They came from DuPage

Time again to peruse the overstuffed folder containing local athletes' exploits…

Cum Laude

Benj Petroelje, a senior goalkeeper and co-captain on the Taylor University men's soccer team, is the recipient of the school's Gates-Howard Award, presented to Taylor's top male athlete for 2007-08.

Petroelje, a wonderful person and former three-sport Timothy Christian star, led the Mid-Central Conference with 45 saves and a 0.78 goals against average. He notched 8 shutouts overall, seventh in the country in shutouts per game.

A different racket

You may recall Bryan Mullins, the former Downers Grove South basketball star now playing point guard at Southern Illinois.

His brother Chris is a sophomore tennis player at Augustana. Named second-team in the College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin, at No. 2 singles Mullins earned player of the week honors and helped the Vikings to a school-record 20 wins. He's on pace to break the school record of 58 singles wins.

Angel in the infield

Glenbard West graduate Ricky Angel, a senior second baseman at Illinois Wesleyan, was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division III National Hitter of the Week on April 24.

Rather than detail the full events of that week -- briefly, he had 22 RBI including two games of 7 apiece -- suffice it to say Angel became the school's all-time RBI leader. Earlier, on April 5, Angel became the Titans' all-time hits leader.

A bronze star

University of Illinois senior Ross Bradley, Naperville North Class of '04, earned his second career All-America honor at the NCAA Men's Gymnastics championships in April.

Bradley, who placed fifth in high bar with the best score of his career, concluded a comeback from an injury that ruined his 2007 season. In 2006, he earned his first All-America citing after an eighth-place high bar finish at nationals.

Huskies unite

Another Naperville North grad circa 2006, Julie Arthofer, a sophomore business student at Lehigh University, earned second-team all-Patriot League tennis honors for a second straight year. She posted an 11-6 singles record, but at No. 3 singles went 7-1. At No. 3 doubles she was 6-3.

At George Mason University, junior opposite hitter Kyle Gramit, a two-time all-conference selection, was chosen to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America Second Team. Per game, the Naperville North graduate was in the nation's top 17 in kills, points, blocks and aces.

Like father, like daughter

One look at former Waubonsie Valley and East Aurora assistant boys basketball coach Kerry Kelley will tell you he was once a dynamite player in his youth. His daughter plays a different sport, but to the same effect.

In mid-April Aly Kelly, a St. Xavier University senior catcher out of Waubonsie Valley, was named both the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference and NAIA Region VII softball player of the week.

As of May 10, Kelley led the Cougars in home runs, RBI, total bases and slugging percentage -- and was named to the NAIA All-Region VII Softball Team.

She also was among St. Xavier's "silver-medal" athletes boasting grade-point averages between 3.50 and 3.74. Another was freshman baseball player Jeff Dobie, out of Glenbard South. Hinsdale South product Alana LoPresti, a senior soccer player, is on the "bronze medal" list with a GPA between 3.25 and 3.49.

Odds and ends

CCAC softball freshman of the year: Nicole Dimiceli, Judson University via Lake Park.

College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Merle Chapman Leadership Award winners: Michelle Jorwic (soccer), Carthage College via York; Josh Williams (tennis), Wheaton College via Naperville Central. (Williams also was the CCIW's men's "player of the year for a second consecutive season.)

Addison Trail graduate Kennen Hootman earned Augustana men's swim team's most improved award -- as did Glenbard West grad Ellen Adams for women's indoor track.

Illinois State senior Kristin DeKeyrel, a senior from Glenbard North, was granted the swim team's Spirit Award a third consecutive season.

A stab at javelin

Augustana men's track coach Paul Olson had Downers Grove North graduate Jeff Lackaff in class. The coach convinced Lackaff -- literally an Augustana choirboy -- to join the team.

Since then Lackaff has finished in first place in javelin five times. His throw of 179 feet, 5 inches at Augustana's Meet of Champions ranks fourth all-time at the school.

Their fifth a first

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, aided by freshman Allison Nelson (Neuqua Valley) and senior Rachel Paney (Lake Park), qualified for the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championships for the first time ever this year. (In 2007 they participated as site host.)

In Cortland, N.Y., on April 29, Nelson earned second-team All-America by placing 12th in vault, her score ranking 13th all-time at Whitewater. Overall, the Warhawks placed fifth.

Paney, by the way, made the 2008 all-NCGA academic team.

The Bison Warriors

Former Waubonsie Valley state 800-meter champion Durrell Williams ran the anchor leg of Oklahoma Baptist's winning 3,200-meter relay at the Drake Relays on April 25. And on May 10 Williams' high school teammate and a fellow state titlist, Tracey Drew, ran an NAIA qualifying mark in the 400-meter hurdles.

Back-to-back jacks

Senior Mallory Paine (Glenbard North) and junior Kelly Dianis (Hinsdale Central) hit the cover off the softball at Lewis University.

Paine's 10 home runs this season -- she finished her career with a Lewis-record 25 -- and Dianis' 7 made them the only two Flyers players to hit 20 dingers in a career.

They both received all-region honors -- Paine for a third straight year, and she added her first academic all-district award.