Conant's Smith takes softball stars overseas

Cathyann Smith, who piloted the Conant softball team to a Mid-Suburban League and regional championship this spring, is coaching another talented team this summer.

Smith was selected by the America's Team Sports and the American Council for International Studies (ACIS) to coach this summer's 2014 America's Team Fast Pitch Softball in Germany.

It is a well-deserved accolade for Smith, a former all-area pitcher for Schaumburg High School who has directed the Conant program for the past 14 years, winning MSL titles three times in the past four seasons.

This summer's America's Team is a competitive opponent for a variety of selected teams throughout Germany.

It also offers the players the opportunity to truly enjoy representing the United States as ambassadors to the game of fast pitch softball.

The trip began Monday with an overnight flight to Munich and subsequent stops in Deggendorf, Nuremburg and Heidelberg.

Along with scheduled games in each location, the America's Team girls will enjoy city tours as well as visits to famous German landmarks such as the castle of Neuschwanstein, the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial and Heidelberg Castle.

With the conclusion of games in Heidelberg, the team returns to the United States on July 29.

Women's basketball: Former Rolling Meadows basketball player Jimmy Colloton has been hired as an assistant coach for the Navy women's basketball program which is directed by Stefanie Pemper.

"I am really excited to work with Jimmy and I have a great feeling about what he can add to our program," Pemper said on the school's web.

"He's a people person and very polished for someone only three years out of college. His boss at Indiana, Curt Miller, thinks the world of him and Curt is one of the best coaches and leaders in our profession. Jimmy has a great mind for the game and players respond well to his energy and competitiveness. He brings good chemistry to our staff and is already working hard to keep Navy women's basketball atop the Patriot League."

Colloton said he was honored to become part of the Navy women's basketball program and the Naval Academy as a whole.

"Having been an admirer of the program from afar, I want to thank Stefanie Pemper and Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk for this incredible opportunity," he said. "The Naval Academy is such a special place that promotes excellence in all of its facets. Knowing the Naval Academy's rich history at producing some of our country's greatest leaders, it humbles me to be part of the learning process for these current Midshipmen. I can't wait to get started."

Colloton has spent the past three seasons as a member of the coaching staff at Indiana.

After serving as a graduate assistant for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, he was tabbed as an interim assistant coach for the 2013-14 season. His three-year stint at the school was capped by the Hoosiers posting a 21-13 record this past season and advancing to the quarterfinal round of the 2014 WNIT.

The native of Arlington Heights graduated with honors from Wittenberg (Springfield, Ohio) after posting a 3.95 grade-point average and earning his way onto the dean's list in each of his eight semesters as an economics major.

He also attained a master's degree in sports administration from Indiana.

IBCA All-star Game: Riley Glassmann, who graduated this spring from Fremd, scored 20 points as the team MVP for the North in a 147-124 victory over the South in the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class 4A-3A All-Star Basketball Game at Illinois Wesleyan's Shirk Center.

"For a team that didn't have an offense to run coming in, I thought we played well together," Glassmann told reporters. "It was an honor to play in this game, and an even bigger honor to win the team MVP award because any of the guys on my squad could have won this."

Basketball: Doug Fyfe, a 6-5 center from Palatine, will be inducted into the the Lawrence University Intercollegiate Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 10 and he will be be honored at the Fall Festival football game on Oct. 11. The public is welcome to attend and may call 920-832-7019 to make a reservation.

Fyfe was a dominant post player for Lawrence and set a career scoring standard that stood for nearly two decades.

He scored 1,342 points to set the school's career scoring record. He broke the record of fellow Hall of Famer Joel Ungrodt, who set the mark of 1,247 from 1961-64.

A two-time All-Midwest Conference selection, Fyfe averaged 15.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the floor for his career.

The 15.7 scoring average ranked fifth in school history when he graduated and is still good for seventh on the list. Fyfe grabbed 710 rebounds, which trails only All-American Chris Braier and Brad Childs on the career list.

Fyfe also set Lawrence records for field goals made (500), free throws made (342) and free throws attempted (532).

Led by Fyfe, the Vikings started to turn the basketball program around.

During his final season of 1975-76, Lawrence hit double digits with 10 victories. It marked the first time Lawrence had won at least 10 games in a season since 1953-54.

Fyfe, who received his law degree from DePaul University College of Law in 1982, is a partner at Bollenbeck Fyfe, S.C., in Appleton, Wis.

Rubgy: The Arlington Stallions Rugby Club concluded its 'summer sevens' 2014 schedule as state champions.

Rugby sevens will be debuting in the 2016 summer Olympic Games. The Stallions participated in two other tournaments this summer. They placed third at the Great Lakes Seven's Tournament hosted by the the Illinois Tornados.

In their first-place efforts, the Stallions went 4-0 scoring a total of twenty-four tries and only allowing two tries all day. Try leaders were Senior Nick Breitzman (Fremd) and freshman Alex Gountanis (Prospect), each with five tries on the day.

Senior Joel Krueger set the tone for physicality against rival St. Charles Predators in the first match of the day. Krueger's defensive play proved to be contagious to the rest of the Stallions.

Co-Captains Cody Foss (Conant) and Tony LaPiana (Fremd) lead the team by example with strong defense and unselfish ball movement. Gountanis was awarded player of the tournament and is sure to be a menace to teams around the league for years to come. The Stallions will have a few weeks of rest and recovery before the fall season begins.

"Our alumni coaches, Kevin Lydon (Davenport Univ.) and Jack Carso (St. Mary's, Ca), did a great job with our sevens program this summer," said Stallions coach Paul Bergman. "Our players learned their lessons well, maintained their enthusiasm from the regular season and our senior class, once again. led from the front. It was a great way for them to end their years with the club. I will really miss all of them."

Despite the strong play from the Stallions seniors, on the day, the team and tournament MVP was Freshman Alex Gountanis (Prospect).

"The whole club is excited at the thought of having Alex for three more years,"Bergman said. "His performance today was a fitting end

to an outstanding freshman year."

Northwest Travel Baseball: Northwest Travel Baseball has provided travel baseball to families in the northwest suburbs for more than 20 years.

Tryouts for next year's teams for boys age 9-14 will be Saturday and Sunday, July 26 and 27, at the Harper College women's softball field, 1200 Algonquin Road in Palatine.

Check the website at nwtb.org to get specific tryout times.