College Achievers: Forcucci is a master of passing efficiency
A former Falcon brings the Thunder a successful offense …
High-percentage passer
Wheaton College junior quarterback Mark Forcucci (Wheaton North High School), a Holy Cross transfer, was named the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) offensive player of the week following the Thunder’s 50-13 victory Oct. 19 at Carthage College.
Forcucci completed 21 of 30 passes for 243 yards and 4 touchdowns with no interceptions. The 6-foot, 189-pound slinger leads the CCIW and is 17th in Division III in passing accuracy at 70.3%. His 1,395 yards passing rank second in the CCIW.
In the 2021 Class 7A state championship, Forcucci completed 64% of his passes for 302 yards and 2 touchdowns in Wheaton North’s 35-6 win over St. Rita.
Wheaton visits Washington University Saturday in St. Louis in a battle of 4-1 CCIW teams trailing only unbeaten North Central College, which is No. 1 nationally in Division III.
Ironwoman
On Oct. 24, Northern Illinois University graduate midfielder Abby Zipse (Batavia) played in her 85th soccer game for the Huskies. That established a new program record for games played previously set from 1994-98 by another Batavia graduate, Debbie Huston, who recently was inducted into the NIU athletic hall of fame.
Zipse also scored a goal in the record-setting contest, a 3-1 win over Ball State in Muncie, Ind. Entering Saturday’s home game against Toledo, she had played in every Northern Illinois game since making her debut on March 4, 2021.
Swinging Maddux
Aurora University sophomore Maddux Tarasievich (Cary-Grove) on Oct. 16 earned Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference student-athlete of the week in men’s golf. Playing against Division II competition on Cog Hill’s Dubsdread course, Tarasievich tied for second individually at Lewis University’s Flyers Fall Intercollegiate on Oct. 7-8. Since then, on Oct. 13-14 Aurora took an 11-stroke lead after two rounds of the NACC championships entering the spring rounds in April 2025.
All-around guy
Mark Gronowski (Neuqua Valley), quarterback of two-time defending Football Championship Subdivision champion South Dakota State, is among 16 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy honoring academics, football accomplishment and leadership. North Central College quarterback Luke Lehnen is also a finalist.
A three-year team captain and 2023 Associated Press first-team FCS All-American, Gronowski in 2023 won the Walter Payton Award as the FCS’ best offensive player.
Also the 2023 FCS Athletic Director Association scholar-athlete of the year, Gronowski graduated in May with a 3.76 grade-point average in mechanical engineering and is pursuing his master’s degree in engineering management.
Among other activities — Special Olympics, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, his college student advisory committee — Gronowski was part of a South Dakota State engineering team that designed low-cost prosthetics for people in embattled countries.
Finalists for the National Football Foundation’s Campbell Trophy each receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. The winner, announced at an awards dinner Dec. 10 in Las Vegas, will see that amount increased to $25,000.
Hey, you!
Readers, do you know of any area high school graduates who might be candidates for College Achievers? Send them along to doberhelman@dailyherald.com.