All-star from Hinsdale among top scorers in Division III hockey

Amy Laskowski, a sophomore forward for the women’s hockey team at Nazareth University in Rochester, N.Y., was named the United College Hockey Conference (UCHC) player of the year for a second straight season.

The Hinsdale Central High School graduate repeated as a first-team UCHC pick after she led the conference with 25 goals, 24 assists and 49 points — all among the best in Division III hockey. Her 6 game-winning goals also led the UCHC.

Entering Nazareth’s Saturday game in the NCAA Division III playoffs, Laskowski has set the Golden Flyers’ single-season records for goals, points and power-play goals with 10, and her assists mark is tied for second. A third-team All-American last season, adding the 5-foot-2 forward’s freshman statistics and she is in Nazareth’s top 10 in each category.

Nazareth (25-1-1) is rated No. 5 in Division III by United States College Hockey Online. The Golden Flyers were undefeated until Elmira beat them in the UCHC Championship to snap Nazareth’s streak of four straight titles.

Zack to the defense

Laskowski’s Nazareth teammate, Allie Zack (Lake Zurich), is a junior defender. She just earned her second straight UCHC defensive player of the year award.

Playing in all 85 of Nazareth games through three seasons, in addition to scoring 5 goals with 13 assists this season Zack’s plus-36 plus-minus rating leads the Golden Flyers, and she is by far the team leader with 35 blocked shots. Zack has helped produce 5 shutouts for a Nazareth team that has allowed 32 goals, 1.2 goals a game.

No soph slump

Connor May (Palatine), a 6-foot-6 sophomore forward for the Washington University (St. Louis) men’s basketball team, made first-team all-conference in the University Athletic Association.

The UAA “rookie of the year” as a freshman, this season May averaged 17.3 points and 7.2 rebounds to help lead the Warhawks into the NCAA Division III Sweet Sixteen. May led “Wash U” in both scoring and rebounding, and he was top two among Washington regulars in 3-pointers, free-throw percentage, blocked shots, steals and minutes played.

Also playing for Washington, senior guard Will Grudzinski (Barrington), a two-time all-academic UAA pick, averaged 4.7 points and 2.4 rebounds.

Into her own

Tessa Towers (Batavia) has blossomed for a Ball State women’s basketball team that claimed a share of the Mid-American Conference regular-season title for a second straight season.

A 6-5 senior who played 30 minutes in 2024-25 and transferred from Wisconsin after playing nine minutes over two seasons, Towers is averaging 8.3 rebounds and 14.8 points on 53% field-goal shooting in 24 games, all starts. Last week she was named to the all-MAC first team. Towers has 10 double-doubles, including a game at Kent State in which she scored 29 points with 11 rebounds.

Shutdown defender

Notre Dame lacrosse player Nate Schwitzenberg attended Loyola Academy, but Arlington Heights is his hometown. The junior defender early this month was named Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the week after an 11-8 win over Maryland.

Schwitzenberg caused a turnover and picked up a groundball for the No. 1-ranked Irish, but the main thing was holding his All-American mark to 1 point and helping contain Maryland to 8 or less goals in a home game for only the second time since a shot clock was implemented in 2019.

Big name

Boston University sophomore hockey defenseman Cole Hutson did not attend Barrington High School, but he did attend Barrington schools through the eighth grade. Hutson has been following the path of older brother, Lane Hutson, the National Hockey League 2025 rookie of the year with the Montreal Canadiens.

Cole Hutson, drafted by the Washington Capitals in 2024 and first-team All-American his freshman year at Boston, on Friday was named to the Hockey East All-Stars for a second straight season. He joins his brother as the only two defensemen to earn Hockey East first-team honors in each of their first two seasons.

In 34 games entering Saturday’s league quarterfinals, Cole Hutson had scored 10 goals with 22 assists for 32 points, leading the Terriers in assists, a plus-14 plus-minus, and 4 game-winning goals. He’d also blocked 40 shots.

Elmhurst’s Kamil Bednarik also plays for Boston University, scoring 5 goals with 11 assists in 34 games.