Best & Brightest

• Kristen M. Wellhausen of Arlington Heights, a student at the Milwaukee School of Engineering in Wisconsin, was named to the Dean's List for having at least 30 credits and a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Wellhausen is pursuing bachelor's degrees in both electrical engineering and management.

• Kristin Nieminski of Rolling Meadows was named to the dean's list in a recent term of study at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Mich. She is a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University and Rolling Meadows High School.

• Melissa Gorski, daughter of Bill and Laura Gorski of Arlington Heights, and a junior English major at Monmouth College, helped guide the Fighting Scots to a 2-0 week and was rewarded with the Midwest Conference Performer of the Week honor in women's basketball. Gorski had back-to-back double-doubles in a pair of games. In a game against Grinnell, the junior guard poured in 22 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for a Scots' 83-64 win. The team won against Augustana 74-48 when Gorski helped the Scots break open another close game, scoring 7 of her 22 points in the final minutes of the first half. She pulled down 12 rebounds in the game and hit all of her free throw attempts.

Gorski averaged 22 points, 12.5 rebounds and four assists per game while shooting 48-percent from the floor (13-27). She is in the top five in the Midwest Conference in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, free throw percentage and 3-point percentage.

Two days after being named the Midwest Conference Performer of the Week in women's basketball, Gorski was named to the D3Hoops.com Team of the Week. Gorski received her first selection to the national team after the MIWC recognized her for her back-to-back double-doubles in a pair of games.

• Brooke Peterson, daughter of Gary and Cheryl Peterson of Arlington Heights, was named to the spring 2007 semester dean's list at Olivet Nazarene University for achieving a grade-point average of 3.50 or higher. Peterson is a sophomore majoring in secondary education/English with a minor in criminal justice, and is a member of the varsity basketball team, on the dean's list and the recipient of a Leadership scholarship. She is a 2005 graduate of Rolling Meadows High School.

• Donald R. Zimmanck, son of Robert D. and Mary K. Zimmanck of Arlington Heights, graduated in June 2007 from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., with a bachelor's degree and honors in engineering sciences. Zimmanck was also a four-year member of the Dartmouth crew team.

• Gavin John Duba, son of Norb and Kay Duba of Arlington Heights, graduated with honors in May 2007 from Lewis University with a major in aviation flight management and minors in business and dispatching. Duba was on the dean's list every semester with an overall 3.6 grade-point average. He has a private pilot license with an instrument rating, an Advanced Ground Instructor Certificate and is currently working on a commercial license. He received his dispatching license in June 2007.

Duba, a 2003 graduate of Buffalo Grove High School, was a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and received the Senior Departmental Award in the spring of 2007 from the College of Arts & Sciences in aviation flight management. He was also the recipient of the Employee of the Year Award for manager of the Lewis University student recreation center in 2005-06.