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Barrington’s Krzysko adds first-team national honor

Barrington’s Loren Krzysko, who helped lead the Fillies to a third-place finish in the Class AA state softball tournament last month, has been recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association as a first-team All-American.

The honor establishes Krzysko as the top third baseman in the country. This past spring as a senior she batted .493 with 68 hits, 20 doubles, 18 home runs, 61 runs, 60 RBI and a 1.058 slugging percentage.

This season, she was the Daily Herald all-area honorary captain and a first-team all state selection with the Illinois Coaches Association.

Over her four year career, Krzysko hit 42 home runs, placing her fifth on the all-time IHSA home run list.

The Arkansas recuit was also Barrington’s “Female Athlete of the Year’ for the 2012-13 season.

Ÿ Eastern Illinois junior pole vaulter Mick Viken (Rolling Meadows) has been named to the third team Capital One Academic all-American team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Viken becomes the second EIU men’s track and field honoree joining Dan Strackeljahn, a third-team selection in 2007.

Eastern has 36 Academic All-America selections.

Viken owns a 3.30 GPA in kinesiology.

This past season, he earned all-American honors in indoor and outdoor track advancing to the NCAA National Championships in both seasons.

He placed eighth at the Indoor National Championships earning first team all-American honors with a height of 17 feet, 8.5 inches.

Viken holds the EIU indoor record at 17-10.5 set at the NCAA Last Chance meet.

He was 12th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships earning second team all-American honors with a personal best height of 17-8.5.

To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.

Ÿ Miguel Rodriquez of Elk Grove High School will continue his soccer career at Malone University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Rodriguez has demonstrated the true meaning of “student-athlete,” earning a 4.50 GPA on a 5.0 scale.

He was a four-semester honor roll student, officer of the Italian Club, a member of the Principal’s Advisory Council and Leadership Council, and has volunteered with Special Olympics.

Rodriguez also has three years of club experience with the Sockers FC team.

Ÿ Augustana’s Sarahbeth Jones (Warren) added to the school’s growing number of NCAA postgraduate scholarship winners recently.

The talented distance runner was the second Viking this spring to be named the winner of an NCAA postgraduate scholarship for spring sports.

She joins men’s track and field standout Greg Patton (Bloomington, Ill.) as Augustana award winners for this prestigious honor.

Jones was one of just 29 female athletes across all divisions to be awarded the postgraduate scholarship by the NCAA.

The $7,500-dollar grant is awarded by the NCAA to “student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.”

Jones was excellent both as a distance runner on the track and as a student in the classroom during her four years at Augustana, which began in the fall of 2009.

She is the 28th student-athlete in Augustana history to earn an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

Just over four weeks ago, Jones was named to the Capital One Academic All-District first team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. She was a first team selection.

Jones put together one of the most decorated track careers in Augustana history.

In her senior year, Jones was a three-time CCIW champion and set five school records, four individually.

At the outdoor CCIW meet, she pulled off a rare double by winning both the 5,000 and 10,000 meter races.

For her career, Jones won a total of six CCIW championships and owns or is part of 11 school records.

She just missed out on being an All-American in both her junior and senior years, placing ninth in the NCAA Division III 5,000 in 2012 and ninth in the 1,500 in 2013.

Jones graduated from Augustana with a degree in communication studies and English and had a grade-point average of 3.60.

Ÿ On July 6, the Arlington Stallions won the Seventh Annual Great Lakes Seven-A-Side Rugby Tournament in Lemont, hosted by the Illinois Youth Rugby Association.

Coached by alum Kevin Lydon (Conant 2012 graduate) and captained by Tony Lapiana (Fremd), the Stallions defeated Palatine 30-0, St. Charles 22-19, Kenosha 31-10 and the South Side Irish Academy 27-21 in the final match.

Throughout the tournament, the Stallions were led offensively by Jack Carso (Hersey) who scored 5 tries and Joe Rieboldt’s (Buffalo Grove) seven tallies. Rieboldt’s final two tries came on long runs in the final minutes of the event’s last match, each time taking the lead away from a talented and determined South Side Irish Academy side populated by a large number of players from Brother Rice’s 2013 state champion 15-a-side squad.

Defensively, the side was led by team captain Lapiana and junior Zack Kaminski (Prospect), who both made numerous important tackles against each opponents’ strongest runners.

At the end of the day, eight Stallions players scored tries and each squad member logged important minutes in all the preliminary matches.

“It was a productive day for the club from the perspective that three freshmen (Alex Goutanis, Bryant Morrow and Matt Moroniak) and one new player (Niko Gountanis) made significant contributions to go along with what are more established players always give us,” Lydon said.

This Saturday (July 13), the Stallions will compete for the first Illinois Seven-a-Side (Olympic style) State Championship, held in Hoffman Estates. For more information, go to www.iyra.org.

Ÿ The Illinois Bash Summer College Coaches Camp will be held July 22, 23 and 24 at the Oakton Community College Softball Complex.

Coaches from Florida State University, Western Illinois, South Florida, Roosevelt, Georgia Southern, South Carolina, Nevada-Las Vegas and the Diamond Sports Academy will be on hand.

To register or for more information visit www.illinoisbash.com.

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