Kudos to the college achievers

If we stopped the presses every time we heard about a local graduate's collegiate athletic accomplishments, we'd never publish this paper.

We hoard the news until folders rip and e-mails threaten to evaporate into ether. Now is one of those times. On with the goods.

Heavy hittersUniversity of Illinois junior outside hitter Laura DeBruler (Downers Grove North) was an American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I First-Team All-America selection. Starring on the court and in the classroom, DeBruler ranked second in the Big Ten and 15th in the nation in kills and second in conference and 14th in the country in points. Her total of 34 20-kill matches heads the Illini all-time mark, and she has a year of eligibility. DeBruler, former All-Area captain, was Second-Team All-America as a sophomore.Army women's volleyball's Web page for Ariana Mankus (Benet) includes this note: "should be able to step in and help Army on the outside immediately." No truer words were ever posted. Mankus was named 2009 National Freshman of the Year by College Volleyball Update.com. She was the first player in Patriot League history to be named player of the year and rookie of the year in the same year. The 5-foot-8 Lisle resident reached double figures in digs 16 times and had 23 double-digit kill matches with a career-high 26 kills against American University. She had 16 kills and 12 digs against Pepperdine, Army's first win in history over a nationally ranked program.Under-20 starsAlexa Gaul (Neuqua Valley) was in net and Casey Short (Naperville Central) at midfield as the U.S. Under-20 women's soccer team defeated the English U-23 national team 1-0 on Feb. 26 to win the La Manga Cup in Spain. The Americans also won the 2010 CONCACAF U-20 Women's Championships in Guatemala City, which qualified them to play in the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Germany from July 13-Aug. 1. First, Short and Co. will convene in March for training in Gainesville, Fla., not far from Short's Florida State campus in Tallahassee.Power DeLuxThe softball-playing Lux sisters out of Glenbard West - Notre Dame senior Christine and freshman Kathryn - executed the rare double Lux on Saturday. In a split doubleheader at Virginia's Cavalier Invite at Captain's Park in Newport News, Kathryn's first collegiate hit was a 2-run, pinch-hit home run in a 12-0 win over George Washington. Christine followed with a solo shot in a 9-0 win over Virginia that was the 36th of her Irish career. Christine's next home run will set Notre Dame's all-time record.On the cuspThrough matches of Feb. 21, Loyola senior Mike Morice (Waubonsie Valley) was ranked eighth in the country with 1.39 blocks a game. The 6-foot-4 middle hitter has 189 block assists to rank 12th all-time at Loyola. With a slew of matches left, Morice is 33 blocks away from No. 10 on the Ramblers' top-10 blocks list headed by Loyola 2009 graduate Nick Lamoureaux (Wheaton Warrenville South).Do-HawkEnding her Loras College basketball career Thursday with a team-high 25 points in a 75-59 loss to Simpson in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, Lindsay Bava (Montini) finished fourth all-time in Duhawks scoring with 1,482 points. She was also fourth in career 3-pointers with 172 and owns the best free-throw percentage in school history, 84.9 percent.Naperville connectionSouthern Illinois University freshmen swimmers Jeanette Nolte (Neuqua Valley) and Sarah Rendek (Naperville North) earned Missouri Valley Conference First-Team honors. Rendek broke the SIU 200-yard butterfly school record at the MVC Championships. Nolte had six top-three finishes at the MVC meet and was part of a 400 freestyle relay that set a new school record.BrainiacThe combination of a 20th-place finish in the Midwest Regional cross country meet and a cumulative grade-point average higher than 3.3 landed North Central College senior Amanda Laesch (Wheaton North) on the All-Academic Team of the United States Track Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. It was Laesch's third such honor after earning All-Academic status in 2006 and 2008. On Jan. 22 Laesch won the 3,000-meter run to help North Central win the first track meet ever held at the Al B. Carius Track.A Buzzy in the airCarthage College's Buzzy Brown (Neuqua Valley) won the long jump title at the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Men's Indoor Track Championships for a third straight year. He was the "track athlete" of the meet.The "field athlete" of the meet was North Central's Bob Kaputska (Glenbard East), who set a CCIW record in the 35-pound weight throw, then won shot put as well.Players of the weekBaseball: Kevin Tokarski (Downers Grove North), Illinois State. The sophomore hit the first pitch of the Redbirds' season off the wall for a triple.Swimming: Carl Sveen (WW South), Wheaton College.Basketball: Drew Crawford (Naperville Central), Northwestern - after a freshman record 35 points; Melissa Schwab (York), Concordia; Tracey Rainey (Lake Park), Lake Forest.Tennis: Chris Mullins (Downers Grove South), Augustana.Track: Ahvia Greene (Waubonsie Valley), Carthage; Buzzy Brown (Neuqua Valley), Carthage; Khara Williams (York), Concordia; David Montgomery (York), Grinnell.Late football resultsIllinois Wesleyan's 2009 football awards highlighted punter Dennis Zic (Fenton) as its special teams player of the year, and linebacker Mike Kraft (Naperville Central) as its most valuable freshman.Southern Illinois University saluted Chris Arthurs (WW South) as its most valuable defensive lineman.