Larkin grad Whitehead excelling at Eastern Illinois

Former Larkin track and field standout Britney Whitehead has been performing well for the Eastern Illinois University women’s track team.

Whitehead recently took second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Drake Relays with a time of 10:23.91. The time set the Eastern Illinois school record and topped the Ohio Valley Conference Bests list. Whitehead, a former high-school state qualifier in the 800, was one of the last seeds in the steeplechase, but came within 5 seconds of winning the event at what is known as one of the premier collegiate track meets around.

She finished second out of approximately 25 qualifying collegiate runners. Her time of 10:23.9 in the event ranks her 38th among NCAA Division I steeplechase runners. Whitehead has qualified for the NCAA west region track meet where she will have a chance to earn a bid to the NCAA nationals. Her time also would have won the prestigious Penn Relays recently.

At the recent OVC championships, Whitehead won the steeplechase with a time of 10:54.92, took fifth in the 5,000 meters at 18:27.20 and took fourth in the 1,500 with a time of 4:34.19.

She has three wins in the steeplechase race this year (Drake Relays, WKU Relays and EIU Big Blue).

In addition to holding the school record in the steeplechase, Whitehead ranks sixth in program history in the 1,500 (4:34.64) and 10th all-time in the 800 (2:13.86).

Scheffler at ECC: Burlington Central graduate Ashley Scheffler enjoyed a fine season on the softball diamond.

Scheffler, Elgin Community College’s shortstop, was one of 10 softball players in Region IV District A Division II who were named to the all-region team.

Scheffler, a sophomore, finished the season batting .463. She had an on-base percentage of .507 and a fielding percentage of .944. She finished the year with 5 doubles, a team-best 4 triples, a homer and 14 RBI. She led the team in runs scored with 36 and also stole a team-high 13 bases.

In conference action, Scheffler hit .617 with 2 doubles, 3 triples, a homer and 8 RBI. She scored 17 runs and had an on-base percentage of .633.

Scheffler’s best game came in a March matchup with Prairie State where she went 4-for-4 with 3 runs scored. Scheffler had 9 games where she had 3 or more hits. Against, Waubonsee in mid-April, Scheffler went 3-for-3 with a triple and a solo homer.

ECC’s season finished prematurely when it had to forfeit its Region IV tournament game to Sauk Valley due to injuries and academic issues.

In addition to Scheffler, teammates Audrey Djukic (. 364) and Lindsay Vellega (. 333) also had strong seasons. Samantha King led the team with 5 doubles and 15 RBI and tied for the team lead in homers with Vellega with two.

Andrews at Illinois State: Jacobs graduate Lizzie Andrews has been quite productive for the Illinois State University softball team. In 54 games this season (all starts), Andrews was hitting .331 with 52 hits in 157 at-bats. She had 29 runs scored to go with 11 doubles, 2 triples, 5 homers and 22 RBI. Andrews was slugging .522 and had an on-base percentage of .424 through Tuesday. In the field she had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage (55 putouts, 5 assists, 0 errors).

Bartlett alum Elizabeth Kay was hitting .252 for the Redbirds in 52 starts through Tuesday. Kay had 40 hits and had scored 31 runs. She had 7 doubles, 7 homers and 28 RBI and sported a .965 fielding percentage for 198 total chances.

Illinois State was 33-21 overall and 18-8 in Missouri Valley Conference action through Tuesday.

Oranger at UTEP: Burlington Central graduate Kayla Oranger recently finished up her softball season at the University of Texas El Paso. Oranger hit .346 on the season with 54 hits and 22 RBI. She finished the year with a .947 fielding percentage in 49 games. Oranger missed the first 4 games of the season with an ankle injury.

Beachler honored: Westminster Christian alum Tyler Beachler recently was named Taylor University’s top male student-athlete for the 2011-2012 academic year. He received the Gates-Howard award at a campuswide honors chapel in Rediger Auditorium. Also honored was Kelsey Prichard with the Lady Trojan award.

Beachler, a finance major and mathematics minor, captained the Taylor men’s soccer team to its first NAIA tournament appearance after winning the MCC regular-season and tournament championships with an overall record of 19-2-1.

Beachler was an NAIA honorable mention all-American and the MCC player of the year. Beachler led the league with 17 goals and 11 assists, while ranking fourth in the NAIA with 7 game-winning goals.

For his combined achievements on the field and in the classroom, Beachler was named a CoSIDA/Capital One first-team academic all-American.

“Both Tyler and Kelsey this year had that great representation both on and off the field,” said Taylor Athletic Director Dr. Angie Fincannon. “For them to be academically gifted and to have excelled in the classroom is an honor in itself. Both of them brought national recognition to their teams. Their legacy will be remembered for a long time.”

Hernandez at Miami-Ohio: Elgin High School graduate Brandi Hernandez is a member of the Miami-Ohio softball team. Through Tuesday, Hernandez had played in 43 games for the Red Hawks and was hitting .250 for a team that was 35-17 overall and 16-6 in conference play.

Western Illinois baseball: A pair of locals are contributing to the Western Illinois University baseball team this season. Through Tuesday, Jacobs alum Matt Igara was hitting .275 in 46 starts. He had 44 hits in 160 at-bats and had scored 26 runs. He had 6 doubles. 1 triple, 3 homers and 27 RBI. According to Western Illinois’ website, Igara had been struck by 18 pitches through Tuesday.

Crystal Lake South graduate Steve Kedroski had played in 42 games through Tuesday and had 26 hits, including doubles and a homer to go with 15 RBI. He also had a .971 fielding percentage on 140 total chances (129 putouts, 7 assists, 4 errors).

Western Illinois was 15-30-1 and 5-15 in conference play through Tuesday.

Off at College wants your help: Send information and/or statistics on Fox Valley area athletes playing collegiately to Mike Miazga at difibulator@aol.com.