Jahns jumps in for Wheaton College
Freshman guard Andrew Jahns (Wheaton North) got his first start for Wheaton College last Saturday and responded with a big game.
Jahns put up career-highs of 17 points and 7 rebounds in the 70-63 win over North Park.
He shot 5-for-6 from the field, including 4-for-5 from 3-point range. His 3-pointer with 1:07 left in the game increased the Wheaton lead to 6 points and secured the win for the 18th-ranked Thunder.
Jahns's season began late, after he was forced to miss preseason practices due to an injury he suffered over the summer. He began practicing in fall and made his first appearance in a game on Nov. 30 against Hope College.
He has appeared in 9 of Wheaton's 10 games since his return. His playing time continues to increase to where he's averaging 29 minutes in the Thunder's four league contests.
"Andrew's contribution is more sudden than I would have anticipated," said Wheaton coach Bill Harris. "Just because of the time he missed with his injury. He gives us another scorer at guard along with Ben Panner and (All-American) Kent Raymond. His presence causes opposing defenses to realize that they cannot focus on just one or two players."
Benedictine: Women's sprinter Kimyenna Abron got the 2008 track and field season off to a fine start. The Eagles' senior set a pair of school records at the Carthage Private College Invitational last weekend.
In the qualifying heat of the 55-meter dash, Abron eclipsed the 16-year school record for the event in a time of 7.57 seconds.
Abron went on to win the event with a new record 7.49 in the finals. Her time was .3 of a second from an NCAA III provisional qualifying time.
In the 200 meters, Abron placed second out of 32 competitors with a time of 26.83, another school record.
North Central: The wrestling team (10-1 in dual meets) moved up to 9th in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Team rankings.
The Cardinals' Adam Johnson kept his No. 1 ranking in the nation at 133 pounds.
Johnson has a 32-1 record and is tied for the team lead in pins with six. The senior is a two-time All-American and finished third at last season's national meet.
Also ranked nationally are sophomore Gabe Youel, who's fourth at 184 with a 28-3 record and junior Ben Youel, who is seventh in the nation at 165 with and a 31-5 record on the season. Both Youels were national qualifiers last season.
Women's soccer: North Central senior soccer player Mary Boscarino was recently honored as a National Soccer Coaches Association of American Scholar All-Central Region honorable mention.
To be nominated, a student must have at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale) throughout his or her career, started more than 50 percent of all games and a be a significant contributor to the team.
Boscarino, an English Literature major, was a four-year starter at defender and helped the Cardinals allow their fewest goals since the 1995 season.
Men's basketball: The North Central men's basketball team (8-7, 2-2) evened its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin record by going 1-1 in league play last week with a loss to North Park and then a win over Millikin.
Junior Matt Rogers averaged 22.5 points for the two games, pouring in 22 in the loss and coming back with 23 to lead the Cardinals in scoring in the Millikin win. He's leading the team with a 19.5 scoring average.
The Cardinals have also been boosted by the return of junior Chris Drennan, who missed 7 games with a broken hand. He's averaging 18 points in the three games since he returned.
Junior Mitch Raridon is averaging 9.5 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds in league play. He's also leading the team in assists with 3 per game in CCIW action and in free-throw shooting with a 90 percent average.