Stevenson’s Martin’s a hit in California Collegiate League
Michael Martin’s summer in the California Collegiate League could not have gone much better.
The Stevenson graduate was selected as the league’s Most Valuable Player and he won the award for the top hitting prospect.
Playing for Team Vegas, Martin led the CCL in batting average (.426), hits (60) and on-base percentage (.509) and was second in runs (36), third in stolen bases (21) and fourth in slugging percentage (.532).
Martin will be a sophomore at Harvard this spring. As a freshman in college, he batted in the leadoff spot and played centerfield. Martin hit .270 with 3 home runs and 12 stolen bases.
Women’s cross country
Southern Illinois’ Kelley Gallagher (Vernon Hills) is off to a strong start in her sophomore cross country campaign after red-shirting her freshman year.
Gallagher finished 65th in a field of 513 runners at Loyola’s Sean Earl 5K Invitational with a time of 18:44 helping the Salukis place sixth out of 51 teams at the event.
She has also notched two top-10 finishes this season with a sixth at the Saluki Invitational (18:58) and ninth at the EIU Walt Crawford Open (18:34).
The Saluki women took home first place honors at both events.
Ÿ Augustana senior Sarahbeth Jones (Warren) was named the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin “Runner of the Week” for the second consecutive week after destroying the field at the Brissman/Lundeen Invitational at Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island.
Jones led from start to finish en route to posting a winning time of 21:40.8 over the flat, and fast, 6,000 meter layout at Saukie. She won by 37 seconds over runner-up Karen Grauel (22:17.9) of Truman State. It was Jones’ second race of the season and followed an impressive fifth-place finish at the Illinois Intercollegiate Championships at D.A. Weibring Golf Course in Normal, Illinois. In that outing, she set an Augustana school record for 5,000 meters with a time of 17:41, breaking Kim Lehman’s 1982 mark of 17:47.
Gurnee Park District
The Gurnee Park District is offering fencing classes for students 13 to 18 years of age at the Woodland Middle School in Gurnee starting Wednesday, Oct. 17.
Also, there is also co-ed and women’s volleyball programs for those 19 years of age and up meeting on Tuesday nights at the Viking Jr. High in Gurnee.
For more information or to register for these programs visit gurneeparkdistrict.com
Girls volleyball
It was 1983 when Nancy Lill won her first IHSA varsity match as a coach.
Twenty eight seasons later, the leader of Hersey’s girls volleyball program is approaching 800 wins, a plateau only five others have reached in Illinois girls volleyball.
“I blinked,” Lill said of how fast the time has gone.
Time goes fast when you’re having fun.
“People will say when are you going to quit?” said Lill, who will go for No. 800 today at 6 p.m. at Buffalo Grove when her powerful Huskies try to win their 46th consecutive Mid-Suburban League match. “But it never gets old. It’s so much fun. I love it.”
And the Huskies love playing for Lill.
“Coach Lill is a great coach and has been able to reach a remarkable 800 wins because she has a love for the game so evident that it carries to each and every one of her players,” said Huskies senior setter Abby Fesl, whose sisters Megan and Annie were also all-area standouts for Lill. “These past four years playing for coach Lill has been a great experience. She has influenced so many players and being part of that legacy is an honor.”
Lill’s overall record stands at 799-245, a nifty winning percentage of .765 that includes a second, third and fourth-place finish in three IHSA state finals, 21 regional titles, 8 sectional crowns and 6 supersectional wins, 16 MSL divisional titles and 8 overall.
“It’s a fine accomplishment,” said senior Anna Mullen-Muhr, who is the Huskies’ top attacker this season. “She is very supportive, knows how to coach and make players improve. And she keeps everything positive at the same time.”
Lill, who was the head girls coach at Wheeling for three seasons (68-35) before taking over at Hersey in 1988, takes all the wins in stride.
“That number (800) is just an indication of all the great athletes I’ve had all these years,” Lill said. “It’s not something I ever dwell on. Maybe some day I will look back and say ‘that was really cool’ but when you’re in the middle of a season you are focused on what your players are doing.”
Women’s tennis
Elmhurst’s Annie Duggan (Prospect) was named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin “Player of the Week.”
Duggan, a freshman from Arlington Heights, finished 3-1 at No. 1 singles and 3-1 at No. 2 doubles in four CCIW matches. She picked up singles wins against Carthage’s Bari Reynolds (6-4, 6-1), North Central’s Jenny Velasquez (6-0, 6-3) and Millikin’s Cydney Boyd (6-0, 6-0). Duggan then teamed with Lauren Kuehn and picked up doubles wins against North Central (8-4), Millikan (8-1) and Illinois Wesleyan (8-5).
Men’s soccer
Saint Xavier junior goalkeeper Kyle Held (Palatine) was named the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference “Defensive Player of the Week”.
Held was instrumental in a pair of shutout victories for the Cougars with a 3-0 win over Cornerstone (Mich.) and a 2-0 victory over Trinity International in the conference opener.
Held earned the weekly honor for the second time this season (first came on Aug. 27) after posting a pair of shutouts during the seven-day period.
He saved 6 shots total on the week. Four of the saves came against Cornerstone. Held’s 2 shutouts give him a league-leading three on the season and the 10th of his collegiate career.
Ÿ Please email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com or FAX to (847) 427-1173.