CCIW selects Skeens for leadership honor
Senior Briana Skeens will graduate this spring from Augustana with a prestigious honor.
The Vernon Hills High School graduate has been named the female winner of the Merle Chapman Leadership Award in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin for the 2011-12 school year.
The award was presented at the CCIW year-end Student Athletic Advisory Committee luncheon in Naperville.
The Merle Chapman Leadership Award, which began during the 2002-03 academic year, is named after the longtime football coach/director of athletics at Millikin University who served as the second commissioner of the CCIW.
Chapman was the CCIW commissioner from 1997 through 2002.
The award identifies the student-athletes from the eight member schools who best exemplify the traits that Chapman displayed and encouraged during his three-plus decades of service as teacher, coach and mentor.
His influence among athletes, coaches and administrators in the CCIW is still being felt to this day.
Those traits include loyalty, enthusiasm, and commitment to academic, athletic and personal excellence, leadership and sportsmanship.
Skeens was a four-year member of the Vikings basketball and volleyball teams. She was a volleyball captain and middle blocker her senior season and was named the team’s MVP.
Skeens led her team in total kills (331) and her kills-per-game average of 2.98 (331 kills in 111 games) was also tops.
In addition, her kill percentage of .220 (331 kills with 137 errors in 881 total attempts) was also highest on the team.
She also had the second-highest block-per-game average of 0.68 with 76 total blocks (24 solo and 52 assists) in 111 games.
Skeens was also the recipient of the basketball team’s “Best Defensive Player” award her junior year and was a four-year letter winner.
She was a finalist for the prestigious Shooting Touch Sabbatical program, which grants graduating college seniors the opportunity to partake in a ten-month international work program using the platform of basketball to help foster education and influence positive social change in Third World communities.
Skeens is currently the president of the Augustana chapter of S.A.A.C. and participates frequently in Athletes-Giving-Back.
Skeens will graduate this May with a degree in psychology.
Baseball
Southern Illinois University left fielder Jordan Sivertsen (Carmel) was named the Missouri Valley Conference player of the week.
The senior captain hit .563 with 4 home runs and 12 RBI in four games to raise his season average from .269 to .306. He hit a 2-run home run followed by a 3-run homer in his next at-bat in a game at Murray State. His career-high 6 RBI catapulted SIU to a come-from-behind 13-10 victory.
Sivertsen continued his hot hitting by recording a career-high 4 hits with 2 doubles and a home run in a series opener against Evansville, missing the cycle by a triple.
Six of Sivertsen’s 9 hits went for extra bases. He had 23 total bases in four games to give him a 1.438 slugging percentage and an eye-popping 2.070 OPS for the week. In addition to his offense, he played flawless defense in left field, recording 13 putouts without an error.
Gurnee Park District
The Gurnee Park District offers a ladies recreational sand volleyball league that plays on Thursday nights at the Hunt Club Park Aquatic Center. The league is open to those 19 years old and up. Registrations will be accepted through May 12 or until the league fills. The Gurnee Park District is still accepting team registrations for its Monday night men’s 12-inch softball league. All league games are played at Viking Park in Gurnee. For additional information visit gurneeparkdistrict.com or contact Ron at 847.599.3758
Harlem Wizards
The Harlem Wizards, an entertaining basketball squad which uses a variety of basketball tricks, will visit the Lake Zurich Field House as part of the team’s 50th anniversary tour.
The event is planned for Monday, April 30, at 6:30 p.m. It is a fundraiser for the District 95 Foundation with all proceeds going to the “Smart Schools. Bright Futures.” campaign.
Women’s track and field
Junior Sarahbeth Jones (Warren) was part of Augustana’s 4x1600 relay team that captured first place with a time of 21:07.93 in the Norse Relays in Decorah, Iowa.
That time erased the Augustana school record of 21:16.07 set in 2002.
College intermurals
Former Buffalo Grove softball standout Katie Lee was named a co all-tourney MVP for the Marquette women’s basketball team which won the 2012 American Collegiate Intramural Sports regional championship at the University of Dayton.
The Gold team went through pool play with wins over Louisville (44-29) and Dayton (32-31).
Marquette then defeated Kentucky 55-27 and Central Indiana Ivy Tech 44-33 to advance to the championship game where it topped Illinois State 41-33.
Ÿ Please email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com or FAX to (847) 427-1173.