Schroeder leaving lasting impression at Bradley

One of the all-time finest softball players from Lake Zurich High School is going out in style in her final season at Bradley University.

Maria Schroeder, a two-time all-state selection as a Bear, has earned Missouri Valley Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week for the third time in her career with the Braves.

Schroeder hit .700 for the week, going 7-for-10 at the plate with 2 doubles, 6 runs and 3 RBI as she scored or drove in over 40 percent of Bradley's runs during the week.

She helped highlight a 12-0 five inning victory over Western Illinois by going 3-for-3 with a double, 3 runs and 2 RBI.

In a weekend series against Loyola, Schroeder was 4-for-7 with a double, 3 runs and 1 RBI. She was 3-for-4 with a pair of runs and 1 RBI in a 7-5 loss to the Ramblers, before going 1-for-3 with a run and a double in a 5-4 victory.

A marketing (social media) major, Schroeder owns a 3.86 cumulative grade point.

She is hitting a team-best .400 on the year and moved into seventh in career hits at Bradley in addition to climbing into third place on the all-time list for RBI with 114.

Schroeder also earned MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week honors twice in 2017 and is the only multiple winner of the honor in program history.

• Illinois-Chicago sophomore Kayla Wedl (Wauconda) was named player of the week in the Horizon League for the first time this season and a second time in her career.

The Flames went 2-1 against Detroit in their Horizon League debut, topping the Titans 5-4 and 7-3 to take the series after a 5-2 loss in the series opener.

Wedl had an impressive outing, batting .667 (6-for-9) with 3 singles, a double, a triple and a home run. Her 2-run homer was part of a 5-run rally in the seventh inning that lifted the Flames over the Titans in Saturday's series finale.

She was also on a 12-game hitting streak, which is a career high. Wedl ended the weekend with 5 RBI, 12 total bases and a 1.33 slugging percentage while scoring 2 runs. She walked and stole one base.

Women's swimming

Stevenson graduates Julia Wawer and Rachel Song are members of Emory University's ninth consecutive and 11th overall national championship team.

The Eagles used six event titles and 32 All-America finishes over the four-day meet to win the 2018 NCAA Division III Championship by 103 points over second-place Kenyon College at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind.

Wawer, a senior who served as a Stevenson team captain in 2013 and 2014, was eighth in the 100 freestyle with a time of 51.03

Song, a freshman, is the Patriots' school record holder in the 200 Medley Relay and 100 fly.

• Wisconsin-Whitewater freshman Jessica Lenhart (Stevenson), a native of Buffalo Grove, earned a spot on the All-America podium with a school record-setting performance in the 200-yard butterfly at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind.

After placing 12th in the preliminaries in a time of 2:04.55, Lenhart placed 11th in the finals with a mark of 2:03.82 to break the school record in the event and capture honorable mention All-America honors, becoming the program's seventh all-American in the last four years and ninth since 2013.

She also competed in the 100-yard butterfly and the 500-yard freestyle during the week. She placed 21st in the 100 fly in 56.57 seconds and 37th in the 500 free in a time of 5:16.34.

Women's soccer

Illinois State senior Kelli Zickert (Buffalo Grove) has become the first American player to sign with the Swedish soccer team Domsjö IF.

"I couldn't be more excited to continue playing overseas!" Zickert said. "The process happened very quickly and I appreciate Brad and the coaching staff for working with me and helping me reach out and make connections."

Domsjö IF is a professional soccer club located in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, a small town with roughly 29,000 inhabitants and centrally located on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia. Zickert will start the season with the team on April 22.

"This is such a wonderful and well-deserved opportunity for Kelli and her family," said ISU head coach Brad Silvey. "She has always been extremely dedicated to the sport and will be an excellent professional and ambassador in Sweden. We look forward to cheering her on as she takes on this new chapter of her soccer career."

In her four-year career at ISU, Zickert played in every single contest of her career and scored 17 goals and tallied 17 assists for the Redbirds. She earned MVC Freshman of the Year in 2014, was an All-Conference First Team selection in 2016 and 2017 and was an MVC All-Tournament selection in 2016 and 2017. She has always wanted to continue her career and Domsjö IF has given her that opportunity.

"I am thankful to Redbird Soccer for preparing me to take the next step in my career and I am extremely excited to continue playing," said Zickert.

Men's volleyball

Augustana freshman Ryan Hirschel (Libertyville) has team highs of 828 assists and 32 service aces for the first-year program.

Women's tennis

Millikin's Melissa Donovan (Antioch) teamed with Molly Angell to win at No. 1 doubles 8-6 as the Big Blue (11-8) defeated the University of Dubuque 7-2 in Decatur. Donovan also won 6-1, 6-0 in singles.

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