Barrington grad Coon has standout season at Washington U.

Former Barrington standout Jake Coon finished his career at Washington University (St. Louis) in style.

The senior linebacker, who helped the Bears to an 8-2 record and second place in their first season in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, was named to the Google Cloud NCAA Division III Academic All-District Five football team.

Coon earned the all-district accolade for the third straight season. He was a first-team all-CCIW selection, starting all 10 games at middle linebacker.

Coon led the CCIW and was sixth in NCAA Division III with 122 tackles. He reached 10 or more tackles in seven games, including a season-high 17 stops in a 44-6 win over Carroll. He has a 3.76 grade-point average while majoring in finance and accounting. He finished his career with 333 tackles and 12 interceptions.

Coon and Washington junior quarterback Johnny Davidson (Barrington) were all-conference selections.

Davidson started all 10 games, completing 276-of-399 passes for 2,992 yards and 26 touchdowns. He finished the regular season third in the CCIW in passing yards per game (299.2) and total offense (303.5).

Davidson completed 38-of-49 passes for a career-high 483 yards and 4 TDs in a 38-24 win at Augustana, and set a single-game school record for pass completion percentage (. 902, 37-of-41) in a 44-21 win at North Park.

Washington sophomore defensive back JT Steepy (Palatine) saw significant playing time at the end of the season and was the Bears' Defensive Player of the Week for games eight and nine.

Women's volleyball

Former Hersey all-area standout Gabri Olhava ended her volleyball career at the University of New Hampshire with honors.

The 6-foot middle hitter was named to the America East All-Conference second team, finishing her four years with 860 kills. She also had 274 blocks, which ties her for seventh on New Hampshire's career leaderboard.

Olhava, who was a first-team selection last year and second-team honoree in 2016, was a second-year captain for New Hampshire. She led the team in kills (317), kills/set (3.11), hitting percentage (. 272), points (367), points/set (3.60), blocks (73) and blocks/set (0.72).

Olhava ranked fourth in the America East in kills/set (3.11) and hitting percentage (. 272), as well as fifth in points/set (3.60/set). In conference-only matches, she averaged 3.11 kills per set on a .259 hitting percentage, as well as 0.87 blocks/set.

Olhava's season highlights included a pair of career-high 20-kills efforts against Yale and Army West Point in one day, including a .613 hitting percentage against Yale. She recorded five or more blocks in a match six times.

• Kean University freshman defensive specialist Amanda Di Leo (Palatine) played in 47 sets this fall, collecting 83 digs, 131 serve receives, 30 assists and 5 aces for the 19-16 Cougars.

Marty's night

Former Daily Herald sports writer Marty Maciaszek, being awarded the IHSA Distinguished Media Service Award, will be honored on Dec. 7 in between the girls (6 p.m. tip-off) and boys basketball games at Wheeling High School when the Wildcats host Hersey.

Wheeling activities director Steve May has announced there will be a reception at Gator's Wing Shack in Palatine for anyone who wants to stop by to see Marty around 9:45 p.m.

Women's basketball

As of Nov. 18, Duke redshirt junior Haley Gorecki (Fremd) was one of only two players in the NCAA averaging more than 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals per game. She was at 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 4.7 steals. Shakyla Hill of Grambling was 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 6.0 steals per game.

Gorecki had a career night at Maine with 21 points, a career-high 10 assists, a career-high 7 steals and 6 rebounds. It was one of the best all-around outputs in school history.

Gorecki also drained 4-of-9 3-pointers in 39 minutes. Her 10 assists and 7 steals are the most by any ACC player this season. She leads the league with 5.0 steals per game. Lexi Brown was close last season with 20 points, 9 assists, 8 steals and 7 rebounds against UNC-Greensboro.

• Carthage 6-foor junior forward Maggie Berigan (Hersey) scored a career-high 18 points along with 4 blocks as the Lady Reds (3-1) posted a 72-49 at Calvin College (MI).

"We've been trying to get our post players aggressive like that," said Carthage coach Tim Bernero. "She (Berigan) was aggressive offensively because I think people know of our perimeter players and focused on them."

Men's golf

Oakton Community College freshman Nzelu Maitha (Schaumburg) was selected the college's male student-athlete of the month for November.

The award is presented nine months during the year to one male and one female student-athlete displaying excellence in the areas of academics, athletics and campus involvement or service.

"This is a definite honor, and I wasn't expecting this award," said Maitha in a release from Oakton. "I'm very humbled because this just shows that hard work pays off. Even if you think you're under the radar, someone is always watching how you represent yourself."

Maitha recently punched his ticket to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Men's Golf Championship by finishing as one of the top six individual golfers at the NJCAA Region IV Tournament at Senica's Oak Ridge Golf Club in LaSalle.

He posted a 76 average to finish fifth overall and will represent Oakton in the national championship May 21-24 at the Swan Lake Golf Resort in Plymouth, IN.

An avid golfer, Maitha was introduced to the sport at age three by his grandfather.

By the time he was 10, he was already competing in local tournaments.

"Every hole is a challenge and unique," Maitha told Oakton Public Relations Specialist Steve Repsys. "I can't fall back on my teammates. Golf is a complex game and I have to rely on myself and be accountable. I have to always position myself to be successful, and that's a lot like life. I love the sport, but there's always room for improvement."

Maitha cemented his place in Oakton history becoming the fourth player in the past 11 years to complete the trifecta of being named to the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference All-Conference Team, NJCAA Region IV Tournament All-Region Team and qualifying for nationals in the same season.

Owls head coach Louis Walker is proud of his golfer for winning the college award. "NZ is a great student-athlete who is very personable and has great character. He's always smiling and carries himself well as he is always respectful of others. His golf skills speak for themselves. To be a freshman qualifying for nationals speaks volumes."

And to be successful on the course and in the classroom, Maitha stays organized with time management.

"I get a lot done by breaking down my activities and how much time I need to spend on different things," he said. "I make sure I block out times for homework, my job, practice and working out. Writing everything down is key for me to get all my work done on time. Plus, I spend a great deal of time at the library because it's a nice quiet place that allows me to focus on the task at hand."

While Maitha is working on getting through his freshman year completing his general education requirements, he still considers himself a role model.

"I lead by example and am modest," he says. "Oakton has made a huge impact on my life by helping me get a good handle on things. I've matured over the last few months since I've started here and I'm willing to help others with whatever they need. Right now, I'm living the dream by playing golf and getting an education."