O'Malley lives her softball dream at Bradley
So, what does playing Division I softball mean to Bradley's Megan O'Malley?
"It's basically a dream come true," said the 2006 Buffalo Grove graduate, who started at second base for four years on coach Laura Stock's varsity and is now a captain for the second straight season for the Braves.
A dream come true because O'Malley didn't even get a tryout as a freshman at the Peoria school, where she is studying to be a nutritionist.
Instead, she played club softball and continued to fine-tune her game - but she never gave up on her dream.
Before her sophomore year, a friend e-mailed the softball head coach and raved about O'Malley's abilities to play the game. She says that gave her the chance for a walk-on tryout and after a month, she became a member of the Braves' softball team.
"I like the fact that when you're told you can't do something you can get a second chance," O'Malley said. "And when you get that chance, you give it everything you've got."
After appearing in seven games as a sophomore, she started 15 contests and played in 26 as a junior. She crossed the plate for Bradley's only run in its NCAA Tournament game at Missouri. She also scored what proved to be the game-winning run against Southern Illinois in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament semifinals.
"If you stick to it, work hard and never give up, someday your dream may come true," O'Malley said.
O'Malley is the third Buffalo Grove grad to play Division I softball the last 10 years, joining former shortstop Lindsey Hamma (Illinois) and second baseman Kate Stake (Illinois State).
• Northwestern senior softball standout Nicole Pauly (Palatine) has been named a candidate for the 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which honors senior student-athletes who excel in the classroom, the community, in character and in competition.
Pauly is a three-time All-Big Ten honoree who was selected to the 2008 USA Softball Player of the Year Award watch list following her Big Ten Freshman of the Year campaign in 2007.
She already ranks in the top-10 all time in five different offensive categories for the 'Cats while starting at second base in all 167 of NU's games in the last three years.
Pauly has volunteered with the Girls in the Game and PlayBall USA.
Outside of the diamond, Pauly is active in tutoring minority students in an after-school program in Chicago, creating a history curriculum for students at a Chicago Public School and has volunteered at multiple local elementary school fundraisers such as dance parties and outdoor carnivals.
In the classroom, she is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient as a human development and psychological services major. She already has been accepted into graduate school following the completion of her career at Northwestern.
• Freshman Nikki Linares (Palatine) made the University of Illinois team as a walk-on.
Linares set the Palatine school records for single-season batting average (.485), most consecutive games with a hit (17), most single-season at-bats (129) and career stolen bases (62) .
She was a two-time all conference and all-area outfielder for coach Jeff Manz.
• University of Wisconsin-Plattville freshman Melissa Anderson (Schaumburg) won a 4-3 decision in Game 1 of a doubleheader against visiting Elmhurst College.
Anderson ended the game with a three-up three-down seventh inning, finishing with a 5-hitter and 4 strikeouts. She was perfect through 3 innings.
Football
Carthage College wide receiver Jeff Koeneman (Fremd) was named a fall 2009 Jack Swartz all-academic in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
Koeneman was also a "D3football.com" first-team All-North Region and named first-team All-CCIW for the second-straight year with 1,031 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.
Koeneman wound up his career as Carthage's all-time leader in both passing receptions (258) and receiving yards (3,008). He is a business administration major with a 3.55 cumulative grade-point average through the fall semester.
Women's tennis
Iowa State freshman Jenna Langhorst (Fremd) is playing No. 1 doubles and No. 4 singles. She started out the spring season with a 4-1 record in both singles and doubles.
Volleyball clinic
Arlington Heights resident Tony Skrocki, IHSA Volleyball Official and President of the Zebras of Northern Illinois (ZONI) Association, is hosting a volleyball clinic on March 13 for officials as a means to prepare for the upcoming boys season.
It is to refresh everyone on the rule changes.
This is the group's 14th clinic. Money raised this year will once again help out some Chicagoland High Schools with some newer game and practice equipment. Last year, more than $2,500 was raised for five Chicago Public High Schools. They were able to purchase equipment such as game balls, practice balls, ball bags, ball carts, nets, referee stands, etc.
The clinic will be held at Glenbard East High School from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost is a $20 pre-registration and $30 at the door.
Contact Louis Green at looieg@gmail.com or Stan Wiedeman at twiffsd@sbcglobal.net.
Athletic boosters
Elk Grove High School's Grenadier Athletic Boosters will be hosting their second Annual Grens Gala on Friday, Feb. 26 at the Avalon in Elk Grove. Event and ticket information is available at eghs.d214.org. Tickets are still available for the dinner and night of dancing There will be a four-hour open bar and lots of raffle prizes. All proceeds go toward the athletic programs at EGHS.
Men's track and field
Matt Babicz (Prospect) set DePaul's freshman record in the shot put (15.91 meters) for fourth place overall at the Notre Dame Indoor Open. He surpassed the Big East Conference qualifying standard and is the only thrower on the men's side to qualify for both the weight throw and the shot put.
Men's basketball
Sophomore guard Chris McClellan (Wheeling) of Lewis University has converted at least one 3-pointer in the Flyers' last 18 contests. During that span, he is shooting 45.2 percent (42-for-93) from beyond the arc.
Women's track and field
Michelle Ruff (Fremd) of Lewis University joined Kayla Murphy, Ashley Butler and Kamille Ferguson in the 4x200 relay with a first-place finish of 1:45.81 in the Chicagoland Championships. North Central won the overall title with 141 points, while the University of Chicago (119.5) narrowly edged host Lewis (118.5) for second place.
Women's gymnastics
The No. 20 Illinois State squad (194.225) took third place at the IGI Chicago Style Invitational at Navy Pier behind No. 10 Nebraska (196.475) and No. 19 Denver (195.250).
The Illini were firing on all cylinders to start the night, posting a season-best 49.150 on vault and tying the fifth-best mark in school history.
Senior Allison Buckley (Conant), who ranks 11th in the nation on the event, led the way with a 9.875 and placed second.
Northwest Basketball Academy
Tryouts for freshman and sophomore girls will be Tuesday, March 2 and Thursday, March 4 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at St. Thomas Villanova School in Palatine (1201 East Anderson Drive).
Director Bill Probst is in his 43rd year of coaching. He has been a high school girls and boys and junior college men's and women's head coach and his teams have more than 800 games. Probst has been inducted into four coaching Hall of Fames.
For more information call 847-639-1003.