Prospect alum Pettenuzzo shines at Illinois Wesleyan

Prospect graduate Rosie Pettenuzzo had quite an end to her final regular season on the soccer field for Illinois Wesleyan.

The senior defender had her team's only goal that tied the game at 1-1.

The Titans proceeded to defeat host No. 12-ranked Wheaton College 5-4 in the shootout to earn the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin tournament and gain the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III tournament.

Illinois Wesleyan (13-4-2) got its only goal on its only shot on goal in the first 110 minutes when Pettenuzzo booted the ball home outside the box at 79:11 for the 1-1 tie.

It was Pettenuzzo's ninth goal of the year, trying her for the team lead.

Three days later, Pettenuzzo was named to the all-CCIW first team.

She had 3 goals against CCIW opponents during the season in which she started in all 19 games and also registered 3 assists.

To jump or not to jump?

That was the decision for Hersey senior Alessia Olhava this fall.

Would she compete at the high jump in college or play volleyball, the sport in which she helped lead Hersey to a Mid-Suburban East co-championship and regional title this fall?

She gave her answer during the first week of the state tournament, choosing the Grand Valley State women's track and field program.

"The coach saw me jump at the state meet last spring and got in contact with me," said Olhava, an all-area volleyball player this fall. "I asked about doing both sports but they had already recruited a setter."

So Olhava, who will study business, is looking forward to continuing her career in the high jump.

I like the high jump because there are more mechanics involved," she said. "You can just focus on one thing at a time rather than playing different positions.

Women's diving

Iowa State redshirt junior Dana Liva (Prospect) posted zone-qualifying scores on both boards when the Cyclones were edged out 115-184 by Nebraska.

Liva secured a trip to Austin for the Zone Diving Championships in March. Her personal-best score of 285.85 bested the zone-qualifying score of 280. On one-meter, Liva again posted a qualifying score of 273.30, over the 265 mark. She finished fourth on three-meter and third on one-meter.

Liva led the way for Iowa State on the one-meter with a 251.25 in a 114-184 loss to SMU. She was only .75 away from the top diver. Liva finished with a 231.70 on three-meter, good for fourth place.

Men's diving

Trinity University (San Antonio, TX) sophomore diver Anthony Liva (Prospect) was named the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Diver of the Week.

Liva won the men's 1-meter and 3-meter diving events in a 152-140 win over the University of Texas at the Permian Basin at the Palo Alto College Aquatics Center.

His score of 339.35 on the low board qualified him for the Division III Region 2 Diving Championships, to be held March 1-2 at Grinnell, IA. Liva also won the high board, with a score of 261.45.

Women's swimming

University of Findlay sophomore Sarah Miles (Hoffman Estates) helped the Oilers score points in a victory over host Hillsdale College and Lewis University.

Miles continued to broaden her repertoire, finishing second in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:25.17. She was third for much of the race before rallying in the final 100 yards for a strong finish.

In the 200-yard medley relay, Miles swam the butterfly leg and turned in a split of 27.79 seconds. She finished her day by leading off a 200 freestyle relay and swimming a 26.25-second split.

Women's volleyball

Elmhurst defensive specialist Val Thomas (Prospect) was named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Blue Jay since Megan Reynolds in 2010 to win the award.

Thomas, who earned first team all-conference honors, was second in the conference with 5.41 digs per set.

Her impressive debut season included a team-high in digs (432) and digs per set (4.32).

Thomas also led the team in service reception, committing just 19 errors on the season to post a .960 serve receive percentage. She added 6 kills, 94 assists and 23 service aces.

Against CCIW opponents, Thomas totaled 146 digs and averaged 5.41 digs per set, ranking her second in the league in both categories.

• Concordia-Chicago junior Julia Spitelli (Schaumburg) finished with 8 kills in a three-set loss at Lakeland University in Plymouth, WI. It was the Cougars' first postseason action since 2011. The Cougars finished the regular season in fifth place in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference and ended up 13-16 for the season.

Three for (D) one

For the first time in the 50-year history of Barrington softball, three Fillies have signed Division I scholarships in the same graduating class.

Seniors Leyden Atlas, Tori Meyer and Kendall Peterson will sign their NCAA national letter of intent on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. in the Barrington High School Commons Area, located at the front of the building.

All friends and family members are invited to join the signees at the school ceremony.

The three girls are 25th, 26th, and 27th softball players to move on to Division I athletics since Hall of Fame coach Perry Peterson took over the Barrington softball program in 1993.

Atlas is committed to Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. The Hofstra Pride were a 2018 Top 25 nationally-ranked team and participated in the NCAA Regionals. The Pride were 2018 Colonial Athletic Association Champions and finished the season with a 41-14 record.

Atlas, a three-year varsity outfielder, batted .379 last spring including a .435 batting average with 30 hits in 21 games played.

Meyer is a recruit for DePaul University. The Blue Demons (35-17) were a 2018 NCAA regional participant and a four-time participant in the NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.

Meyer won 12 games with 103 strikeouts last spring She hit .420 with 47 hits, 38 RBI, 7 doubles and 7 home runs.

Peterson is headed to Northwestern University. The Wildcats (38-19) concluded the 2018 season ranked 24th in the final ESPN.com/USA Softball national poll and competed in the NCAA regional championship versus Georgia.

Peterson, a three-year starter, led the Fillies with a .430 batting average and 49 hits, 15 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs and 26 RBI.

The class of 2019 owns a 98-16 record with two Mid-Suburban League championships, three regional titles, two sectionals and a third-place finish in the 2017 state finals. Atlas, Meyer and Peterson all had hits in the 7-6 win over Marist with Meyer notching the win.

Football

Washington University (St. Louis) junior quarterback Johnny Davidson (Barrington) was selected as a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football Player of the Week.

The finance and economics major won his second-straight CCIW Offensive Player of the Week honor following his performance in a 49-32 win at Millikin. He completed 31-of-44 passes for 354 yards, 4 touchdown passes and no interceptions while also rushing for 2 touchdowns.

Davidson went over 5,000 yards of total offense for his career (5,081 yards) and currently has the third-highest total in school history.

Girls basketball

The Buffalo Grove girls feeder basketball is looking for additional players for fifth, sixth, seventh and eight graders. Email bggirlsfeederbball@gmail.com if interested.