Iowa catches Schmiederer’s fancy

Editor’s note and correction: Bryan Yelvington attended Hersey High School.

Hersey standout catcher Angela Schmiederer has played softball on both coasts with her Illinois Chill travel team.

When she gets to college, she will be based in the Midwest.

A little over a month ago, Schmiederer made her decision to commit to the University of Iowa.

“I chose Iowa because the school and softball program fit who I am,” she said. “Iowa offers diversity academically and provides the discipline and structure I am looking for in order to grow as a player and a person in the softball program.”

Schmiederer, whose Illinois Chill team played in the 2011 and 2012 Premier Girls Fast Pitch Nationals in Huntington Beach, Calif., has grown into one of the top Mid-Suburban League players over the past three years.

Hersey’s three-year starting catcher will head into her senior season this spring after hitting .342 as a junior for coach Molly Freeman. Freeman also used Schmiederer at shortstop last spring.

“Angela really is an outstanding defensive specialist,” Freeman said after the season. “She is probably one of the best catchers I’ve ever seen.”

In the middle of the season, Freeman needed Schiederer’s defensive skills at shortstop.

“And she really surprised me there,” Freeman said. “Everything Angela does is 100 percent. When she got to shortstop, she was 100 percent there, too.”

Schiemderer has been giving 100 percent to the game since she started playing in the park district league when she was 8 years old.

At the time, her older sister Stacey had already started playing travel ball. Stacey’s 12-and-under team needed a player for a couple of tournaments.

Anegela got the chance to join the team and has been playing travel ball ever since.

Angela always wanted to play college softball at the highest level possible.

“After I joined the Illinois Chill Gold as a freshman, I thought it might be possible to be a D-1 player,” she said. “I had the opportunity (with the Chill) to play with some of the top players in the state. The inspiration for me has been playing with great players who already had accomplished the goal of being recruited as D1 athletes.”

Schmiederer said her former Chill teammates have become some of the top players in collegiate softball.

“I hope to follow on the same path,” she said. “I have also been surrounded by people who have supported me along the way.

“My parents, coach Gerry Quinn (Illinois Chill Gold), coach Freeman and my teammates have been behind me every step of the way.”

Schmiederer’s favorite part of the game is catching in really big games against some of the top teams in the country.

“Being under pressure and in the atmosphere of good competition is what makes me truly appreciate the game of softball,” she said.

Many schools appreciated the skills of Schmiederer.

“I went on several visits to different schools,” she said. “I was fortunate to have several offers to consider. I sincerely looked into each opportunity since I had worked long and hard to achieve this goal.”

At Iowa, she plans to study business or education.

At Hersey, she is part of the Service Over Self program and has been on the A-Honor roll while taking honor and Advance Placement courses.

“I love representing my school and community at Hersey,” she said. “I am most looking forward to playing my last season with my sister Jessica before I go to college.”

Women’s golf

Lindenwood University’s Noelle Johnston (Prospect) was the only freshman to play in all five of her team’s fall tournaments.

Her low 18-hole score was an 83 at the University of Central Oklahoma Classic. Johnston had an average of 87 for her ten-tournament rounds.

Johnston was a member of coach Jim Hamann’s 2011 state championship Prospect team.

Football

MIT sophomore running sack Justin Wallace (Fremd) had 26 carries for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns to help his team to a 56-36 win over Maine Maritime University.

It was Wallace’s sixth game with 100 or more yards rushing this season. He is now second on the all-time list at MIT in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.

Wallace was also named to the Capital One Academic All District Team for the second year in a row and is on the final ballot for the Academic all-American team.

Ÿ Carthage College freshman quarterback Nicholas Anzelmo (Schaumburg) completed 10 of 14 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown in a 10-9 loss to Elmhurst College. Anzelmo has thrown touchdown passes in three consecutive College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin games.

Anzelmo is expected to get his first start Saturday when the Redmen host Millikin.

Women’s basketball

Former Elk Grove standout guard Faith Mimnaugh opened her 17th season as the head coach at Cal-Poly in Chicago this weekend when her Mustangs played two games at the DePaul Maggie Dixon Classic.

Mimnaugh helped bring the Mid-Suburban League its first girls basketball state championship when the Grenadiers won the 1981 Class AA tourney.

She guided Cal-Poly to Big West Conference regular-season championships during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. The Mustangs won the Big West Conference tournament championship last year and qualified for the NCAA tournament. The Mustangs advanced to the WNIT in 2011-12.

Men’s basketball

Bryan Yelvington (Hersey), a 2009 graduate of Kenyon College, was one of 11 players selected to the North Coast Athletic Conference’s 30th Anniversary Men’s Basketball All-Decade Team.

Yelvington played four seasons with the Lords program and was a three-time All-NCAC pick, including first-team selections in 2008 and 2009.

His senior season of 2009 also ended with a CoSIDA Academic All-District award, a first-team All-Region award, an NABC All-America honor, and the title of 2013 NCAC Player of the Year.

Yelvington finished his collegiate career with 1,413 points, a total that still ranks 13th all-time in the 115-year history of the Kenyon basketball program. He also ranks fourth all-time in career field goal percentage (.503), tied for fourth in career free throw percentage (. 812), and 11th in career rebounds (679).

Yelvington moved back to Chicago after graduation and works for Morningstar Inc. He is getting his MBA at Northwestern.

Butler wins award

Palatine all-area middle hitter Kim Butler was one of ten winners for a $2,000 college scholarship from Positive Coaching Alliance. She applied for their Triple Impact Competitor Scholarship in May.

Her counselor at Palatine notified her of the opportunity.

Butler needed to write three essays explaining how, as an athlete, she exemplifies the qualities of a triple impact competitor — how an athlete honors the game, helps teammates and becomes better at her sports.

Butler also needed to submit a recommendation from a teacher, coach, and personal friends. In Chicago, PCA is currently partnered with over 65 schools and youth sports organizations in the area, providing workshops for coaches, parents, student-athletes and administrators.

Women’s soccer

Lewis University sophomore Maggie Moran (Rolling Meadows) was named to the All-Great Lakes Valley Conference team. Moran, a forward, tallied 12 points with 4 goals and 4 assists in 14 games for the Flyers, including the game-winning tally in a 2-0 win over Saint Joseph. The Flyers compiled an 8-7-2 overall record and 6-7-2 record against GLVC opponents.

Ÿ Pennsylvania junior defender Haley Cooper (Palatine) scored her first collegiate goal as the Quakers blanked Brown, 1-0, in Providence, R.I. Cooper’s game-winning header off a Brianna Rano free kick came in just the second minute. Penn is 4-1-1 in the Ivy League.

Ÿ Please email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com or FAX to (847) 427-1173.