Lake Zurich's Layne gains acclaim with Rhode Island women's volleyball
Rhode Island's women's volleyball team had a record-setting season for conference accolades.
And former Lake Zurich standout Layne Self took part in the postseason honors.
The 6-foot-1 junior middle hitter was selected to the second team of the all-Atlantic 10 Conference.
Self posted the conference's second-best hitting percentage during the regular season, at .362.
She also ranks second on the team in total blocks (99) and blocks per set (0.99) and is third in total kills (263) and kills per set (2.63).
For her career, Self sits sixth all-time at URI with 359 career blocks.
The native of Hawthorn Woods collected all-tournament accolades at this year's Yale Invitational and was a member of the A-10 All-Rookie Team in 2013.
She was one of four Rhode Island players to earn all-conference status. Rhode Island ties regular-season champion Dayton for the most selections in the conference.
It also marks Rhody's most all-conference awards in 30 years.
URI has not had four all-conference performers since the 1985 Rams boasted a program-best five.
Rams head coach Bob Schneck was also named Co-Coach of the Year in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Men's basketball
Villanova freshman Jalen Brunson (Stevenson) scored 9 points (3-of-3 free throws) and handed out 2 assists while playing 23 minutes of a 75-56 victory for the Wildcats (4-0) over previously unbeaten Akron (3-1) in the NIT Seains Tipoff.
Brunson is averaging 9.8 points and 1.3 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game. He has 17 assists and 3 steals in the four games.
Women's cross country
Lewis senior Kristen Bonsor of Antioch placed 48th overall with a time of 21:36.3 at the NCAA Division II Women's cross country championships hosted by Missouri Southern on the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course.
Adams State won the team title with 83 points while the Flyers totaled 335 points in the race to claim 11th place.
• Concordia University (Chicago) sophomore Bianca Ortega (Round Lake) showed a 43-second improvement in finishing with a personal best time of 27:37.0 in the NCAA Division III Midwest Regionals in Rock Island.
Teammate Rebekah Hanagan (Libertyville) rounded out the scoring for CUC by recording a 29:36.1.
Girls bowling
Libertyville's Emma Davellis has made a commitment to bowl at Aurora University.
Women's volleyball
Two former Buffalo Grove graduates, Megan Chartier and Katelyn Sommers, helped Harper College finish 34-13 with a ranking of No. 6 in the country for junior colleges.
Chartier finished with the most digs in the country for the second straight season and was all-conference for the second straight season.
Sommers led the nation in assists, was fifth in assists per set and was first in digs for setters. She was second team all-conference.
Pitch & Hit Club
Former Barrington baseball coach Kirby Smith will be honored with The Dizzy Trout Baseball Ambassador Award at The Pitch & Hit Club's 70th annual dinner banquet on Jan. 31 at 4 p.m. at the Tinley Park Convention Center.
Barrington graduate John Trautwein (Class of 1980) and The Will to Live Foundation will also be honored with The Pitch and Hit Club's President's Award.
Football
North Central senior captain and offensive lineman Pat Bolger (Barrington) was named to the first team of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin all-conference team (he made the first team in 2014).
He started eight games at left guard and blocked for an offense that led the CCIW in scoring (37.4 points per game) and total offensive yards (451.6 yards per game).
North Central senior defensive back Richard Zirngibl (Buffalo Grove) was also first team All-CCIW.
He started all 10 games at safety and ranked second on the team with 67 tackles (44 solo), including 7 tackles for loss and 3 quarterback sacks.
Zirngibl shared team lead with 3 interceptions and he broke up three other pass attempts.
North Central finished the season with a 7-3 overall record and 6-1 in the CCIW.