Schilz to follow Rezny as Prospect's girls AD

Rebecca Schilz, a physical education teacher with various other key roles at Lakes Community High School, will become the third girls athletic director at Prospect High School.

Schilz has also been the Lakes varsity girls golf coach, prom sponsor, spring assistant athletic director and part of several committees that have worked to build culture and community relations at the Lake Villa high school.

"Rebecca Schilz is more than a coach and a teacher," said Frank Mirandola, Prospect's assistant principal/student activities. " She has established herself as a building leader who motivates others with her grit and collaborative spirit."

Schilz replaces Jean Rezny, the successor to hall of famer Jean Walker, for whom the Prospect Field House is named.

"Jean Rezny has exhibited great passion over the years for girls athletics," Mirandola said. "And she worked to expand opportunities for girls in the northwest suburbs and the state of Illinois,"

Schilz hopes to carry on the tradition.

"From the very first time I stepped foot in Prospect High School, I felt welcomed," she said. "The sense of community from the staff, students, parents checking in with their children, and the administration, everyone has been nothing short of welcoming and that is something that I will not ever forget.

"I am looking forward to building relationships with every one of the individuals who make up the Knight community They all touch someone in their own capacity and I want to make them feel that same sense of welcome."

She plans to listen to the needs of the students.

"I look forward to hearing what they are excited about, what they are encouraged by and what makes them feel proud about being a Knight," Schilz said. "Frank Mirandola has done so much to support the underground and represent the student body with positive school spirit."

Schilz knows how important girls sports has been at the District 214 school.

"There is so much history in female athletics in the walls of Prospect High School," she said. "And that in itself is something I am most certainly looking forward to honoring and recognizing so our young athletes appreciate all of the work that came before to establish girls' sports in Illinois.

"Jean Walker and Jean Rezny are women to be celebrated and recognized by all young athletes to come. Without women like them, all of their pioneering in girls' sports, my athletic career would not have been what it was. My students' careers would not have been what they were, and the girls to come would not have those same experiences. I look forward to spending some time in the spring with Jean and Tom Martindale (boys athletic director), familiarizing myself with the school and the individuals involved in the spring athletics."

Schilz grew up in Burlington, Wis., where she attended and played sports for Catholic Central High School.

She knew at a young age she wanted to be around athletics.

"I have always been someone who played sports, and now as an adult, find the same fulfillment in coaching and nurturing our young athletes to be leaders in their sport and in their lives," Schilz said. "I believe my experiences as a young athlete are what drove my passion of wanting to be a part of my students' and athletes' lives.

There are so many positive character traits that can be developed from being an athlete. Sports truly are one of our most pure vehicles for developing collaboration, worth ethic, leadership and empathy for others. The fulfillment I get from my students and my athletes is what drives me as an educator. I am more than excited to build that rapport and respect with the students and parents of Prospect High School.

Rezny, a Prospect graduate who is in the Eastern Illinois Athletic hall of fame, is retiring at the end of the school year.

"Jean exhibited such passion over the years to help expand girls sports through the northwest suburbs and the state of Illinois," Mirandola said. "She has been phenomenal with that. Rebecca knows she is coming to a program that has had great success in athletics and academics and she is excited to take on that challenge."

Baseball

Wisconsin-Whitewater sophomore outfielder Matt Wary (Elk Grove) was named a position player of the week in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

He led the team in batting average (.571), hits (8), runs scored (4), total bases (14) and runs batted in (4) in three games to help the No. 4 Warhawks to a 3-0 week at the RussMatt Invitational in Central Florida.

In a 5-4 win over Southern Maine, he finished 3-for-5 with a double, 2 runs and a RBI, with the game-winning RBI in the second inning. He had 1 hit and scored a key insurance run on a wild pitch in the fifth inning of the Warhawks' 3-1 victory over Clarkson (N.Y.).

Finally, he posted 4 hits, including a double and home run with 3 RBI in a 7-6 win over Union (N.Y.).

Women's golf

• Bradley junior Ally Scaccia (Prospect) claimed medalist honors by 2 shots as the Braves ran away with the team title by 26 strokes in a record-setting performance at the Bradley Spring Invitational.

It was the first time Scaccia has won medalist honors in her Redbird career as she finished at two-under (214). She finished off a second-round 75 and followed it up with a career-best three-under 69. The final-round 69 tied for the fourth lowest round in school history and Scaccia's 214 is the fourth-best 54-hole score in Bradley history.

The Braves' final round 292 ranks as the third lowest round in school history and it was Bradley's lowest 54-hole score (883) in program history.

• Illinois State junior Kiley Walsh (Prospect) scored the Redbirds' lowest score on the final day of the William & Mary's Intercollegiate at the River Course at Kingsmill Resort. She carded a 2-over-par 74 (37-37), which also consisted of two birdies, with one occurring on both sides. She finished in a tie for 13th place with a 226 (77-75-74).

Illinois State shot a 307 in the final round and concluded the 22-team event in eighth place.

Ball State won the tournament with a 900 (300-293-307).

Felde's bat stays hot

Illinois State sophomore Shannon Felde (Schaumburg) extended her hitting streak to 19 with 2 hits in a 7-5 loss to visiting Southern Illinois on Sunday.

Men's track

Augustana junior Josh Yamamoto (Fremd) has been named track athlete of the week in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.

Yamamoto won the 400 hurdles with a time of 53.10 at the Early Spring Opener in Rock Island. His time is currently the top time in the CCIW and is also the best time in the nation at the NCAA Division III level. He also anchored the second place 4x400 relay team to a clocking of 3:19.13 with his split being a swift 48.3.

Yamamoto, a secondary education and biology major, also ran the CCIW 400 intermediate hurdles as a junior. He was an NCAA Division III national qualifier during the outdoor season in 2016. He earned All-America honors in the recently-completed indoor season as a member of the Vikings' 4x400 relay team which placed fifth in the NCAA Division III meet. He was part of a unit that clocked a time of 3:17.62.

Women's basketball

Midwest Conference women's basketball player of the year Diamond Boyd (Elk Gove) of Cornell College (Iowa) has been selected to the 2017 All-Central Region second team by D3hoops.com.

Cornell's athletic senior forward was among five players chosen to the region's second unit. Boyd was the only MWC player voted to one of the three all-region teams.

Boyd put herself on a short list with Taylor Dicus (third team, 2015) and Camille Marie (first team, 2013) as all-region honorees in Cornell women's basketball history.

Boyd guided the Rams to a 17-1 MWC regular-season record and a trip to the MWC Tournament title game for the third consecutive year.

Men's track

North Central junior Adam Poklop (Palatine) achieved indoor season bests of 6-9.5 in high jump and 20-0.25 in long jump and placed second in high jump at CCIW Indoor Championships. Poklop also competed in Division III Indoor Championships in high jump (placed 13th) and he was first in that same event at the Cardinal Opener and Chicagoland Indoor Championships. He helped North Central College win the Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships.

• North Central freshman Zach Michael (Palatine) ran 2:06.02 for 800 meters and 4:44.77 for 1 mile indoors. He helped North Central College win the Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships.

• North Central sophomore Michael Anderson (Prospect) and junior Argeni Bailon (Palatine) completed stellar indoor seasons.

Anderson ran 1:56.05 for 800 meters and 4:23.61 for one mile. He also ran on first-place distance medley relay teams at the Cardinal Opener and Cardinal Classic. He helped North Central win the Division III indoor championships.

Bailon ran 4:23.89 for one mile, 8:53.13 for 3,000 meters and 15:10.93 for 5,000 meters indoors. He also placed sixth in mile at CCIW indoor championships.

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