Singh soars at Cardinal Stritch

One question in the Cardinal Stritch men’s basketball media guide asks Navjot Singh what he would be doing if not playing collegiate athletics.

His answer?

Sky diving.

Well, the graduate of Mundelein High was recently flying high.

He was named the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the week.

Singh, who recently scored his 1,000th career point, scored 56 points over the three-game week where the Wolves went 2-1 with wins over Indiana University-South Bend and Viterbo University.

In his biggest game of the week against IUSB, Singh scored 4 points in the first half but came back with 21 in the second half for a game-high 25 points.

A presence on the boards, Singh hauled down 21 rebounds during the week to add to his performance.

He is currently the Wolves’ leading scorer with 97 points (16.2 points) and tied for the team lead in rebounds with 43.

Ÿ Brandon Kunz (Lake Zurich) is averaging 6 points for Augustana (5-1), which was ranked No. 1 nationally by D3 Hoops as recently as last week.

Augustana’s Brian DeSimone’s (Buffalo Grove) hit the basket that tied the game at 61-61 for the last time before Washington (Mo.) posted a 71-68 victory over the Vikings in the championship game of the Lopata Classic in St. Louis.

It was the first loss for Division III No. 1 ranked Augustana (5-1).

DeSimone finished with 15 points.

It was Alan Aboona (St. Viator) who scored on the ensuing possession to give the Bears the lead for good. Washington has been the Division III national champions twice in the past four years.

Dylan Richter (Stevenson) went 5-of-8 from 3-point range and led the Bears (5-2) with 27 points.

Faces in the Crowd

Valparaiso senior bowler Natalie Cortese (Hoffman Estates) was recognized as one of Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” for the magazine’s Dec. 5 issue.

Cortese has led the Crusaders to a tremendous start to the season, as Valpo has won two of its first three tournaments.

Valpo captured its first official tournament title in program history at the season-opening Greater Ozark Invitational.

Cortese led the Crusaders with a 204.8 average, earning all-tournament team honors.

The All-American also stood out on the first day of the tournament, rolling strikes on 18 out of 19 attempts in a baker win (special-format scoring) over Sam Houston State.

She also led Valpo as it captured its own Crusader Classic, posting a 201.0 average.

On the season, Cortese owns an average of 200.7 to pace the Crusaders, who are 30-8 overall through three tournaments, including a 15-5 mark against top-10 competition.

Cortese and the rest of the Valpo team are on an extended break from competition, but will return to the lanes Jan. 13-15 at the Mid-Winter Invitational in Jonesboro, Ark.

Women’s basketball

University of Colorado-Colorado Springs freshman Abby Kirchoff (Barrington) came off the bench to scored 21 points — a school record for a freshman.

After five games, Kirchoff led the Mountain Lions in scoring twice and is averaging 13.8 points per game. The best season average for a freshman player at UCCS is 12.8 by Jennine Sauter in the 2002-03 season.

Softball

Senior softball players Morgan Maize and April Markowski have worn blue and gold uniforms for Leyden the last four years.

They’ll both keep the blue for college but will add a new color.

Maize will sport the blue and red of DePaul while Markowski will don the blue and white of Eastern Illinois. Both have signed letters of intent.

“It has been an absolute privilege to coach both Morgan and April during their tenure at Leyden,” said Eagles coach Kurt Schuett. “ Personally, I believe both of these student-athletes have found homes away from home.”

One reason Maize chose DePaul was its location.

“I chose DePaul because it was close, but not too close, to home,” she said. “I can go home whenever I want or need to, and my parents and family can come see me play. This was important to me since my father has coached and watched me play since I was little.”

She also liked the idea of being in the city.

“I like the chance to experience it everyday,” she said. “And I like the balance DePaul has between school and softball. Academics is the most important,but they encourage success in softball too. Lastly, I like the honesty and respect coach (Eugene) Lenti demonstrates. He always says the 10 best players play, regardless of what year they are.”

Markowski served as an offensive catalyst for Leyden last season, hitting .360 with a .444 on-base percentage and .553 slugging percentage. She scored 37 runs with 28 RBI and 11 stolen bases. She had 41 putouts in the outfield and 56 assists.

Schuett said Markowski really felt comfortable with the Eastern Illinois program when she attended its camps and clinics.

“She feels coaches (Kim) Schuette and (Jason) Dorey provide a ‘family atmosphere’ that she finds so appealing, especially since she will be a little distance from home,” Schuett said. “She also is excited to be part of a conference championship program that boasted the lowest combined ERA in NCAA Division-I softball.”

Ÿ Please e-mail Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com or FAX to (847) 427-1173.