Behrendt's coming up big for Carthage
Lakes graduate Megan Behrendt enjoyed one of her finest stretches of her collegiate career and was rewarded by being named a player of the week in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Volleyball.
Carthage's sophomore outside hitter, a pre-law major, averaged 4.29 kills per set and hit .306 for the 3-1 Lady Reds. She finished with 14 kills, hit .444 and added 7 digs in a sweep of Elmhurst.
She added 16 kills, hit .325 and totaled 10 digs in a sweep of Augustana, along with 12 kills and 11 digs in a sweep of Coe.
Later in the day, Behrendt had 18 kills and 27 digs in a five-set loss to UW-Stevens Point.
Foote to Western
Via twitter, Antioch softball star Piper Foote announced that she has made a commitment to play for Western Illinois
The Sequoits senior led the team in hit by pitches (13 times) and walks (12) last spring.
"She's a super-intelligent kid," coach Anthony Rocco told the Daily Herald's Joe Aguilar last year. "She's probably the smartest kid in the program. From a coaching standpoint, she understands why we do certain things."
In her second varsity season, Foote hiked her batting average nearly 100 points.
The center fielder finished with a .458 batting average (. 366 last year) with her 38 hits including 5 doubles and 6 homers. She also had 26 stolen bases in 26 attempts, knocked in 25 runs and boasted a 583 on-base percentage. "She'd get on base somehow," Rocco said. "She could get down in a count, but you wouldn't have to worry about her with 2 strikes because she could get herself out of it."
Women's soccer
Augustana won its fourth and fifth consecutive matches defeating Wisconsin-Stevens Point and North Park by 2-1 scores on the road. The Vikings are 7-4 on the year and 2-0 in the CCIW.
Junior Karleen Gomez (Grayslake Central) is second on the team with 3 goals and 7 points.
Men's soccer
Sophomore Jeremy Klaber (Stevenson) went the distance in goal as the Vikings and Wisconsin-Whitewater played to a 0-0 tie. He stopped 7 shots by Whitewater and recorded his second straight shutout. He's logged 200 consecutive scoreless minutes, with 13 saves, since surrendering an overtime goal to Elmhurst on Sept 27.
Junior Jack McKearnan (Warren) helped anchor the defense in front of Klaber.
Women's cross country
Augustana junior Laura McNair (Lake Zurich) placed 17th (24:10.3) and junior Mackenzie Renihan (Vernon Hills) was 18th (24:12.7) as the Vikings used tight pack running to its advantage and claimed placed second in the 16-team Eagle Invitational in Warrenville.
The Vikings scored 80 points and trailed only team champion North Central's winning total of 46 points.
Baseball
Former all-area Buffalo Grove shortstop Jeff Perconte has been hired as assistant general counsel for the Major League Baseball Players Association according to MLB.com.
In his role, the 39-year-old Perconte will assist with the MLBPA's enforcement and administration of the industry's collectively bargained agreements as well as other internal and external legal matters.
"We're very happy to welcome Jeffrey to the MLBPA, and I'm confident his prior experiences will serve the union well as we strive to protect and advance the rights of our membership," stated MLBPA director Tony Clark.
Perconte joins the MLBPA after having spent six years as an Assistant United States Attorney in Chicago, Illinois and two years as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Timothy J. Corrigan. In addition to his government service, Perconte has practiced in the private sector at law firms Winston & Strawn and Drinker, Biddle & Reath. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Notre Dame, where, as an undergraduate, he co-captained the baseball team and was named a first-team Academic all-American.
He was a three-time all-conference, all-area shortstop at Buffalo Grove, helping the Bison to a conference title as a sophomore. Perconte also played on the Arlington Heights state champion American Legion team as a sophomore.
• Email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com