College achievers: School’s out for summer
As the academic year concludes, here are some area graduates finishing strong ...
Waubonsie Valley graduate Shakeia Pinnick, sophomore at Arizona State, qualified in heptathlon for the Division I women’s track championships at Drake next week. “Keia” also is running on the Sun Devils’ qualifying 1,600-meter relay.
Former Neuqua Valley superstar Chris Derrick, a Stanford junior, is running in the men’s 10,000 and 5,000, having also qualified in the West Preliminary at Oregon.
North Central College men’s track and field earned its second straight Al Carius Program of the Year award, named after its fabulous coach, from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The Cardinals were runner-up in Division III cross country and under first-year head track coach Frank Gramarosso — Midwest region outdoor coach of the year — won both indoor and outdoor track titles. Sophomore Randal Ellison (Wheaton North) led off a 1,600-meter relay that nipped Wisconsin-Lacrosse by 0.2 seconds to deliver the Cardinals their second straight outdoor title.
On the women’s side, senior Sheila Walsh (Wheaton Warrenville South) earned All-America honors in the open 400 and as part of a school-record 1,600 relay, and senior Amanda Laesch (Wheaton North) was again All-America at 5,000 and 10,000 meters to key a seventh-place finish at nationals. The Cardinals became the first women’s program to win the CCIW’s triple crown — cross country and indoor and outdoor track titles in one school year. (Laesch, a graduate student seeking a master’s in leadership studies, finished with five All-America certificates this academic year and was just named Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District Five.)
College of DuPage softball coach Ryan Connell (Lisle) directed a second-place finish in National Junior College Athletic Association Division III. The Chaparrals, who finished 46-6 after a 2010 record, lost 6-4 to Gloucester County College (N.J.) in the double-elimination bracket. COD lost its first game in the finals, then won four straight before facing Gloucester. Players Taylor Kutilek (West Chicago), Jacki Ciran (Addison Trail), Michelle Interrante (Willowbrook), Shannon Nevins (WW South) and Isabelle Vogt (Wheaton North) each earned all-conference honors.
Earlier this spring, North Central College sophomore Nathan Fitzenreider (Wheaton North) was recognized as a Division III Scholar All-America by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Fitzenreider, a math education major, won five regular-season tournaments and finished third in the country at 133 pounds, compiling a record of 37-3. Augustana senior 285-pound Tim Day (WW South), a business administration major, also earned Scholar All-America.
Illinois State junior distance runner John Navarro (Glenbard South) earned a State Farm Good Neighbor Award presented by the Missouri Valley Conference. An honor-roll student several times over, the psychology major with a 3.52 grade-point average has logged myriad hours at PATH Crisis Center in Bloomington, among several volunteer efforts. Navarro recently placed sixth in MVC steeplechase.
Augustana senior Matt Somers (Naperville Central), a four-year Augustana track letterman, was the male recipient of the 2010-11 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin’s (CCIW) Merle Chapman Leadership Award. He’s currently the president of the Augustana chapter of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee and participates in AGB (Athletes Giving Back).
Carthage College senior Kyle Drake (Waubonsie Valley) was named the CCIW’s male swimmer of the year. At the conference meet Drake won the 200 backstroke, was part of an 800 freestyle medley win and placed second in two other races. He then finished 14th in the 200 at the NCAA championship.
Mt. Union junior Sean Denard (Naperville North), a 2010 All-America, finished the outdoor track season with the eighth-best discus throw and the ninth-best shot put in Division III. Wisconsin freshman Dan Block (Lake Park) threw the seventh-best discus in Division I.
Illinois senior second baseman Pete Cappetta (Montini) struggled the first half of the season then caught fire once in inserted into the leadoff slot. Earning Big Ten co-player of the week honors May 2, Cappetta raised his batting average 104 points on a .400 streak, including 11 multiple-hit games. Cappetta had a 16-game Big Ten hitting streak and helped the league champions enter Friday’s NCAA regional with an eight-game winning streak, second in the nation. Cappetta is hitting .326 with 14 stolen bases in 15 attempts.
Helping North Central College’s softball team to a 26-14 record, all-CCIW and second-team all-Region third baseman Lauren Schramm (Addison Trail) led the Cardinals in slugging percentage, batting average and runs batted-in. Her 12 career home runs rank fourth in school history.
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater defensive lineman Luke Hibner (York) and gymnast Allison Nelson (Neuqua Valley) were among the Warhawks seniors who earned the athletic program’s Chancellor Scholar-Athlete award for 2010-11. Nominated by their coaches, Hibner and Nelson each surpassed 3.30 GPAs and volunteered at all sorts of things. Nelson was a three-time National Collegiate Gymnastics Association All-America, while Hibner played on three Division III national football champions.
