Running helps Simpson make the grade
Elaine Simpson has been combining her athletic and academic talents for the past four years at Case Western Reserve University.
The 2006 St. Viator graduate recently reaped the benefits as she has been awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
Thanks to her top 15 finish in the 5,000-meter run at the 2010 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships, Simpson was eligible for the scholarship.
"I always look at the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship as the cream of the crop because you never will have the opportunity to gain the honor unless you become an All-American," said Case Western Reserve head cross country coach and assistant (distance) track and field coach Kathy Lanese. "The NCAA doesn't give you a look unless you have really high academic and athletic honors and Elaine has both."
Simpson boasts a 3.8 cumulative grade point average as a biology and pre-med major at Case Western Reserve.
She will pursue a veterinary medicine degree after receiving her undergraduate degree this spring.
"I was very excited when I found out - I feel like it's quite a big honor," Simpson said. "I have spent the past four years at Case, studying and running. Those have been the two biggest things in my life of late, so it is nice to be rewarded for my hard work in both."
"Elaine is extremely high energy and a planner - she is very organized," Lanese added.
Simpson, an Arlington Heights resident, is a two-time Academic All-American.
She earned those honors this past fall when she finished 14th at the 2009 NCAA Division III cross country championships.
Earlier this month, the seven-time University Athletic Association (UAA) All-Academic honoree won a UAA championship in the 5,000-meter run with the fifth-fastest time (17:04.80) in the country during the indoor season.
Simpson has been involved in multiple volunteer and service activities throughout her collegiate career, including organizing and running Hoop-A-Paluza, a charity basketball tournament benefitting the Children's Miracle Network (CMN).
"Hoop-A-Paluza continues to be one of my favorite events because I am able to do it with my sorority (Phi Mu)" she said. "I am able to spend time with my friends while helping out a good cause.
"A representative from Rainbow (Babies & Children's Hospital) always brings over one of the kids that we are helping. Seeing exactly who you are helping motivates you even more."
One of her more intriguing ventures off campus was with the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
Simpson assisted zoo workers with the Gorilla Health Project, a nationwide collaboration aimed to explore and ultimately prevent chronic heart disease and other medical issues that are prevalent among gorillas in North American zoos.
"Working at the zoo allowed me to not only make an impact in veterinarian medicine by volunteering my time but it also gave me the opportunity to see if that's something I would want to do and it is," Simpson said.
Simpson has applied to Illinois, Michigan State and Ohio State to pursue a doctorate in veterinary medicine.
Swimming
Samantha Rinella (Prospect), Kristi King (Buffalo Grove), Kelly Smith (Barrington), Lauren Leonard (Fremd) and Kelly Critchfield (Fremd) are listed on the roster of the Miami University (Ohio) synchronized skating team that won the collegiate national championship at Minnesota.
The Miami synchronized team is the six-time defending national champion.
Wrestling
Elmhurst College's Charlie Curran (Hersey) earned All-America honors at the 2010 NCAA Division III wrestling championships held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Curran (32-7) earned the first All-America distinction of his career by placing 8th at 149 pounds. He also won his first CCIW conference title this season.
After dropping his opening-round match 9-8 to Luther's Jason Pyle in the final 15 seconds, Curran bounced back to score back-to-back wins in the consolation rounds.
He edged Lycoming's Issiah Britton in the second round and then defeated eighth-seeded Emanuel Ajagbe of Delaware Valley 3-2 to clinch All-American honors.
Women's gymnastics
Illinois junior Allison Buckley set the school record in the all-around with a 39.525 at Penn State. She broke Ashley Williams' previous mark of 39. 475 achieved in 2004.
Buckley now owns four of the top six all-around scores in Illinois history, with a 39.450 in 2008, a 39.425 in 2009 and most recently, a 39.400 against Minnesota on Feb. 20.
The Schaumburg resident also holds the balance beam record with a 9.950, which she set at the 2009 West Regional Championships.
Buckley matched her career high on vault (9.900) for the fifth time in her career to take home the title at Penn State.
She scored season-highs on bars (9.850) and beam (9.925) and turned in a 9.850 on floor.
For the season, she has scored over a 39 in the all-around seven times and has tied her career high on vault (9.900) and bars (9.850) twice.
Buckley is tied for the Illini lead with 11 individual event titles, giving her 38 for her career, which is tied for third on the UI all-time list.
