Krantz competes at national meet
Burlington Central graduate Brian Krantz competed recently in the weight throw at the U.S. Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston, Mass.
Krantz, who was competing unattached, was ranked seventh in the meet out of the 9 listed competitors (with a qualifying throw of 20.47 meters) and ended up finishing eighth in the competition with a throw of 18.59 meters.
Krantz had throws of 18.59, 18.14 and 17.76. He also fouled 3 times.
The meet record for the event and the world record in the weight throw is 25.8 meters, established in 1995 by Lance Deal (NYAC).
Sahagian at Lewis: Bartlett alum Billy Sahagian is a member of the Lewis University men's volleyball team. Through the team's first 15 matches, Sahagian, who has started all 15 matches, was averaging 2.36 kills while hitting .378. Sahagian was also averaging 1.12 blocks and 3.04 points per game (one of 6 Lewis players averaging 3.0 or more points per game). The Flyers were 10-5 overall after a recent win against Carthage.
In that Carthage contest, Sahagian had 5 kills and 3 block assists.
In a previous 3-0 victory over Cal Baptist, Sahagian had 7 kills (no hitting errors) and hit at a .636 clip. He had 3 block assists as well.
Sahagian also had 11 kills, hit .353 and had 8 block assists in a 3-1 victory over UC San Diego. Sahagian finished the contest with 15 points.
In a 3-0 loss to Cal State Northridge, Sahagian had 7 kills and hit .294. He also had 7 block assists and a total of 10.5 points.
Sahagian contributed 13 kills and hit .478 in a 3-1 victory over IPFW. Included in his 18 points were a total of 4 blocks.
Schrader at Notre Dame: Bartlett graduate Lindsay Schrader performed well in a trio of road games for the 14th-ranked Notre Dame women's basketball team. Schrader had 11 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 36 minutes in a recent 66-64 win in Chicago at DePaul in front of 2,917 fans.
Schrader also had 10 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists in 31 minutes in a 57-51 loss at Rutgers in a game played before 5,027 fans.
Schrader had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist in 30 minutes of action in a 79-67 victory over Syracuse.
Through the team's first 27 games, Schrader was averaging 10.7 points and 5.9 rebounds. She had 56 assists against only 43 turnovers and was shooting .480 from the field. Notre Dame was 21-6 and 9-4 in Big East Conference play to start the week.
Allison at Graceland: Larkin alum Kevin Allison is a junior outside hitter on the Graceland University (Lamoni, Iowa) men's volleyball team. In recent action, Allison had 13 kills, 2 assists, 3 aces and 12 digs to go with 3 blocks in a 3-1 loss to Missouri Valley. He also had a team-high 17 kills and hit .345 to go with 3 aces, 9 digs and 2 blocks in a 3-0 victory over Clarke. In a 3-2 win over Quincy, Allison had 13 kills, 4 assists, 2 aces, 12 digs and 3 blocks.
Pelkas at Carthage: Elgin Academy product Michelle Pelka had an outstanding showing at the recent CCIW conference meet, winning 3 individual events en route to being named the women's MVP of the meet. Her showing earned her a place on the all-CCIW team.
In the 400 IM, Pelka turned in a 4:30.94 first-place time which made the NCAA "A" cut time, which automatically qualifiers her for the national meet ("A" cut is 4:32.36). Pelka won the 400 IM race by 3 seconds, outdistancing Kaitlyn Marko (Wheaton), a swimmer who has placed 3 times at nationals.
Pelka covered the 200 IM in a winning time of 2:10.24, which surpassed the "B" cut. Pelka will be able to swim all of her events at the NCAA meet because of her "A" cut time in the 400 IM.
In the 200 fly, Pelka bettered her "B" cut with a first-place time of 2:08.48.
The NCAA meet will be held March 13-15 at Miami of Ohio.
Pelka's brother, Bryan, took third in the mile swim at the CCIW meet with a time of 16:23.56. Pelka is fresh off a 2-week stint in Nicaragua for a class he took in January that will aid his medical school resume. In December, Pelka went 16:04.03 in the mile which gave him a strong "B" cut time, which could earn him an NCAA bid. The 2007 qualifying time in the mile was 16:06.98.
The men's NCAA meet is March 20-22 at Miami of Ohio.
Eby at Carroll College: Web Eby, a 2004 St. Edward graduate, won the Pioneer Pride award at the recent Carroll College (Waukesha, Wis.) football banquet held for parents and students. The award is voted on by the coaches and players on the 100-member football team roster. The ward is given to the football player who exhibits the traits of hard work, determination and Pioneer spirit. Eby, a senior on special teams, finished the 2007 season with 12 tackles. Eby was awarded the team's defensive scout player of the year as a sophomore. In addition to playing football at Carroll, Eby has been an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and, for the past 2 years, has been the co-president of the Pioneer Athletic Advisory Council. Eby is slated to graduate in May with a degree in recreation administration.
Zeh at Carroll: Dundee-Crown alum Jake Zeh was named Carroll's most improved football player for the 2007 season. Zeh had 39 tackles, 4 sacks and a fumble recovery for the Pioneers. Zeh, a sophomore, earned all-Midwest Conference honorable mention accolades.
ECC news: Elgin Community College women's basketball player Ariana Topps is ranked fifth in the country in rebounding among all NJCAA Division II players. Topps is averaging 12.96 rebounds per game and is among the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference scoring leaders.
Dundee-Crown alum Ryan Harris and Burlington Central product Corey Rau are now freshman on the ECC men's team and find themselves ranked nationally among Division II players. Harris is ranked fourth in the country in scoring at 23.41 points per game. Rau was ranked previously in the top 25 in rebounding but has since slipped out. Rau is averaging a solid 10.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per contest.
Off at College wants your help: Send information and/or statistics on Fox Valley-area athletes playing collegiately to Mike Miazga at difibulator@aol.com.