Wheeling grad Joya still pouring in the points
It's been four years since Laura Joya put her name into the Wheeling girls basketball record books.
She is one of five Wildcats who have scored 1,000 points in their prep careers.
Now a senior at Truman State University, Joya is still enjoying big scoring games.
And a couple of them last week earned her co-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association player of the week, the first time Joya has received the award in her career.
The 5-foot-10 guard put up back-to-back 20-plus point efforts to start conference play for the Bulldogs.
She played a team-high 36.5 minutes per game as the Bulldogs split a pair of contests with Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State during the first week of the 2009-10 MIAA slate.
Joya averaged 21 points and 6 rebounds per game while shooting 63 percent (15-for-24) from the field. She was also perfect from both 3-point range (4-for-4) and the free-throw line (8-for-8).
In Truman's win against PSU, Joya came 1 point from tying a career high - finishing with 22 - and hit 6 key free throws late in the second half to help force overtime. In the extra session, she scored the Bulldogs' first 5 points, hitting a quick jumper before nailing a step-back 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs the lead for good. Fifteen of her 22 points came in the second half and overtime.
The conference's scoring leader, Joya has more than 20 points in four straight games, all against Division II opponents.
She is Truman's leader in points per game (18.1), field goals made (48) and percentage (57 percent), 3-pointers made (13) and percentage (59 percent) and steals (11).
She also ranks third on the squad in rebounding at 4.7 per game.
• Emory University senior Whitney Martin (Barrington) has been selected by the University Athletic Association as women's basketball co-player of the week following her efforts in a pair of games.
It marks the first time in the career of the 2006 Daily Herald Female Athlete of the Year that she has won the award.
The 6-foot Martin averaged 15.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in helping the Eagles to a 1-1 mark. She totaled 12 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in a 98-87 loss at the (Sewanee) University of the South last Monday before turning in a solid effort against the University of Rochester that saw her lead the team with a career-high 19 points in a 60-50 triumph.
Martin sank 6 of 10 from the floor and 6 free throws en route to notching her fourth straight and sixth double-figure scoring effort of the campaign.
In addition, Martin paced the squad with 9 rebounds, the fifth time this year that she had either led or shared for team honors in that department.
In the two contests, combined, she shot 66.7 percent from the floor (12 of 18).
Over the team's first seven games, Martin ranks as the leading scorer (13.7 ppg) and rebounder (8.1 rpg) and stands fifth and third, respectively, in those categories among UAA players. In addition, she has connected on 46.8 percent from the field, second on the squad and 10th in the league.
• Junior Brittany Hogen (Hersey) was chosen to be a captain of her Wisconsin-Parkside team. UWP won its first exhibition game against the University of Milwaukee at the buzzer, 56-55.
It was Parkside's first win against a Division I team, and Hogen had 17 points and 7 rebounds.
In a win over Florida Southern, Hogen had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
She also had 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists in a win against Winona State, led the team with 16 points in a loss against Concordia St. Paul and was named to the five-player all tournament team at the Wildwood Lodge Women's Basketball Classic in Minnesota.
• Having made only 15 three-point baskets in her entire basketball career, Cornell College senior forward Kristin Paczosa (Buffalo Grove) lit up the scoreboard at the University of Dubuque.
The senior hit 7 of 10 attempts from behind the arc, tying the school record for most 3's in a game that had stood for almost 14 years.
Paczosa finished with a career-high 26 points along with 10 rebounds, 3 assists and a blocked shot. She is averaging 10 points and 9 rebounds a game.
Men's basketball
Elmhurst College senior guard Chris Childs (Barrington) started five of the Bluejays' first six games.
He came off the bench in the season opener at Hamline (St. Paul, Minn,) and scored 21 points with 6 of 6 free throws.
In his last game against Fontbonne (St. Louis, Mo.), Childs scored 17 points, converting 7 of 7 field goals,
He is averaging 12 points and leads the team in assists (15) and free-throw percentage (86 percent).
Women's gymnastics
The University of Illinois women's team was picked second by the conference coaches in the inaugural Big Ten preseason gymnastics poll, just behind early favorite Penn State.
Each coach also selected two of his or her gymnasts to form a 14-member "gymnasts to watch" list.
That list included 2009 West regional balance beam champion and All-American Allison Buckley (Conant) of Illinois.
