Rolling Meadows graduate Rezny goes long in indoor shot put
The great sport of track and field is underway, with a local athlete throwing deep in shot put...
Will Rezny (Rolling Meadows), a 2018 high school graduate, made the top-10 list for indoor shot put with the University of Illinois men’s track program.
A senior thrower, Rezny sent the 16-pound shot 18.30 meters (60 feet, ½ inch) on Jan. 27 at the Illini Challenge held at the University of Illinois Armory in Champaign.
In the season’s second week, Illinois’ men’s team was ranked No. 11 in the Division I by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, best in the Big Ten. (The women entered the season No. 1 and in the second week were No. 5.)
Rezny’s personal-best throw placed second at the Illini Challenge behind teammate Tyler Sudduth, out of Rich South, and lodged at No. 7 all-time among Illini men indoors.
As a Rolling Meadows senior in 2018, Rezny finished fourth in Class 3A at 58-4 with the 12-pound shot.
St. Olaf senior Will Kelly (Glenbrook South) broke school and conference records in the 5,000-meter run Jan. 26 at the St. Olaf Invitational and Multi in Northfield, Minn.
Kelly earned his seventh Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference athlete of the week honor after running a time of 14 minutes, 20.51 seconds. As of Jan. 29 his converted time of 14:11.39 ranked fourth in Division III.
Before the women’s basketball season even began, Eastern Kentucky guard Antwainette Walker (St. Francis) was earning notice.
The 5-foot-11 graduate student merited a spot on the preseason all-Atlantic Sun Conference team and was named its preseason player of the year. ESPN called Walker a player of the year “frontrunner,” and she was named to the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Watchlist.
In 2022-23 Walker, who transferred from Marquette, was the ASUN newcomer of the year and made first-team all-conference. In her first 17 games this season she was averaging 19 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals.
Western Michigan senior goaltender Cameron Rowe (New Trier) is one of 32 college goalies the Hockey Commissioners Association named to its “watch list” for the 2024 Mike Richter Award presented to the top NCAA Division I goalie.
On the all-Big Ten Rookie Team in 2020-21 while playing at Wisconsin, Rowe earned National Collegiate Hockey Conference goaltender of the week five times last year and once so far this season.
Starting every game this season for the Broncos, entering a Feb. 2 game at highly ranked University of Denver, Rowe was 15-8-1 with 2 shutouts, a 2.29 goals-against average, and a .911 save percentage.