Choi digs college volleyball at Lewis
It didn't take long for former Daily Herald All-Area libero Amy Choi to make her impact on the collegiate level.
The all-time digs leader for Vernon Hills High School is now applying her skills at Lewis College, where the freshman helped the Flyers win the Great Lakes Valley conference championship.
In a match that saw 32 ties and 17 lead changes, No. 11 Lewis won its fourth title in five years by defeating No. 19 Indianapolis 3-1 (25-18, 24-26, 25-23, 25-22) on Sunday afternoon at Neil Carey Arena.
Choi, who is averaging 3.6 digs per set, collected 17 digs in the title match.
The 5-foot-6 rookie had a career-high 28 digs in Lewis' comeback victory over Lynn University in early September.
The Flyers (26-4) advanced to the NCAA Division II tournament, qualifying for the fourth consecutive season. Lewis is the No. 3 seed in the region and will play sixth-seeded Missouri-St. Louis on Friday in the NCAA Midwest regional.
Ÿ When she was at Lake Zurich High School, Crystal Wright was one of the top attackers for the Bears' girls volleyball team.
Now a junior at North Central College, she is still getting it right on the volleyball floor. Wright has been selected to the All-College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin team, earning honorable-mention recognition.
She hit .150 with a team-leading 280 kills this season, ranking eighth in the CCIW in kills per set (2.62). She was a second-team All-CCIW selection in 2009 and an honorable-mention pick in 2008.
Women's soccer
Ohio Northern sophomore goalkeeper Erin Waehner (Libertyville) earned Ohio Athletic Conference honorable mention.
Starting in 14 of the 16 games she played, Waehner posted a 10-3-1 record, including 3 shutouts and 51 saves this season for the Polar Bears, who finished 13-6-1, 7-1-1 in the OAC.
Ÿ Senior Marquette defender Lauren Thut (Stevenson) helped her team advance to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
Thut recorded her career-high 13th assist of the season and is tied for second in program history for assists in a single season. Thut is also first in the Big East and tied for fifth in the NCAA for total assists this season.
Men's soccer
Concordia University-Wisconsin's Kyle Sytsma (Antioch) has been selected to the Northern Athletic Conference's all-conference first team.
Sytsma, the only sophomore to make the first team, was the leading scorer for the Falcons, who finished 12-6-3.
The center-midfielder-forward started all 21 games, connecting on 11 goals (sixth most in the conference) and 5 assists (10th in the conference). Six of his goals were scored on headers. Through Nov. 7, he was 63rd in the nation in goals scored.
Sytsma plays club soccer for the Lake Villa-based Chicago Kickers Under-23 men's team.
Feeder program
The Vernon Hill Cougars Youth Athletic Association “Hoopin in the Hills” basketball tournament will be for fourth-, sixth- and seventh-grade teams Dec 10-12. A $235.00 fee is payable to VHCYAA.
Also, the VHCYAA's “Vernon Hills Rising Stars” basketball tournament for fifth-grade A, fifth-grade B and eighth-grade teams is Jan. 7-9, 2011. A $235.00 fee is payable to VHCYAA.
For more information, contact Mark Peterson at 847-793-8300 Ext. 113 or email mark.peterson@vhcyaa.org
Kessels Training
Kessels Training is forming winter boys and girls basketball teams for players of all skill levels from third to eighth grade. Practice times are available at two facilities, Lake Barrington and Libertyville.
The season runs from Nov. 15-March 1. Teams will participate in the Select Basketball League, which includes area club teams and will accommodate all skill levels. No parent coaches.
There will be more than 30 games and the opportunity to practice 50 times.
For more information, email Kyle Kessel at kkessel@hotmail.com or call 847-406-7989. Check the website for further details at www.kesselstraining.com.
Also available is winter in-season training on Sunday nights from 6-8 p.m. at the Libertyville Sports Complex. These are intense training sessions focused on shooting, dribbling, passing and full-court drills. Check the website for registration and details.
Men's basketball
Junior point guard Chris McClellan (Wheeling) led Lewis with 17 points (6-of-7 shooting, including four 3-pointers) in a 70-68 victory over DePaul in the Flyers' exhibition finale at McGrath Arena.
The Flyers shot 69.6 (16-for-23) from the field and 60 percent (6-for-10) from three-point range to take a 39-27 halftime lead over the Blue Demons.
Men's swimming
Ben Epperly (Schaumburg) of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire won the 1,650-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle in addition to anchoring the 800-yard freestyle relay in a home dual meet win over Oshkosh.
Men's cross country
Kevin O'Brien (Palatine) of the Coast Guard Academy earned all-conference honors in the New England Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) championships at Moore State Park in Paxton, Mass. O'Brien improved upon his 11th-place all-conference finish a year ago when he crossed the line as the third cadet and finished as the 10th overall runner at this year's championship meet.
Ÿ Please e-mail Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com or FAX to (847) 427-1173.