St. Viator's DeJulio excited about opportunity at Southern Illinois

When it comes to defense, just call on Sam DeJulio.

St. Viator girls basketball coach Jason Raymond calls his senior guard one of his top defenders.

Lions soccer coach Mike Taylor said his center-back was a major contributor to almost 20 shutouts for his team last spring.

And her work on the soccer field caught the eye of Southern Illinois University.

DeJulio committed to Salukis coach Grant Williams, a Division I assistant for 13 years who will become SIU's first women's soccer head coach in school history.

The newly-created program will prepare for competition this fall and for entry into the Missouri Valley Conference in 2020.

"All the coaches were so welcoming," DeJulio said. "And I think that has to be the No. 1 thing to have a good culture with everything. I can't wait to get out there."

And when she arrives on the Carbondale campus, DeJulio she plans to study forensics.

"The campus is gorgeous and they have my major which was another big thing," she said. "My dad actually studied forensics in school and I always watched the television show 'Forensic Files'. It's always been something I've loved."

She also loved playing both sports in high school.

"I always loved playing basketball and it's been a great way to get in shape for soccer," DeJulio said.

She spent her first two years of high school playing both sports at Palatine High School before transferring to the Arlington Heights-based St. Viator.

She turned out to be a key missing part in Taylor's rebuilt back line last spring which set conference records on its way to a second-place Class 2A trophy.

"What a great addition Sam was to our team, as well as to our defense," Taylor said after DeJulio was named East Suburban Catholic all-conference and all-area last spring. "She is a terrific athlete, who reads the game really well, and the rapport she developed with (goalie Anna Johnston) was a key reason for us earning nearly 20 shutouts on the season and advancing into the state tournament."

Congrats to Aaron

One of the finest headline writers you'll find, former longtime Daily Herald high school sports editor Aaron Gabriel is now making headlines.

Gabriel was selected as one of four winners of the St. Charles East's Jodie Harrison Lifetime Achievement award.

That means he will inducted into the school's Athletic hall of fame on Friday when the Saints boys basketball team hosts St. Charles North.

There will be a hall of fame reception in the school commons beginning at 5 p.m., followed by a brief presentation preceding the Tip-Off of the game (about 6:30 p.m.).

At SCE, Gabriel competed on three IHSA state-winning teams and he qualified each year as an individual. He tri-captained the 1983 state championship team.

Specializing in distance swimming, Gabriel placed second at the state meet twice (500 free) and he was third in the 200 free.

He then swam four years at the University of Wisconsin, winning Big Ten championships in the 500 and 1,650 free. He raced in U.S. Senior Nationals, Olympic Trials and NCAA championships. In addition, he was on-deck as a graduate assistant coach at Wisconsin.

Women's basketball

Olivet-Nazarene junior guard Sammy Stejskal (Buffalo Grove) scored a season-high 25 points in a history-making win for the Tigers.

Stejskals had six of the Tigers' record 36 3-pointers in a 157-58 win over visiting Calumet College of St. Joseph (IN).

The 36 3-pointers were the most by any collegiate women's basketball team at any level. The Tigers set a school single game scoring record.

Stejskal was 9 of 16 from the field, including 6 of 12 from 3-point range.

She also had 5 rebounds and 3 steals.

• Duke redshirt junior Haley Gorecki (Fremd) led the Blue Devils with 24 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in a double-overtime 92-90 loss to Boston College.

Softball

College of Central Florida freshman pitcher Caroline Hoppe (Barrington) threw a 3-hitter with 5 strikeouts in an 8-0 win over Tallahassee Community College.

It was Hoppe's third win without a loss to start her career and she also has a save for the Patriots, who are off to a 7-1 start.

Men's track

Illinois freshman Declan Rustay (Hoffman Estates) won his first collegiate event title by taking first place in the 400-meter race at the Illini Invitational at the UI Armory. He posted a collegiate personal record of 49.73.

Men's basketball

Oakton Community College sophomore forward Jack Framke (Maine West) was selected the college's male student-athlete of the month for January.

"Being recognized for my hard work on and off the court is quite the honor," Framke said in the school's news release. "I just do the best I can."

After graduating from Maine West in 2017, Framke attended the University of Illinois-Chicago for a year before transferring to Oakton.

He intends to transfer back to UIC in the fall to earn a four-year degree in environmental sciences.

Framke particularly excelled in the classroom, earning a 4.0 GPA and President's Scholar recognition for the fall semester while pursuing an associate of science degree.

Framke said making the switch to Oakton was a wise decision.

"Taking classes at Oakton helped save me lots of money," he said. "If I stayed at UIC for one more year, I would have had to take out student loans and gotten myself in debt.

"Coming to Oakton worked out great for me, as I'm able to finish my general education requirements. Also at Oakton, I was able to be active with the basketball team. I enjoy competing and being part of a team. I'm close with a lot of the Oakton players."

Framke also played varsity basketball for Maine West his junior and senior seasons.

"I didn't play basketball when I was at UIC," he said. "I missed being active and had an itch to get back to playing the game I love. I'm glad I have had that opportunity again while at Oakton."

Framke is averaging 5.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He has scored in double figures in three straight games.

"Jack is extremely dependable," said Owls head coach Mick Reuter. "He excels both on and off the court for us. Also, Jack continues to develop his game and adjust to his role with the team."

• Bucknell sophomore Jimmy Sotos (Conant) sank 3 free throws with 5.8 seconds remaining to give Bucknell a 71-68 victory over Loyola Maryland. It was the fifth straight win for Bucknell which improved to 12-7 and 6-1 against Patriot League opponents.

• Lake Forest forward senior forward Danny Sotos (Conant) scored 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting in a 95-90 win over Carroll College. He also tied for game-high honors with 6 rebounds.

Sotos then led Lake Forest with 22 points and scored the winning basket with 2.5 seconds remaining in a 73-69 victory at Ripon College.

He shot 9-for-13 from the field and made 3 of 5 attempts from 3-point range. He also grabbed 8 rebounds, including the one at the offensive end in the final few seconds with the score tied at 69.

Women's hockey

Adrian College junior Kelly O'Sullivan (Fremd) was named a weekly Top Performer for the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Division III women.

O'Sullivan scored 3 goals, including 2 power play goals, and added an assist in a sweep of Finlandia.

As a sophomore last winter, she played in all 29 games and led the team with 30 points (23 assists and 7 goals). She had two 2 power-play goals and 1 game-winning goal and led the team in shots with 119.

• Email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com