Buffalo Grove recognizes retiring O’Shea

Buffalo Grove’s girls volleyball team begins the Class 4A state tournament today.

And it marks the final state tournament for coach Marianne O’Shea.

She is retiring after serving 12 years as the school’s girls athletic director and six as its head girls volleyball coach.

This season’s second-place finish in the Mid-Suburban East equaled the Bison’s finest season.

Mark Schaetzlein, BG’s assistant principal for student activities, acknowledged O’Shea’s contributions at her final MSL home match two weeks ago with a dedication night for the coach.

“There is no one, I mean no one, who champions the needs and extols the virtues of female athletics more than Marianne,” he told the crowd that included nearly 30 family members, one being her son Tom, who traveled from Omaha, Neb., where he is an assistant coach for the Creighton women’s volleyball team. “Often times, we hear about statistics and accomplishments, but Marianne’s greatest accomplishment is in the form of people, friends, family and players who she has cared for over the years.

“Marianne stood as an example of perseverance from her time as our athletic assistant to her move into the girls AD and all the other professions in between. She showed her commitment toward serving others for their good, not her own.”

O’Shea’s team ended the regular season by winning the Buffalo Grove Invite on Saturday with a 4-0 record.

“As a coach, she really knows what she is doing,” said Bison senior setter Kathy Hampton about O’Shea who started the school’s girls golf program. “She knows how to read other teams and tells us where to hit to our advantage. She always comes prepared to our matches with information on the other team.

“And even if we are having a bad day, she can still make things fun for us.”

“In a world that far too often appears unreasonable, Marianne is the voice of reason,” Schaetzlein added.

Women’s volleyball

Wisconsin-Milwaukee freshman Kayla Price (Fremd) is tied for first at the top of the Horizon League setting statistics with 10.8 assists per set.

Milwaukee is currently 10-0 in the Horizon and 17-4 overall and Price has been the primary setter for every match.

Ÿ USC freshman outside hitter Emily Young had 5 kills (no errors for a .556 performance) with 2 blocks in a 25-12, 25-14, 25-15 victory over Oregon State.

USC (15-3, 10-1) won its season-high 10th straight Pac-12 match, the most by the Trojans since the 2003 national championship season when they were a perfect 18-0 to win the conference title.

Football

Illinois Wesleyan’s Scott Wenzel (Rolling Meadows) was named the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Football “Defensive Player of the Week.”

The senior defensive back totaled 11 tackles, including 6 solos, and forced a fumble during the Titans’ 24-12 win over Elmhurst. Wenzel was part of a defense that limited the Bluejays to a season-low 249 yards.

Ÿ North Dakota State senior Scott Stoczynski (Hoffman Estates) was credited with 3 tackles, including a half-sack and a quarterback hurry, in a 38-14 victory over South Dakota State.

Sam Ojuri (Barrington) had 52 yards on 8 carries for the fourth-ranked Bison, who are now 7-0 and 4-0 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Junior Golf

Doug Ghim of Arlington Heights was named a second-team Rolex Junior All-American.

Ghim, 15, is a sophomore at Buffalo Grove High School and is the No. 24 player in the Polo Golf Rankings. He posted four top-two finishes in 2011, including victories at the McArthur Towel & Sports Future Legends and the Coca-Cola Junior Championship at Boyne Highlands.

Women’s soccer

Kelley Moran (Stevenson) plays her last regular season game for Carroll University (Wisconsin) at Lake Forest College at noon Sunday.

Moran, who played on an elite Buffalo Grove soccer team called “The Raptors” and for four years on the Stevenson varsity, is the captain for Carroll.

Men’s soccer

Freshman Bobak Khalili (Schaumburg) and sophomore Cody Uidl (Maine West), two defenders at Oakton Community College, were named second team all-conference in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate.

Wrestling

The Junior Cougar Wrestling Club will hold registration on Wednesday, Nov. 2 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Conant High School wrestling room. Enter through Door 19 on the northeast side of the school. Each wrestler will need a birth certificate and $160 season fee, which includes uniform and all costs for the season. Grade school and junior high school students are welcome to attend. Practices will be held on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at Conant from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The first practice will be held Monday, Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the Conant wrestling room. For information, contact Brad Bessemer at (847) 844–7493 or jrcougars.com.

Kessel Heat

The Kessel Heat basketball club will be holding evaluations for winter travel on Nov. 14 at the Lake Barrington Fieldhouse and Nov. 15 and 17 at the Libertyville Sports Complex. Each team will participate in seven tournaments. Please visit the website for practice times and days at kesselstraining.com

Boys rugby

The Arlington Stallions Rugby Club will hold an informational meeting and early sign-up for players and parents on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 1 p.m. at AthletiCo Inc.

AthletiCo is located at 88 S. Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights. The Stallions offer competitive rugby teams during the spring season for boys in grades 5-12. It is a member of USA Rugby and the Illinois Youth Rugby Association. See ArlingtonStallionsRugby.com or call Paul Bergman at (847) 590-8536.

Swimming

Former Stevenson three-time state swimming champion Ashley Wanland placed second in the 100-meter breaststroke at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Wanland’s USA teammate, Annie Chandler, earned the gold by touching the wall in 1:07.90.

Wanland, a Long Grove resident and senior at Wisconsin, finished in 1:08.55 to give the USA a 1-2 finish in the event.

Canada’s Ashley McGregor earned the bronze with a time of 1:08.96.

Held every four years, the Pan American Games are the second-largest multi-sport event behind the summer Olympics.

This summer, Wanland was one of 48 swimmers selected to represent the United States at the event based on her performance at the 2011 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships at Stanford University in August.

Wanland’s silver medal at the Pan American Games was her first top-three finish and second top-eight finish in international competition this year. She swam at the World University Games in Shenzhen, China in August, where she took seventh place in the 200-meter breaststroke.

Ÿ Please e-mail Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com or FAX to (847) 427-1173.