Nicole Dimiceli (Lake Park) is Judson University’s first softball player ever to be named an NAIA All-America, receiving honorable-mention honors in this, her senior year. Also the Eagles’ first CoSIDA Academic All-America, drawing second-team mention, Dimiceli, who has a 3.79 GPA in physical education, helped Judson to its first Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) title as the team won a program-best 32 games. A four-time National Christian College Athletic Association All-America, Dimiceli leaves Judson as its all-time leader in hits, runs scored, doubles, home runs and runs batted-in. In Judson’s single-season top-10 lists, she’s mentioned 24 times.
Bradley senior outfielder Brittany Fairbairn (Glenbard East) was named a Capital One/CoSIDA Academic all-American, Second Team, the first Braves softball Academic All-America since 1995. An elementary education major with a 4.0 GPA, Fairbairn repeated as Bradley’s MVP and was named its top defensive player after throwing out 14 baserunners, six at home plate. She had an 11-game hitting streak and her 61 hits tied for Bradley’s eighth-best in history.
With nine singles victories in her senior season, Bradley’s Nicole Miller (Glenbard West) totaled 49 in college and moved into a tie for fourth place in Braves history with 101 combined singles and doubles wins. Had Miller notched one more singles win she would have been one of only two Braves to have won 50 matches in both singles and doubles.
Three-time all-CCIW first baseman Kris Lee (Naperville North) was named Illinois Wesleyan’s softball MVP. The elementary education major finished her Titans career tied for fourth all-time with 13 home runs, and ninth with 133 starts. Titans senior Jason Pankau (York) was the baseball MVP, Central region and two-time CCIW pitcher of the year and a D3baseball.com third-team All-America. He capped his career as Wesleyan’s all-time wins leader with 25 and in strikeouts with 286. Freshman designated hitter Bobby Czarnowski (Naperville Central) joined Pankau on the all-CCIW first team, as did North Central College senior outfielder Matt Abraham (Naperville North).
Fellow Naperville North grad, Carthage senior center fielder Will Hodges, was the CCIW co-player of the year and first-team all-Central Region pick after hitting .422 with 17 doubles, 8 home runs and 44 RBI. He added American Baseball Coaches Association second-team All-America honors.
Yet another Naperville North grad, Grinnell College junior catcher Mike Nodzenski, made D3baseball.com’s All-America third team. Like Hodges a Rawlings/ABCA all-Central Region player, he earned Midwest Conference South Division MVP a second straight season. Nodzenski hit .465 with 12 home runs, 47 RBI and a slugging percentage of .850.
At the May 7 Northern Athletics Conference women’s track championships, Krystle Eskridge (Glenbard East) set two Aurora University records, in the 400-meter dash and as part of the Spartans’ 1,600-meter relay.
A sacrifice fly by Illinois State junior Kevin Tokarski (Downers Grove North) in the 11th inning of a 4-3 win over Evansville on May 25 gave the Redbirds a single-season record for victories with 36. That’s where it stood; their season ended the next day.
Indoor track happened a while back, but Millikin recently issued its year-end honors. Senior Peter Trofimuk (Wheaton North), a four-year thrower, was named the Big Blue’s indoor track field events MVP.
Basketball ended even longer ago. However, it must be noted that North Central College senior Brian Evans (Glenbard North) was a CCIW Jack Swartz Academic All-Conference pick. While leading the Cardinals in rebounding and assists the finance and business management double-major topped a 3.50 GPA over the winter term.
Lewis University center fielder Jayme Hefler (Glenbard West) was a repeat all-Great Lakes Valley Conference first-team pick. The sophomore led the Flyers in batting average, on-base percentage, hits, runs, bases on balls and in stolen bases. Her 41 steals in 49 attempts broke her own program record of 40 steals in 2010.
Judson University center midfielder Corey Burke (Wheaton Academy) has received the A.O. Duer Award, the honor citing the top male and female juniors in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ (NAIA) in terms of character, playing ability and scholarship. A top scorer on a 19-4-1 soccer team, Burke is a biology major with a 3.9 GPA and is studying for the MCAT this summer. He volunteers at a hospital, hosts soccer clinics, tutors, and traveled to Kenya to volunteer in a medical clinic. His father, Judson coach Steve Burke, is NAIA soccer’s all-time wins leader.
Adrian College lacrosse attack Josh Maluta (Neuqua Valley) played in the 2011 LAX World/USILA North-South Games. Selected for the victorious Division III South team, Maluta was the sole Illinois player selected from within Divisions I-III. A business management major, Maluta finished his career as Adrian’s sixth-best goal scorer and its leader in assists and points, with 186.
Nicely done.
doberhelman@dailyherald.com