Stevenson grad Baader stars on court and in classroom

On the volleyball court, Kristen Baader knows how to dig the ball as a 5-foot-9 defensive specialist for Boston College.

She also has shown she digs working in the classroom.

The former Stevenson High School all-area performer has been named to the 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference volleyball all-academic team.

The 5-9 defensive specialist was one of three players who saw action in all 116 sets for the Eagles this season.

She finished third on the team in service aces with 20 and second in digs with 274.

To be eligible for consideration, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during her academic career.

Women's softball

Senior first baseman Kathleen Duffy (Barrington) became the all-time RBI leader in University of Chicago softball history when the Maroons split a twinbill at Wheaton College.

Duffy homered and collected 3 RBI in a 5-0 Chicago victory in Game 1, then drove in 1 run - the 88th of her career - in a 5-4 Wheaton win in Game 2.

Baseball

Andrew Heer (Wheeling), a senior designated hitter for Beloit, was named the Midwest Conference player of the week.

In four games for the Bucs (3-1), Heer hit .545 (6-11), scored 3 runs, drove in 10, had 1 double, 3 home runs and a slugging percentage of 1.455.

He had a career day against Washington (Mo.) by going 5-for-9 with 7 RBI, hitting a 2-run homer in Game 1 and a 3-run shot in Game 2.

He also had a pinch hit 3-run homer in a win against Knox College.

For the season, Heer is hitting .474 (9-for-19) with 3 doubles, 3 home runs and 15 RBI.

Women's gymnastics

Wisconsin-Stout freshman Kim Gulik (Elk Grove) set a personal record on the vault with a mark of 9.275 and set another personal best on floor by scoring 9.275 in a meet with Texas Woman's University.

Men's track and field

Kevin O'Brien (Palatine), a sophomore at the United States Coast Guard Academy, took first place at his school's 11-team track and field invitational with a time of 15:41.00 in the men's 5,000 run.

• Arthur Baptist (Prospect), a junior at the University of Chicago, turned in one of his best performances when placing first in the 10,000-meter run at the Chicagoland Championship meet hosted by his school. He had a personal-best time of 31:27.90 for the event. Chicago was second in this 21-team event, which North Central College won.

Hockey

Junior Ryan Lowery (Fremd) has been named captain of the Colorado College Tigers for the 2010-11 season.

Lowery has been playing hockey since he was 4. He played AAA hockey for Team Illinois during high school until his junior year.

He was drafted in the first round of the "Futures Draft" for the United States Hockey League during his junior year of high school and moved to Lincoln, Neb., to play for the Lincoln Stars his senior year.

Last year, Lowery was awarded the Academic Scholarship Award for the WCHA, which requires a 3.5 or above grade-point average and this year made the academic team which requires a GPA of above 3.0.

Training Academy

The Chicago Bulls/White Sox Training Academy is hosting a spring basketball league at its main facility located at 6200 River Bend Drive in Lisle.

The Chicago Bulls Training Academy hosts fall, winter and spring basketball leagues. The league format is organized for teams at all levels from fourth grade through high school. Many of the top basketball programs in the area have competed.

The league format features a 10-game guarantee with teams playing on three state-of-the-art courts with the main floor being a replica of the Bulls United Center court equipped with the six Bulls championship banners hanging overhead.

Every game is officiated by certified IHSA officials, official scorekeepers control the clock and team and individual awards are given to the top teams and athletes.

The Bulls Training Academy Spring League plays on weekends starting Friday, April 23. The schedule for games is Friday nights from 5-9:30 p.m., Saturdays from 3-9 p.m. and games run all day Sundays. The cost is only $650 per team. You can register by contacting Casey Babarskis at 630.324.8235 or cbabarskis@bullssoxacademy.com.

There are additional satellite academies in Glen Ellyn, LaGrange, Tinley Park and Schererville, Ind. For more information log on to www.BullsSoxAcademy.com or call 630-324-8235.

• The Chicago Bulls Training Academy Power Moves Camp is a four-week session designed to teach players how to become a more productive in the paint (free-throw lane). During each session, players will learn the skills necessary to be the most effective when driving to the basket.

The camp is open to boys and girls ages 5-17. The 5-to-10-year-old camp runs on Tuesdays starting April 13th from 5-6:30 p.m. The 11-17-year-old camp runs on Thursdays starting April 15 from 5-6:30 p.m. Each camp costs $105 per participant and includes a camp T-shirt.

The Chicago Bulls/Chicago White Sox Training Academy announced that it will host a Power Moves Camp at the Bulls Training Academy located at 6200 River Bend Drive in Lisle.

Lil Sluggers charity event

The Windy City Fieldhouse will host a Lil Sluggers Chicago charity event for an afternoon of baseball on Saturday, April 24, from noon-3 p.m. The event will help raise funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

The family-friendly event will be co-emceed by Fox News Sports Anchor Corey McPherrin and Emmy award-winning broadcaster Chet Coppock.

Children of all ages will have the opportunity to partake in Lil Sluggers T-ball and baseball fun while parents can enjoy a sports memorabilia auction and meet Chicago sports personalities.

Rose Astorina is a mom and recent Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma survivor, and she is raising money in honor of the LLS Boy of the Year, four-year-old Griffin Maks, who is battling leukemia.

The cost is $25 for the first child and $20 for each additional one. Visit www.lilsluggerschicago.com/Fight-Cancer.htm to reserve and purchase tickets.

Visit www.RoseAboveCancer.com to make a donation.