Four receive IHSA academic honors

It is more than just academic for Jennifer Schnack and Justin Yu of Barrington, Henry Wood of Stevenson and Heather Olson of Warren.

The standout athletes were among 26 students selected to the IHSA's 2008-09 All-State Academic Team. The 13 male and 13 female honorees were chosen from a group of more than 500 students across the state.

Nominees needed at least a 3.50 grade point average on a 4.0 scale through seven semesters, must have participated in at least two IHSA sponsored activities each of the last two years and demonstrated outstanding citizenship.

Schnack and Wood were members of Daily Herald All-Area basketball teams and Yu recently qualified for the state swimming meet. Olson was fourth in the 1,600 meters in last spring's Class AA state track meet and qualified for the state cross country meet in the fall.

The All-State Academic team members will be honored April 20 at a banquet in Bloomington.

$CLASS=breakhead$Track and field

Jorge Torres (Wheeling) is off and running toward a return to the Olympics.

Torres was among eight Olympians who competed in the USA 15K Championships on Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla.

Torres finished the men's race in fifth place with a time of 44 minutes, 5 seconds. Olympian Anthony Famiglietti of Tennessee won the race in 43:36.

Jorge Torres' twin brother Ed also competed and finished 15th in 44:35.

In August, Jorge Torres made his first Olympic Games appearance and ran the 10,000 meters.

•Junior Amanda LaRocca (Palatine) led Illinois Wesleyan to fourth place in the NCAA Division III indoor track and field championships.

LaRocca was third in the 55 meters (7.11) and fourth in the 55-meter high hurdles (8.23). She also ran the third leg on the second-place 1,600 relay (3:52.25).

•Grand Valley State freshman Jocelyn Kuksa (Palatine) took fifth in the pole vault at the NCAA Division II national indoor championships. She cleared 12 feet, 51/2 inches to help her team finish second.

•Aurora University's Adrian Kibiersza (Maine West) finished fourth in the NCAA Division III men's indoor national meet in the shot put with a school-record throw of 54 feet.

•Junior Morgan Schaefer (Rolling Meadows) of Illinois State finished third in the pentathlon in the Missouri Valley Conference indoor meet with a personal-best 3,521 points.

Softball

Dayton junior centerfielder Molly Meyer (Elk Grove) was named the Atlantic 10's Co-Player of the Week for her performance from March 2-13.

Meyer leads the A-10 in hits (29), runs scored (22) and total bases (43). She is second in the conference in doubles (6).

Meyer is hitting a league-high .509 and hit .591 the last two weeks. She leads the Flyers in slugging at .754.

Meyer went 6-for-8 in a nonconference doubleheader with Cleveland State on Saturday and was a homer shy of the cycle against Morehead States on March 8.

Swimming

Northern Arizona senior Danielle Filipp (Hersey) had the meet of her career at the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Swimming and Diving Championships in San Antonio.

Filipp achieved career best times in each of her four events at the WAC meet. She was the lead-off swimmer of the second-place 800 free relay team which set a school record.

Filipp finished third in the 200 breaststroke in 2:16.02 after breaking the school record in the prelims by three seconds.

She took 10th in the 200 individual medley (2:06.81) and broke a 14-year-old school record in the 200 free (1:50.23).

Filipp qualified for the USA Swimming national meet this summer in Seattle. The Dean's List student will graduate in May with a degree in speech pathology and a double minor in psychology and special education.

•Colorado State sophomore Emily Molzahn (Barrington) swam a 22.89 split on the 200 free relay that took fourth in the Mountain West Swimming and Diving Championships.

The relay time of of 1:32.09 broke a school record previously held by a group led by six-time Olympic gold-medalist Amy Van Dyken.

Molzahn also swam personal bests of 23.60 in the 50 free (13th place), 56.73 in the 100 fly (15th), 51.77 in the 100 free (16th).

•Seven swimmers from Libertyville's CATS Aquatics have qualified for the NCSA Junior National Spring Championships this week in Orlando.

Whitney Mitchell (Libertyville) made it in the 100 Free and 200 and 400 IM. Melanie Rowland (Vernon Hills) qualified in the 100 free, 100 and 200 fly, 100 and 200 back and 200 IM.

John Blankenhorn (Libertyville) made it in the 50, 100 and 200 free. Ben Glick (Libertyville) also made it in the 100 and 200 free and 100 fly.

Sean Mayfield (Grayslake) qualified in the 100 fly and Steve Wimmer (Libertyville) made it in the 50, 100, 200 and 500 free and the 50 and 100 fly.

Kevin Lenz (Vernon Hills) is also a part of five men's relays that qualified with Blankenhorn, Glick, Mayfield and Wimmer.

Rugby

Cadet Kaitlyn Kelly of Arlington Heights (St. Viator) came through with time running out to help Army defeat Navy in women's rugby.

Kelly scored a tying try with no time remaining and Army converted the extra-point kick for a 22-20 victory.

The Army women's rugby team has qualified to compete in the Sweet Sixteen National Championship on April 17 in Orlando.

Basketball

Chris Childs (Barrington) played a big role in helping Elmhurst College to a 20-8 record, second-place finish in the CCIW, at-large bid to the NCAA Division III national tournament and a No. 19 ranking by D3Hoops.com.

Childs led the CCIW in 3-point field-goal percentage (.558), was seventh in assists per game (2.86), ninth in 3-pointers made per game (1.71) and 13th in overall field-goal percentage (.505).

Childs averaged 10.3 points a game and led Elmhurst in assists (63) and 3-point percentage (.486).

Sports Notes items should be sent by e-mail to mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com or by FAX to (847) 427-1173.