Miller's making her mark on the ice
As a young girl, Megan Miller used to watch National Hockey League games with her father.
“My dad (Jordan) played hockey in college, and has been a huge Blackhawks fan since he was little,” Megan said. “We would watch all of the Blackhawks games together. Of course, when I told him I thought I wanted to play on a hockey team, we were at the rink the very next day.”
And who could have imagined years later, Megan was on the rink with the 2011 United States women's national under-18 team when it won the International Ice Hockey Federation world championship two weekends ago in Stockholm, Sweden.
Not only was Miller on the rink, she was in the net for the 5-2 gold-medal victory over Canada. No doubt it was a career highlight for the Long Grove resident, who was home schooled.
“The team was the most amazing team I have ever been part of,” said Miller, who plans to study business at Boston College. “We were all so close and got along great. To share the experience with them made it even better.”
The 5-foot-7 Miller is in her second season with the North American Hockey Academy in Vermont. She previously played boys hockey for the Glenview Stars, Highland Park Falcons and Chicago Mission.
Miller attended the USA Hockey Player development camp for three years (2008-10) and participated in the 2010 USA women's hockey National Festival.
She originally wanted to be a defenseman like her father but her brother was a goalie.
“When I was little, everyone would rotate positions,” she said. “When it was my turn to play goalie, I brought my brother's goalie equipment. I was the only goalie to have the full goalie equipment. I thought it was so cool, and fell in love with it.
“I love that as a goalie, you have the chance to be the difference in a game.”
Miller hopes to make a difference for the Boston College hockey team when she starts in the 2011-12 school year.
Men's basketball
Playing 33 minutes, University of Chicago junior Tommy Sotos (Conant) scored 11 points with 4 assists and 4 rebounds in a 79-77 win over rival Washington University of St. Louis.
Washington junior forward Alex Toth (Prospect) scored 4 points and handed out 3 assists in 28 minutes while teammate Alan Aboona (St. Viator) scored 5 points off the bench in 12 minutes.
Rugby
Kevin Lydon, a scrumhalf for the Arlington Stallions Rugby Club and junior at Conant High School, has been invited to join the USA Rugby High School All-American program for its participation in the prestigious HSBC Sevens World Series in Las Vegas Feb. 11-13.
The HSBC World Series is an elite rugby competition played across the globe by the world's major rugby playing national teams. Seven-a-side rugby is due to be included in the 2016 Olympic Games.
The High School All-Americans will be competing in the High School Elite Division of this event. The best high school players in North America will be in this tournament.
“This is a marvelous opportunity for Kevin,” says Stallions head coach Paul Bergman. “He has the chance to do something many of us only dream about and that is to represent our country on the field of play. He has dedicated himself to this sport and it would be a well-earned honor.”
Lydon will leave Feb. 9 and the squad will train together for a day and then compete on Feb. 11 and 12.
Lydon will return to resume training with the Stallions as they prepare for the start of their spring season competing in the IYRA Tier II Division.
Men's baseball
Collegiate Baseball, a national amateur baseball publication, has listed Oakton Community College sophomore infielder Ryan Tuntland (Maine West) as a “Player to Watch” for the upcoming season.
Tuntland batted .395 last season for the Raiders and was named to the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference all-conference first team.
Men's track and field
Arthur Baptist (Prospect), a senior at the University of Chicago, placed second in the mile run at the dual indoor track meet with the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh held at the Crown Field House in Hyde Park.
Baptist had a personal best indoor time of 4.24.88 minutes.
Men's swimming
Carthage junior Mike Moravek (Fremd) finished second in the 200 breaststroke (2:20.71) in a loss to NCAA Division I Wisconsin-Milwaukee at the Klotsche Center Natatorium in Milwaukee.
Carthage freshman Eric Primdahl (St. Viator) placed third in the 500 freestyle (5:08.63).
Sal Fasano to speak
Former major league catcher, current Blue Jays Class AA manager and Hoffman Estates graduate Sal Fasano will be speaking at Judson University on Saturday, Jan. 29 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. at the 1st Pitch Bash Fundraiser for the Judson baseball team.
The event will take place at the Lindner Fitness Center and tickets can be purchased for $5 from Judson coach Rich Benjamin.
The night will feature a baseball park atmosphere as fans will have a chance to buy ballpark food and bid on silent auction items. The baseball team will also have a 2011 introduction video of the team.
Fasano caught for nine major league teams in a 12-year career. He spent his first year as a professional manager at Class A Lansing last season.
For more information on the event, contact Benjamin at rbenjamin@judsonu.edu or at (847) 628-1579.
White Sox Academy
The White Sox Training Academy will host a Fastpitch High School Tryout Training Camp for players from all high school levels. The sessions will be held at 6200 River Bend Drive in Lisle.
The four-week program will prepare the high school fastpitch softball player for her high school tryout. Each session includes a one-hour defensive workout followed by a one-hour offensive workout. The final session on Feb. 26 will be conducted like a mock tryout.
The White Sox Academy High School Tryout Training Camp is open to all high school girls and will run on Saturday afternoons for four consecutive weeks starting Feb. 5.
Freshman and junior varsity level camps will run from 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. with the varsity level camp immediately following from 2:30 p.m.-4 p.m.
The camp is an opportunity to prepare for the start of the high school season for an investment of $125 per athlete.
The Chicago Bulls/Sox Training Academy opened in 2001 in Lisle and runs extensive training programs for boys and girls from beginner to professional.
There are additional satellite White Sox Academies in Glen Ellyn, LaGrange, Tinley Park and Schererville, Ind. For more information about the White Sox Academy or to register for this camp, go to www.BullsSoxAcademy.com or call (630) 324-8221.
#376; Please e-mail Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com or FAX to (847) 427-1173.