Keeping track of our college standouts
Many of the area prep athletes who graced these pages for the last few years have moved on.
But we'd like to move on with them and see what they are up to in the collegiate ranks.
Quite a few continue their careers at the next level and each week we'd like to provide a few updates in this column about their accomplishments.
So parents, friends and college athletic directors, feel free to pass on a little information for this space each week about former prep athletes from the Northwest suburbs.
We'll give them a quick mention. My e-mail address is listed above.
Football: Quincy University's Sam Donatucci Jr. (Buffalo Grove) was named Mid-States Football Association Midwest League Offensive Player of the Week.
He helped guide the Hawks to 26-20 overtime win over FCS foe Indiana State University. Donatucci was 11-of-27 passing for 111 yards and 1 touchdown while adding 2 rushing touchdowns.
Donatucci tied the game with 43 seconds left in regulation on a 1-yard touchdown run after driving the Hawks downfield with a little more than two minutes left.
He then won the game in overtime with another 1-yard touchdown run.
A sophomore at North Dakota State University, Scott Stoczynski (Hoffman Estates) got his first start in a 34-17 loss at Iowa State University. He recorded 4 tackles (3 solo) and caused a fumble on the defensive end.
Women's soccer: DePaul University senior Dominique Locascio (Fremd) as named Big East Defender of the Week.
Locascio became the first Blue Demon women's player to earn the defensive honor.
"Dominque played outstanding against Missouri," said DePaul coach Chastain. "She did a great job leading that defensive group. "Anytime you can hold a powerful attacking team like that to zero goals is a real tribute to your goalie and back line."
Sisters Lauren and Lindsey Thut (Stevenson) met on the soccer field when Lindsey's University of Michigan team traveled to Milwaukee to play Lauren's Marquette squad.
The two sisters had not shared the same soccer field since 2007 when Lauren was a senior at Stevenson and Lindsey was a sophomore. Marquette prevailed 1-0 in the match with Lauren assisting on the only goal.
Women's volleyball: North Carolina dropped a tough game to Michigan State in their final match of the MSU Showcase 3-2 on Aug. 29 when Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland (Wheeling) put down 16 kills, one shy of her career high.
Southern Illinois' Jennifer Berwanger (Lake Zurich) was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week to start the season.
Berwanger earned all-tournament team honors at the NIU Invitational, helping SIU start the season 4-0, posting two double-doubles and leading the team in kills in all four matches. She averaged 4.29 kills, 3.36 digs and 0.64 service aces per set, hitting .248 over that weekend.
She recorded 14 kills and 5 digs in the season-opening sweep of Stephen F. Austin and put up 17 kills and a match-high 20 digs for her 26th career double-double in a win against Northern Illinois.
Berwanger also posted 11 kills, 5 digs and 3 service aces in a sweep of Illinois-Chicago and posted another double-double in a four-set victory over Western Illinois with 18 kills, 17 digs and 2 aces.
Berwanger was also selected the Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week. She was honored for her performance during the period of August 24-30.
Berwanger recorded her fifth straight double-double (13 kills, 19 digs) when the Salukis (8-0) defeated UAB 26-24, 23-25, 29-27, 25-18 on the opening night of last week's Saluki Invitational.
The Salukis' 8-0 start is the best of any team in program history.
Brittany Kessel (Mundelein) is in her first season as an assistant coach at Delaware State University. Prior to accepting this position, Kessel served two years as coach with the Chicago Balance Volleyball Club. Kessel played volleyball for Kent State and Eastern Tennessee (graduated in 2006), where she ranks fourth on the school's career list with a 10.12 assist-per-game average.
Youth sports: Andrew Stopka of Barrington, age 12, has been selected to the U14 Great Lakes Region baseball team. The team is comprised of players from five Midwestern states and will travel to North Carolina this fall to compete in the National Team Identification Series. Andrew currently plays for the Windy City Storm travel baseball team.
Andrew's sister Maggie and brother Steve played varsity baseball and softball for Barrington High School.
Basketball: Kessel's Training camps at the Lake Barrington Field House will be Sept 21 and 28 and Oct. 5, 12, 19 and 26. The camp will be held at the Libertyville Sports Complex on Sept. 20 and 27 and Oct 4, 11, 18 and 25.
For more information, e-mail Kyle Kessel at kkessel@hotmail.com or call (847) 406-7989.