Stewart-Kanupky joins DePaul's Hall of Fame
When you think of the all-time great shortstops the Mid-Suburban League has seen in softball, Hersey's Karen Stewart-Kanupky is sure to be at the top of the list.
She went on to star at DePaul University where her 1999 team advanced to the World Series.
This past Sunday, Stewart-Kanupky was inducted into the DePaul Athletics Hall of Fame with that entire '99 team.
The formal induction ceremony took place at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at McGrath-Phillips Arena.
Kanupky and the team were honored at the women's basketball game against Marquette at the McGrath-Phillips Arena on Sunday.
Kanupky's softball team was the only one in school history to reach the final four of the NCAA Women's College World Series.
Only the 1943 and 1979 men's basketball teams had reached such a lofty perch.
Guided by 'National Coach of the Year' Eugene Lenti, the Blue Demons set a program record with 54 wins and were ranked No. 3 in the nation in the final NFCA/USA Today Top 25 Poll.
Kanupky was also an Academic all-American that season.
• Missouri-St. Louis sophomore Sara Kern (Wheeling) has played a key role in the team's success.
She had 2 doubles and scored 2 runs along with a diving catch in center field in a 10-2 six-inning victory over Saginaw Valley at the D2 Midwest region Dome Invitational hosted by Lewis University.
Misssouri-St. Louis began the season ranked No. 13 and has moved up to the No. 4 spot when it improved its record to 13-1.
In 14 games, the team had 27 home runs and outscored their opponents 105-38.
• Winona State's Hanna Lythberg (Prospect) earned NSIC 'Pitcher of the Week' honors, putting together a stellar start to her junior campaign, recording a perfect 3-0 record with a 0.95 ERA in 22 innings and three complete games.
Lythberg gave up just 9 hits and 3 earned runs along with 20 strikeouts in the three starts.
She pitched all 7 innings in her first start against Wisconsin-Parkside, giving up 2 hits and no earned runs while striking out a career-high 11 batters. She then recorded an eight-inning complete game win over No. 15 Wayne State (Mich.), giving up just 5 hits with 3 earned runs while striking out four.
She ended the week with her third straight complete game in a 4-1 win over Findlay, giving up just 2 hits with no earned runs and only one walk while striking out five.
• Southern Charleston sophomore Amanda Matsumoto (Fremd) had 5 hits in a doubleheader sweep (8-0 over UMBC and 11-1 over Southern Illinois).
Matsumoto, whose team is off to a 3-0 start, is leading the Big South Conference in hits and runs scored.
Women's golf
Former IHSA state champion golfer Allison Walsh (Prospect) recorded the first hole-in-one of her career at the Amelia Island Intercollegiate in Fernandina, Fla.
Walsh used an 8 iron on the par 3 155-yard third hole of the Amelia National Golf Club.
After a near two-hour rain delay, the final round of the tourney was called off.
Bradley tied with tournament-host Jacksonville for 10th in the Brave's first outing of the spring season.
Walsh turned in rounds of 77 and 79 on the par-72 course to tie for 39th (156) while Braves freshman Ally Scaccia (Prospect) was two shots behind in a tie for 53rd at 158 (82-76).
Women's basketball
For former Buffalo Grove and current Stevenson girls basketball coach Tom Dineen, Michigan State saved the best part of its 60-50 upset win over No. 19 Rutgers on Feb. 22 for after the game.
That's when he got to see his former standout guard Anna Morrissey honored along with four teammates for Senior Day in East Lansing.
"It was a really a cool atmosphere," Dineen said. "They do it after the game and there were still about 8,000 fans who stuck around for it and Suzy (Merchant, Spartans coach) did a great job talking about each senior. I'm really glad I had the opportunity to be there."
Dineen is also glad he had the opportunity to coach Morrissey for two seasons at Stevenson.
"As Suzy and I both would say, as hard a worker as Anna is, and as much success she has had in the game, the most important thing is that she is just a tremendous young lady. As a coach, I cannot say enough about her. I was very happy for her and proud of her."
Morrissey made the Spartans roster as a walk-on as a freshman, playing in three games. As a sophomore, she played in eight games. And she earned a full scholarship for her junior and senior years.
"In her four seasons at Michigan State, Anna did not miss a single practice or sit out of one drill," Dineen said of Morrissey, who was basically receiving only Division III offers in her final season at Stevenson.
Before this season, in which she is running the Spartans offense as a point guard, Morrissey spent most of her time as a practice player, going back and forth on the scout team.
"I knew wherever she ended up she would be successful," Dineen said of the pre-nursing major. "Anna is an exceptionally hard worker and very team-orienteed. She was the best defensive player I've coached at Stevenson."
Fittingly enough, as a junior, Morrissey received the Kim Archer Character Award at the team banquet and she was also Academic All-Big Ten.
"Like Suzy said, she is a person you would want to be your daughter or granddaughter," Dineen said. "And that's as high a compliment you can give someone."
Area fans won't have to go far to see Morrissey this week.
The Big Ten Conference tournament gets underway Wednesday at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.
Women's swimming
Lake Forest College senior twins Christina and Sarah Pekar were among 58 competitors at the NCAA Division III Region 1 Diving Competition at the University of Chicago.
Christina Pekar's fourth-place finish in the 3-meter event will qualify her for the NCAA Championship Meet for the third straight season.
Christina also finished sixth in the 1-meter competition with 446.40 points.
Sarah, who also qualified for the regional meet last year, finished 24th with 399.75 points. Her place fluctuated between 26th and 15th throughout the competition.
Both Pekar sisters were among the top seven throughout Saturday's 3-meter event. They were tied for second place after the opening round and Sarah was tied for the lead after her second dive. She placed sixth with 465.60 points, just 4.30 points behind the fifth-place finisher, who qualified for the national meet.
Christina Pekar was second, third or fourth throughout Saturday's competition. Her final score of 474.60 points was good for fourth place and earned her one of the regional meet's seven spots at the NCAA Championships.
Christina Pekar will join Forester sophomore Sam Freedberg and freshman Victoria Karker at the 2015 NCAA Division III Championship Meet in Shenandoah, Texas, March 18-21.
The meet will be held at the CISD Natatorium and will be hosted by the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and the City of Shenandoah.
Bonuso honored
Last fall, former Buffalo Grove standout softball player Beth Bonuso, now coaching at Wisconsin-Whitewater, was named the 2014 NCAA Division III Assistant Coach of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Bonuso works primarily with the outfield and the Warhawks' mental game.
She was part of a staff that earned NFCA Region Coaching Staff of the Year in 2014 after leading the Warhawks to the program's ninth Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and second straight league tournament championship, regional championship, super regional title and to finish third in the NCAA Division III Softball Championship.
Whitewater went 39-13 this season including a 12-2 mark in the conference.
The Warhawks secured the league title after defeating Wisconsin-LaCrosse in the WIAC Championship to earn an automatic berth in the NCAA DIII tournament.
Men's track and field
Wisconsin-Parkside mid-distance runner and Hoffman Estates native Troy Cunningham finished fifth in the 800-meter run at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Indoor Championships with a time of 1:57.78. Cunningham was also part of the distance medley relay team which finished seventh with a time of 10:40.63. The Rangers took eighth place overall at the 11-team even with a total of 24 points.
• North Central distance runner Travis Morrison (Hoffman Estates) is ranked second nationally in the 5,000-meter run (14:26.70).
• Please email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com