North Central women's golf team shooting lights out
The North Central women's golf team is quietly having one of its best seasons ever.
The Cardinals have finished in the top 10 in six of the seven tournaments they have played in this year, twice placing in the top four.
The key to the team's success has been the play of freshmen Alyssa Guidio and Maggie Gray.
Gaudio has five top-three finishes and has placed in the top 20 in every tournament. Gray has consistently been the team's No. 2 or No. 3 scorer, along with junior Bobbie Lamothe.
"The additions of Gaudio and Gray have really strengthened our team," said Cardinals coach Tye Thompson. "Being a young team, I had my concerns regarding how we would perform. However, we've come out and played good golf all season."
North Central hosts its own Cardinal Classic today at Cress Creek Country Club, beginning at 12:30 p.m.
Wheaton
Wheaton wide receiver Chris Fossum has been selected as the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) offensive player of the week for his role in the Thunder's 42-7 victory over Hope College on Saturday.
The senior tri-captain recorded 3 catches for 73 yards, including 2 touchdown catches of 5 and 57 yards for the Thunder (3-0).
"We can't say enough about how valuable Chris' leadership has been for our team this year," said Wheaton coach Mike Swider. "He did a great job this week and has done a great job all season. He is big, strong and fast and he has used that to his advantage."
Wheaton, which opens its CCIW schedule on Saturday at 1 p.m. at home against Millikin, is ranked seventh in this week's D3Football.com Top 25 poll.
Elmhurst
Senior lineman Jake Mobley has been named the CCIW defensive player of the week for helping lead the Bluejays (3-0) to a 42-14 win over Olivet on Saturday. Four of his 7 tackles were for a loss of yardage, and he recorded 3 quarterback sacks, tying the school's single-game record.
Also having a solid defensive game was Bluejays linebacker John Scardullo, who recorded 4 tackles, 3 solos. He added a pair of interceptions, including 1 that he returned 96 yards for a touchdown -- the second longest interception return in Elmhurst history.
Men's soccer: The men's soccer team earned its first-ever regional ranking last week when the National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA) ranked the Bluejays 10th in the Central Region.
The Bluejays (7-1-1), in their fourth season of competition, posted a pair of wins last week, defeating Concordia (Wis.) 3-2 Wednesday and shutting out Millikin 5-0 in their CCIW opener Sunday.
Jon Brehm and Jake Pahr each had a goal and an assist in the win over Concordia, while Lukasz Masolak (Downers Grove South) scored twice against Millikin.
Benedictine
The powerful Benedictine volleyball team added 4 victories last week and ran its record to 16-1 overall and 3-0 in the Northern Athletics Conference.
Kayla Leyden continued to lead the way.
In addition to pacing the Eagles to their fourth straight tournament title in as many tries at the North Park quadrangular Saturday, Leyden sparked Benedictine's five-game victory over Milwaukee School of Engineering on Thursday. She had a match-leading 26 kills, along with 18 digs.
Last week, Leyden averaged 4.14 kills, 0.9 service aces, 5 digs and 0.6 blocks per game in 14 games.
"Kayla has been an incredible force for this team from Day 1," said Benedictine coach Jennifer Wildes. "She can obviously put the ball down, and she is an exceptional passer and plays great defense. Her athleticism and her competitive nature have been big keys for us."
College of DuPage
The College of DuPage women's soccer team (4-4, 3-0) kept its unbeaten streak alive in the North Central Community College Conference (N4C) with a 1-0 home win over Harper College on Wednesday.
Laura Lehman collected the winning goal for the Chaps.
A win over Joliet Junior College on Wednesday, Oct., 3, will clinch the N4C title for the Chaparrals. They downed Joliet 6-1 earlier this year.
Men's soccer: The College of DuPage men's soccer team (4-3-3) came away with a tie and a loss in two closely contested battles at the Loggers Invitational Tournament in Springfield last weekend.
On Saturday, the Chaps tied Lincoln Land College 0-0 in two overtimes, and they lost 1-0 to Illinois Central.
Despite the Illinois Central loss, Chaps assistant coach Willie Fajkus, believes the team has turned the corner.
"We started out slow, but we are definitely playing better now," Fajkus said. "We aren't making as many mistakes as we did earlier in the season."