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Marmion’s champion golfer has a day

Marmion senior golfer Regan Konen won another state title and with it, a day dedicated in his honor by the city of Aurora.

Konen got some television airtime last week on ABC 7 “Eyewitness News,” which showed him at Aurora’s City Hall earning a proclamation of his birthday, March 29, being named “Regan Konen Day” in the city.

A similar event happened this spring when the city council named July 23 as Patrick Hilby Day in Aurora after the former Aurora Central Catholic runner won his 800-meter event at the New Balance Nationals Indoor.

The Chicago Catholic League’s medalist and Tony Lawless Award winner as the CCL’s most valuable male golfer (Cadets coach Lou Solarte also won a Lawless Award), Konen repeated as Class 2A champion Oct. 19 at the Weibring Golf Club in Normal.

Competing in a three-way sudden death playoff against Wheaton Academy’s Ben Patel and Owen Coniaris, Konen took the title when he sank a short birdie putt on the second hole of sudden death.

The “Eyewitness News” folks were excited for Konen — and for his parents, Brian and Ann — that he will receive a full-tuition scholarship to Marquette University. Regan Konen signed with Marquette on Nov. 13.

Marquette noted that Konen was the medalist in 10 of 12 events this season and averaged a score of 69.4. Konen came into Weibring hot, off wins at the CCL tournament and both the Lemont regional and Lemont sectional.

Early bird

At 8:27 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18, Hampshire girls assistant basketball coach Michelle Bannerman emailed to the Daily Herald the results of the Whip-Purs’ season opener against Fremd at Hampshire’s Doreen Zierer Turkey Tournament.

It was the first box score of the 2024-25 season. Welcome to winter.

A first

On that angle though into the new year, Lake Park High School and Lancers boys basketball coach Billy Pitcher have established the inaugural DuKane vs. Mid-Suburban League Shootout, set for Jan. 11 at Lake Park’s West Campus in Roselle.

Pitcher said he was inspired to start the interleague competition by the annual ACC/Big Ten Men’s Basketball Challenge.

Starting with St. Charles North playing Schaumburg at 9 a.m. that Saturday, and capped by the 7:30 p.m. tipoff between Lake Park against Conant, the schedule offers seven games.

St. Charles East-Hoffman Estates (10:30 a.m.), Wheaton North-Wheeling (12:30 p.m.), Glenbard North-Hersey (2 p.m.), Batavia-Prospect (4:30 p.m.) and Wheaton Warrenville South-Palatine (6 p.m.) are the other games.

“We just hope to grow it into an annual event,” said Lake Park athletic director Pete Schauer. He said there’s been talk about rotating host sites or holding the event at a neutral site, maybe in a college gymnasium.

Pitcher said he anticipates “Competitive games, good atmosphere and good crowds. Hopefully we have a crossover with the crowd and people want to hang around, and fans of basketball in the suburbs want to come check out well-coached teams.

“Our freshman and sophomore teams, they should be living in the gym that day watching all these good players,” Pitcher said — or warned, perhaps.

Class of the mat

On Nov. 14 the National Wrestling Hall of Fame released its latest girls high school rankings it assembles with USA Wrestling and FloWrestling.

Two area senior wrestlers were included: Lakes’ Josephine Larson was No. 2 at 190 pounds, and Glenbard North’s Gabby Gomez was fourth at 115. Both saw their standing improve since the prior rankings.

Larson placed fifth at 190 pounds at the 2023 Illinois High School Association meet as a freshman and improved to second in the 2024 finals at the same weight.

Gomez won her third straight state title last season, the past two at 115 pounds and at 105 pounds as a freshman. With a junior record of 38-0 according to the IHSA, she’s unbeaten in high school.

In FloWrestling’s own national rankings of the Class of 2025, Gomez is the nation’s No. 19 wrestler, and Larson No. 29.

In the National Wrestling Hall of Fame national pound-for-pound rankings Lockport junior Morgan Turner, the state’s defending 110-pound champ, is No. 2.

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

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