Men's tennis
Illinois Wesleyan sophomore Brian Piotrowski (Fremd) was named College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin's "Player of the Week."
Piotrowski went 4-0 while playing at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles.
At No. 1 singles, he beat Zach Lowry of Wabash 6-2, 6-3, and Brice Fairchild of Marian College 6-3, 6-3. He then teamed with Tom Deschler at No. 1 doubles to beat Fairchild and Joe Nelson of Marian 8-3 and Peter Gunderman and Ian Leonard of Wabash 8-3.
Women's basketball
Brittany Hogen (Hersey) and Wisconsin-Parkside closed out the finest season in school history when it fell to Findlay (Ohio) in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament in Houghton, Mich.
The Rangers finished 23-8 (the most wins in school history), won their first-ever Great Lakes Valley Conference division title, advanced to the championship game of the league tournament and competed in the NCAA Tournament for only the second time.
In the tough 54-51 loss to Findlay, Hogen collected a game-high 18 points and 14 rebounds.
She had a huge season, being named all-conference and being named MVP in the Wildwood Lodge Classic Women's Basketball Tournament and the Great Lakes Valley league tournament. Hogen finished with 12 double-doubles for the season and led the team in scoring (15.2 ppg), rebounds (9.2 ppg), free-throws made and attempted and blocked shots.
Hogen accomplished all this despite battling a couple of injuries this season.
As a captain of the team, Hogen will be one of two returning seniors and she'll try to help lead the team back to the NCAA Tournament next year.
Women's swimming
Carthage College's 200 freestyle relay team included junior Sammy Jo Mahler (Maine West) when it finished eighth (Carthage-record 1:36.10) on the second day of the NCAA Division III swimming championships.
Women's track and field
The St. Ambrose women's track and field team made history Friday night as the The Fighting Bees won the Augustana Spring Opener behind a school record and two NAIA Outdoor Nationals marks.
All-American sophomore Mandy Streu (Rolling Meadows) won the shot put and the hammer throw, qualifying for nationals with an automatic throw of 44-5.5.
Women's softball
Nicole Spisak (Leyden) hit her first collegiate home run for Culver-Stockton College in just her third college game.
• After struggling though a 5-29 season, the 2010 Wisconsin-Platteville softball team has already surpassed that win total. The Pioneers ran their winning streak to four games Monday, beating Hamilton (N.Y.) 12-0 and SUNY-Oswego 9-1 in Fort Myers, Fla. Coach Heather Townsend's team is now 6-2.
Behind another stellar pitching performance by Melissa Anderson (Schaumburg) and a grand slam by Chantal McReynolds, Platteville blanked Hamilton. Anderson allowed just 1 hit over 5 innings while becoming the first Pioneer pitcher to start a season 4-0 since Steph Wood in 2002. She allowed just a third-inning single and did not walk a batter.
• Amanda Mertes (Elk Grove), a freshman outfielder from Des Plaines, was named named Wisconsin-Whitewater player of the week.
Mertes played in five games and was 9-for-18 at the plate. She scored 5 runs and stole six bases on six attempts. Mertes also recorded an RBI and sacrifice bunt. Mertes was also able to hit safely in 4 of the 5 games and collected multiple hits in all four of those games.
• Kiley Lythberg (Prospect) of Central College (Pella, Iowa) was named to the Leadoff Classic's all-tournament team.
She was one of 12 players cited from the 24 teams.
Lythberg was the starting pitcher in all three of Central's wins, posting a 2-0 mark with a 0.95 earned run average.
Lythberg is 7-2 this spring with a 1.70 ERA. She is batting .484 with a .774 slugging percentage.
Baseball
Concordia University Chicago sophomore Nick Skala (St. Viator) was honored as the school's Athlete of the Week.
Skala batted .421 with team-leading totals of 16 hits, 13 runs and 11 RBIs as the baseball team went 8-1 on their spring break trip to Phoenix.
His best games included a 4-for-4 performance with 4 runs and 3 RBI against Wartburg and a 4-for-6 with 3 runs and 2 RBI against Macalester.
Skala's hits included 6 doubles and 2 triples for a slugging percentage of .684. The catcher also threw out three runners on the basepaths.
A 2008 graduate of St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, Skala is a transfer from San Jacinto Community College in Houston, Texas.
• Please e-mail items to jleusch@dailyherald.com.