Illinois is coming off its most successful season in program history after making its first-ever appearance at the NCAA championships and finishing No. 12 in the final national rankings - the highest final ranking in school history.
Women's track
The Northern Athletics Conference recognized Rachel Riske (Hersey) of Concordia College as its Nov. 30-Dec. 6 athlete of the week for women's track.
Riske added her name to the school record books in two events.
She ran the mile in 5:37.01, beating the indoor record of 5:57.80 (Melissa Johnson, 2004).
Later in the day, she ran the 3,000 meters and recorded a time of 11:15.94, beating the team record of 11:45.75 (Jeannie Matthiesen, 2002).
Riske, a three-year member of the team, is the record-holder of three events, having set the school record in the 5,000 meters last winter with a 21:38.15.
Men's soccer
The Lewis University men's soccer team left its stamp all over the National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Midwest region teams.
Five Flyers claimed all-region honors, four of whom earned first-team accolades.
One is Sebastian Kieruzal (Hoffman Estates).
Kieruzal, the GLVC freshman of the year, posted 12 shutouts during his rookie campaign and finished second in the nation with a save percentage of 85.5 and seventh overall in goals-against-average (0.515).
Swimming
Illinois State diver Katelyn Prorok was awarded her third Missouri Valley Conference diver of the week honor Wednesday.
The league office gave Prorok the award after she advanced to the finals during both days of competition at the Zippy Invitational in Akron, Ohio.
Prorok achieved 47 individual points. In the one-meter diving event, Prorok finished with 234.90 and took seventh in the field of 36.
Prorok reached the finals on the second day with a three-meter score of 223.10 to finish sixth.
Volleyball
Kaitlyn Pascus (Fremd) started 55 sets and had 44 kills and 34 blocks this season for Northern Illinois.
Her former Fremd coaches Curt Pinley and Nick Vassos along with past Fremd teammates traveled to DeKalb last month to watch Pascus when her team defeated Central Michigan.
• Kyrsten Becker (Rolling Meadows) of the University of St Francis received two volleyball academic awards - St. Francis's gold level academic honor award for a GPA of 3.9 and the Daktronics-NAIA volleyball scholar athlete. To be eligible you must be a junior or above with a GPA of 3.5-4.0.
Aviation
Western Michigan's Sky Broncos won the National Intercolleigiate Flying Association's Region III title to qualify for the national championship next spring.
One of the members of the Western Michigan squad is Justin Guth (Palatine), a junior in aviation science and administration. Guth placed first in aircraft recognition.
The 2010 nationals will be hosted by Indiana State University at Terre Haute International-Hulman Field, May 17-22, 2010.
Hockey
Fremd freshman Ryan Hartman of the Chicago Mission AAA Under-16 Hockey Team made a verbal commitment to the Miami University (Ohio) Redhawks.
Miami maintains the No. 1 ranking for the ninth straight week in Division 1 college hockey. Hartman will attend Miami beginning the 2013 season.
Hartman leads the No. 1-ranked Chicago Mission Under-16 Team in scoring through 19 games in the Tier 1 AAA Elite Hockey League with 13 goals and 10 assists.
Fundraiser
For the second consecutive year, the Illinois High School Association and member-school basketball teams throughout the state will participate in the military family fundraiser "Free Throws For Heroes."
In addition, the 2010 season will also feature a second charitable initiative, "Free Throws For The Fight," which will help Illinois cancer patients.
The Charity Stripe will once again sponsor the statewide events with both Free Throws For Heroes and Free Throws For The Fight scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Jan. 20.
On that day, IHSA boys and girls basketball team members are encouraged to shoot 50 free throws each to raise money for either or both causes.
Participants will solicit pledges from their families and communities for each free throw made and the money raised will be passed on to help military families and/or those afflicted by cancer in Illinois.
In its inaugural season in 2009, a total of 96 IHSA member high schools participated in "Free Throws For Heroes", helping raise $82,170 for Illinois military families in need.
The Suburban Basketball Officials also donated their game checks for the evening, totaling an additional $825 dollars.
Funds are being used for rehabilitation equipment, handicap accessibility, mortgage/utility payments, job/career training, returning troop family reunions and more.
• Please e-mail items to jleusch@dailyherald.com