MVC for three years, Most Valuable Player, team captain, and the Cincinnati Enquirer named him to its first team. He was a state qualifier his junior and senior years and a member of the state 4x800 relay team, which still holds the school record. He was the only freshman to make regionals in the one-mile and two-mile.

“Peter was the best team captain of my 40 years of coaching. He was instrumental in the distance program taking off at Country Day. Peter was popular and cool and so classmates decided sport did not always need a ball, a glove, a helmet, a racket…. It should come as no surprise that Peter was a fierce competitor. The beauty of watching Peter compete was to see that it was not mind versus body; rather, there was an understanding between the two born of thousands of training miles….As a student-athlete, Peter drew on Country Day’s reputation for academic excellence and of inspiring student-athletes to acquire knowledge not simply for its own sake, but to turn knowledge into action.” – Merle Black, retired CCDS teacher and coach

Coach Tim Dunn
Coach Dunn graduated from Williams College in 1977 and later earned a master’s degree from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. He arrived at Country Day in 1986 where he taught AP biology and chemistry while coaching baseball and football. He piled up a combined 782 career wins in both sports while earning numerous honors, such as MVC Coach of the Year, the Cincinnati Enquirer Coach of the Year, and Southwestern Ohio Coach of the Year. He was also named Ohio Baseball Coach of the Year and the NFL’s High School Coach of the Week. In baseball, Coach Dunn’s teams won 563 games, 10 MVC championships, 16 sectional championships, nine district championships, three regional championships, and two state championships (1993 and 2001). In football, with eight undefeated regular seasons, his teams won 219 games, 13 MVC championships, two regional championships, and two state final four appearances. He was previously inducted into the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Hamilton County Sports Hall of Fame.

“[Tim] taught generations of student-athletes how to think and act with character. [He] set the standard of excellence in both programs, which is evident today with the success of our current teams…. Tim was not your typical coach – how many football coaches do you know teach AP biology and chemistry? Tim is no doubt one of the smartest people I have ever met…. Tim would break down an opponent’s film like he was dissecting a frog. He was a master game planner and offensive play caller.” – Greg Ross

Each year, the induction ceremony brings alumni, family, and friends from across the globe to reconnect with former teachers and coaches and to renew a bond held with Country Day. While the Hall of Fame was the impetus to return to campus, the stories of lifelong friendships, teamwork, and preparation for life were at the heart of the celebration.

“What can this broad array of leaders have in common?,” asked Zimmerman to the audience at the Hall of Fame celebration on May 11. “Among other experiences, they have developed their leadership skills and forged their character in the crucible of competition.”

Click here to watch the Hall of Fame program. Click here for pictures from the event.