Harper’s Wilcox nets All-American mention

Harper College freshman Wes Wilcox (Lake Park) has been named an NJCAA Divsion III All-American honorable mention in men’s basketball.

“He earned it, he was everything for us,” said Harper coach Tony Amarino. “He was a leader, I thought. The bigger the game, the better he played.”

According to the NJCAA website, the 6-foot-8 forward played 20 games this season for the Hawks and averaged a team-high 18.6 points.

“He’s a nice kid,” Amarino said of Wilcox.

Of Wilcox’s 128 field goals this season, 19 came from behind the 3-point line. He averaged a team-high 9.35 rebounds and 3.35 blocks.

Track and field

With three weeks left until the NJCAA national meet hosted by Alfred State College in Alfred, N.Y. the Harper college men’s and women’s teams are preparing for what head track coach Renee Zellner calls the “Elite Junior College Championship” at this weekend’s Illinois Benedictine Invite in Lisle.

Including the Hawks, who are ranked No. 1 in NJCAA Divsion III, two other Region IV teams will compete — Oakton Community College and College of DuPage.

“All of the athletes are working hard,” Zellner said via e-mail.

On the women’s side, Anne Craigen, Karoline Banasik, Janet Franco (Schaumburg), De’Larissa Morris (Streamwood) and Lindsey Weinberg have already qualified for nationals, either in individual events or in relays.

Seven members of the men’s team have qualified for nationals.

Zellner praised her freshmen, calling their efforts “exceptional this year.”