West Aurora grad Spagnola off to fast start at Minnesota

Now that the last snowfall has occurred - right? - lets check in on some local collegiates' winter achievements ...

Emma Spagnola, whose virtual smorgasbord of accomplishments while running track for West Aurora includes five program outdoor records and 16 DuPage Valley Conference titles, got off to a good start indoors for Minnesota. In her first collegiate meet, the Minnesota Open on Jan. 17, Spagnola ran a time of 8.64 in the 60-meter hurdles, just .06 off the Gophers' record. A month later in the preliminaries of the Big Ten Conference indoor championship Spagnola ran an 8.41, joining a Minnesota teammate who also went under the school record. Spagnola advanced to the finals, where she finished in ninth place.

A driving layup by Waubonsee Community College sophomore Brooke Harner (Kaneland) in the last six minutes gave the Chiefs a lead they wouldn't relinquish in a 78-73 victory over North Arkansas College, the Waubonsee women's program's first win ever in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II National Tournament. Harner scored 13 points with 6 rebounds and 4 assists while Sarah Grams and Ashley Prost - two other sophomores from Kaneland - chipped in 12 and 9 points, respectively. Unranked Waubonsee (21-14) ended its season ranked 11th in the country after a March 20 loss to Phoenix College.

Elmhurst College senior forward Fiona McMahon, a St. Francis graduate by way of St. Charles, capped her stellar college basketball career with a third-team All-America honor by D3hoops.com. She's Elmhurst's second all-American player, joining only first-team pick Lyndsie Long (Kaneland) in 2010. Player of the year in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin and D3hoops first-team All-Region, McMahon led the Bluejays with 18.6 points per game, 8.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks, scoring a career-high 37 points in Elmhurst's regular-season finale. She finished seventh in program scoring, fourth in rebounding, third in blocked shots and games played and second in field goal percentage at .543.

Usual college achievers suspect David Voland (Batavia), a senior at Augustana, was named track athlete of the meet at the CCIW men's indoor track championships after winning the 400-meter run (48.76 seconds), anchoring the winning 1,600 relay and placing all-conference in the 55 hurdles. At the Division III national championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Vikings won the 1,600 relay title with Voland in the anchor leg. Edging out Oshkosh by .02 seconds, the Augie foursome timed it in 3 minutes, 15.97 seconds, a new school record. Also having helped set a school record in the 800 relay and topping Augustana men in four different events, on March 11 the United State Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named the math major the Midwest region's indoor track athlete of the year.

Elsewhere in 4-by-4 action, Lewis University freshman Brock Robertson (Kaneland) ran on the winning relay at the Great Lakes Valley Conference men's indoor meet. That helped the Flyers men win their second straight indoor title.

North Central College senior Matt Muth (West Aurora) also was at the DIII finals as part of the Cardinals' distance medley relay. He earned his third straight all-American honor in the event. In his 1,200-meter leadoff leg Muth kicked from ninth place to third at handoff. At the CCIW meet, Muth took the indoor mile for the second time in three years, his time of 4:17.29 helping North Central earn its 15th straight indoor conference title.

Missouri State's Liza Fruendt (Batavia), former honorary captain of the Daily Herald Tri-Cities Girls Basketball team, was named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team. In 25 games the 5-foot-9 guard averaged 10.2 points (third on the team) and 2.6 rebounds. She made 41 3-pointers on 38 percent shooting beyond the arc and also converted 82 percent from the foul line.

Aurora University senior Kyle Pilmer (West Aurora) was named the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference defensive player of they ear. The 6-8 center led the Spartans with 14.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game while keying a defense that led the NACC in shooting defense at 40.4 percent. Pilmer shot 64.6 percent from the floor.

At the NACC women's indoor track meet, Aurora University sophomore Christina Luptak (St. Charles North) set a program record in her winning 5,000-meter run with a time of 18:03.47. Sophomore Lisa Rodriguez (Aurora Central Catholic) helped the 1,600-meter relay claim the event and overall team title. She also placed second in the 400 while Luptak was third in the 3,000.

At the Missouri Valley Conference women's indoor track meet, Illinois State senior Kelly McShea (St. Francis) earned her second all-conference honor by winning the 3,000. She reportedly took the lead from the start then broke from the pack with 400 meters to go to win in a personal-best time of 9:34.90, the third best time in school history. McShea placed third in the 5,000 with a time that ranks seventh all-time at Illinois State. Redbirds freshman Taylor Knauf (Aurora Christian) placed 11th in pole vault at 11 feet, 9 inches.

Brown University winger Nick Lappin, who lived in Geneva while playing for the Tri-City Storm, was named second-team Ivy League, his second All-Ivy honor. Playing on the Bears' top line, Lappin led Brown with 11 goals and 5 in Ivy League play.

On his sixth attempt at the Illinois Wesleyan Titan Open on Jan. 31, Illinois State sophomore Aaron Kennebrew landed a triple jump of 46 feet, a½ inches, his personal best and the best mark all indoor season for the Redbirds.

In early January, North Central College senior football player Brian Wilson (Batavia) was voted one of the team captains. The finance major started all 10 games for the Cardinals last season at defensive end and defensive tackle, making 37 tackles with 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

It's a fall sport but the news came in during winter: Augustana junior volleyball player Kylie Siebert (Kaneland) was Augie's fall female winner of the CCIW Jack Swartz award, the top academic award. A two-time all-CCIW selection, Siebert started all 33 matches for the 24-9 Vikings, her 5.18 digs per set fifth all-time at Augustana and her 41 digs in one match the ninth-highest total. A business and marketing major she did this while recording a 3.77 grade-point average.

Finally, another fall honoree announced in winter, Erin Bowe (Rosary) earned Waubonsee Community College's first All-America notice in women's volleyball, a National Junior College Athletic Association DII honorable mention pick. The sophomore outside hitter - first-team all-region and the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference player of the year for the Lady Chiefs' first conference titlist - ended her Waubonsee career as the program's all-time leader in kills (968) and points (1,163.5)

As we head outside, there will be more. Keep us posted!

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

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