O'Brien honored for powering Palatine diving

When coach Donna O'Brien arrived at Palatine High School in 1983, the Pirates' swim team was not exactly known for its prolific divers.

But once Donna O'Brien dove into things, a lot changed.

O'Brien not only built the program from the ground up, she turned it into a powerhouse.

She was recently honored for her accomplishments by being inducted in the Palatine Athletic Hall of Fame.

In 29 years of coaching, O'Brien led the Pirates' divers to four conference championships and five sectional championships.

She was also responsible for qualifying 40 divers for the IHSA state meet

Her divers were a key ingredient in helping the swimming and diving team to 12 Top Ten finishes at the state meet.

O'Brien's impact on the community is equally impressive. Besides coaching at PHS, she has also coached club swimming at Harper College and Lake Forest College.

She is active in USA Diving, serving in various capacities at the local, state and national level.

Seven of O'Brien's former divers went on to coach after their high school careers.

Football

Former St. Viator receiver Kevin Hammarlund made some big catches in his high school football career in Arlington Heights.

Now a sophomore wide receiver for Washington University in St. Louis, Hammarlund is still hauling in passes.

And he was recently recognized for his efforts by the University Athletic Association.

Hammarlund received the UAA Football 'Offensive Athlete of the Week' honors for the first time in his career after making 7 catches for a career-high 153 yards in the Bears' 44-23 loss at the University of Chicago.

His career-long catch of 58 yards in the first quarter led to Washington's first score of the game.

Hammarlund leads the UAA in receiving yards per game (66.0) and is second in touchdowns (four).

Meadows' charity work

The entire Rolling Meadows girls volleyball program, directed by coach Joe DiSilvio, volunteered its time to pack meals for the organization 'Feed My Starving Children.' The Mustangs were able to raise $250 to the cause as they packed 102 boxes and 22,032 individual meals to feed 60 kids for an entire year.

Women's soccer

Rockhurst University senior Taylor Skala earned the Disney Soccer/NSCAA Player of the Week by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. It marked the sixth time in the past seven weeks a Great Lakes Valley Conference soccer standout earned the national honor.

Skala, the reigning Great Lakes Valley Conference offensive player of the week, collected 9 points on 4 goals and 1 assist in two wins during just 128 minutes of play.

She scored 2 goals in Rockhurst's 3-0 win over Drury, including the game-winner. She added 2 goals, one of which was the game-winner, and an assist in a 5-2 win at Missouri S&T.

Skala leads the GLVC in goals (15), points (33) and game-winning goals (7).

It is the first weekly national honor in Skala's career and the second for Rockhurst as the Hawks' Mark Magee earned the men's award on Sept. 24, 2013.

• DePaul freshman Alexa Ben (Schaumburg) earned her fourth Big East Conference Rookie of the Week accolade.

Ben scored her third game-winning goal of the season, leading the Blue Demons to a 1-0 victory against Xavier at Wish Field.

Ben's 59th-minute header off a corner kick by Amber Paul was enough for the Big East Conference victory as DePaul improved to 14-0-3 overall and 6-0-2 in conference play.

Ben is currently tied with Elise Wyatt for second on the team with 25 points this season.

She has 9 assists this season, one behind Erin Walter's program record 10 in 2004.

• Oakton sophomore defender Genesis Vargas (Maine West) was named to the NJCAA Region IV First Team.

Second team all-tegion selections from Oakton included freshman midfielder/forward Patricia Kondilis (Rolling Meadows).

Kondilis and Vargas were also named to the Skyway Conference first team all-conference squad.

Women's cross country

Illinois redshirt junior Colette Falsey (Schaumburg) was named Big Ten co-athlete of the week after taking the individual title at the Illini Open and leading the Orange and Blue to the team win.

In winning the award for the first time, Falsey cruised to her second career win in the 5-kilometer race with a personal-best time of 17:44.47. Her finishing time eclipsed that of runner-up Colleen Weatherford of Butler by 12.8 seconds, and was under 10 seconds off Katie Porada's course record.

This marked the first time this season that an Illini runner has been honored by the Big Ten.

Falsey was a three-time all-conference selection and helped the Saxons win the Class 3A state cross country title in 2011.

Men's soccer

Liberty senior goalkeeper Scott Sutarik (Fremd) was named the Big South men's soccer defensive player of the week twice in October.

The first time, he faced 18 shots at Gardner-Webb and did not allow a goal in a 1-0 win. He made 4 saves and earned his third shutout of the season. The conference victory was the first of the season for the Flames.

Then later in the month, he earned the award with two victories, including a 1-0 shutout at Longwood.

He faced 16 shots in 90 minutes but did not surrender a goal to the Lancers.

Then against UNC-Asheville, Sutarik allowed just 1 goal and helped lead the Flames to a 3-1 win.

During the two weeks, Sutarik recorded 3 wins, including 2 shutouts. He now has four shutouts for the season, moving him into third place in Liberty's career list with 20 shutouts.

• Lewis University junior midfielder Lenin Roa-Tapia (Hoffman Estates) assisted on the Flyers' first goal in a 1-1 double overtime tie against Wisconsin-Parkside.

The Flyers (10-4-3, 9-3-3) clinched the No. 4 seed in the upcoming Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship Tournament.

• Please email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com.