Best-ever season for Palatine girls lacrosse
Seven years ago, a group of Palatine High School girls approached Leslie Schock with the idea to start a lacrosse team.
Schock, who at the time was already the head girls basketball coach at the school, obliged.
She put together a team and now, in her eighth year, the Pirates enjoyed their finest campaign.
They posted an impressive 15-3 record and won the Mid-Suburban League conference title for the second straight season with a 5-0 record.
The Pirates' defense is ranked second in the state in goals allowed (less than 6 a game).
Seeded No. 11, Palatine advanced to the Elite Eight of the IHSWLA tournament for the first time with a 15-6 victory over No. 22 Nazareth and with an 8-7 upset victory on May 28 over No. 6 Neuqua Valley.
Women's track
Illinois Wesleyan's Angela Hermann (Conant) was part of the Titan's 4x400 relay team that took sixth place and all-American honors at the NCAA Division III national championships in Delaware, OH.
Softball fundraiser
The Mid-Suburban League softball teams raised $4,450 on May 19 to fight Leukemia and Lymphoma. The MSL Cancer Day event, organized by Fremd softball coach Jim Weaver, has now raised nearly $15,000 over the past three years.
Softball
Davenport junior shortstop KC Dunne (Buffalo Grove) was placed on the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics all-American second team.
Dunne, who was named the top player in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, led her team to a conference regular season and tournament title and a berth in the 2014 NAIA National Tournament finishing with an overall record of 38-10.
In only its sixth year as a program, Davenport now has a trio of second-team All-Americans at the NAIA level as Dunne joins Amber Getty (2013) and Haley Stehouwer (2009) in earning the nod after an outstanding junior campaign.
Dunne, who was named the WHAC Player of the Year, set single season school records for batting average (. 483) and triples (6) while posting stellar marks in slugging (. 801) and on-base percentage (. 533). The shortstop finished with 18 doubles to go along with six home runs and a team-leading 47 RBI.
The junior had a 16-game hitting streak late in the year which is tied for the second longest in program history, just behind Heather Brusokas.
Baseball
Wisconsin-Platteville senior first baseman Zach Demmon (Hoffman Estates) has been awarded All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors.
The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is widely regarded as the strongest DIII conference in the country.
Demmon received honorable mention honors.
He has led the Pioneers in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.319), hits (51), RBI (29), slugging percentage (. 525), doubles (14), home runs (5) and triples (2).
His 14 doubles tied the school's single season record.
He was named WIAC Player of the Week in early April after recording 4 doubles, 4 home runs, 13 RBI, a .480 batting average and a 1.120 slugging percentage.
On March 31, he was awarded the Baseball Student-Athlete Award with the top GPA for his sport. For four consecutive years Demmon made the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Scholastic Honor Roll as well as the school's Gabe Miller Academic Honor Roll for having a GPA of higher than 3.00 during the year.
On May 15, 2014 Zach was featured in the WIAC Student Athlete Spotlight segment.
• University of Chicago junior Andrew VanWazer (Buffalo Grove) started 23 out of 26 games and had a team-best .359 batting average to go with 8 RBI, 2 doubles and 1 stolen base.
VanWazer's top games included 4-for-5 against IIT, 4-for-7 with 2 RBI in a doubleheader against Beloit and a 3-for-3 effort with a RBI against Elmhurst. He had nine multi-hit games. VanWazer was selected to the UAA All-Academic team.
Schaumburg camp
Schaumburg High School's softball program will hold an in-training camp for future Saxons.
Instructional camp and/or pitching/catching sessions for fifth-to-sixth graders and seventh-to-eighth will be held June 16-19 and June 23-26.
Registration information can be found on Schaumburg High School athletic website under announcements.
For more information contact Schaumburg coach Ellen Abreu at eabreu@d211.org
Fremd camps
In unison with the Inverness Park District, Fremd coaches Jim Weaver, Dave Yates, Steve Keller and Jason Jetel give instruction in their respective sports over eight days to boys and girls entering first through fourth grades.
The goal of the fourth annual multi-sport camp is to give a strong basis in fundamental skills in a fun training environment.
All ability levels are welcome. The camp runs Monday through Thursday from June 16-19 and June 23-29.
Campers may choose all three camps: basketball, baseball/softball, and soccer or sign up for individual camps.
• A Fremd girls basketball camp for grades fifth through eighth will be held June 16-26 (Monday to Thursday) at Fremd High School.
Coach Dave Yates, a four-time Mid-Suburban League West Coach of the Year, will direct the camp intended to develop fundamentals through instruction, drills, and scrimmages.
Camps are open to all students regardless of ability level.
• The fifth annual Fremd shooting camp for grades fourth through eighth will be held by Fremd boys basketball coach Bob Widlowski and girls coach Dave Yates.
The camp is open to any player that wants to become a better shooter.
• For more information on any camps, email Dave Yates at dyates@d211.org.
• Please email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com.