Columbus, OH — Challenger Tina Schrock and incumbent Sam Lilly were elected to three-year terms as membership directors from District 5 (Illinois) to the U.S. Trotting Association (USTA) Board of Directors, the Association announced Tuesday (Dec. 23).
Schrock and Lilly will be seated when the Board convenes for its annual meeting, scheduled for March 6-8, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio.
As certified by the accounting firm Plante & Moran, LLC, Schrock received 259 votes and Lilly received 156 votes. Fellow incumbent director Jim Reynolds garnered 113 votes and was not re-elected, as only two seats were available. Voting concluded on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
The other District 5 directors are Casey Leonard (member) and Jim Miller (track).
“On behalf of the Association, I am excited to welcome Tina to the Board of Directors and to congratulate Sam on his re-election,” said Mike Tanner, USTA Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer. “At the same time, I would like to thank Jim Reynolds for his tenure. Jim is a good man who has always acted in the best interests of the horses and the horsemen, and I have enjoyed working with him.”
Schrock represents a fourth generation of involvement in Illinois harness racing. She became a licensed charter while attending college and continues to chart races at county fairs throughout the state. In 2013, she was appointed Secretary/Treasurer of the Mid-Western Illinois Racing Association and later assumed the same role with the newly formed Illinois Standardbred Association, which now oversees all county fair racing in Illinois.
Schrock also serves as an identifier for several county fairs, the Hawthorne summer and fall meets, and the Illinois State Fair in Springfield and the Du Quoin State Fair. In addition, she manages operations for the spring and summer preview races and the Hawthorne meet held at the state fairgrounds.
Lilly, chairperson of District 5, was first elected to the USTA Board of Directors in 2009 and has served continuously since that time. A past Illinois Harness Horseman of the Year, he is a member and former president of the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association and a former director and secretary of the Illinois Standardbred Owners and Breeders Association. Lilly is president of Lilly Associates, Inc., and Lilly Racing Stable, Inc.
Reynolds concludes more than a decade of service as a District 5 membership director. A retired college professor and state administrator, he has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the harness racing industry and is best known for his tenure as proprietor of Freedom Hill Farms in Watseka, Ill.