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Babicz brothers come up big for DePaul

The DePaul men's track and field capped its Big East season in stellar fashion on Sunday afternoon at Villanova University in Philadelphia.

And two former Prospect graduates played their parts.

The Blue Demons posted 166 points to grab second place in the conference behind host Villanova.

DePaul senior and the former Knight Matt Babicz was named the men's Most Outstanding Field Performer.

Babicz won the shot put competition in convincing fashion at the championships.

He threw a career-best and championship-record toss of 19.27 meters to capture the crown over his brother Anthony Babicz, a junior who took second place (15.91 meters).

The Blue Demons also swept the men's discus event where Matt Babicz took second in second (49.83 meters).

Matt, who competed for coaches Mike Kamedula (head coach), Joe Rupslauk and Rich Hedstrom while at Prospect, is having quite a season for DePaul coach Dave Dopek.

Matt earned second-team All-American honors, competing in the NCAA Indoor National Championships on March 14 and 15. He qualified with his career best throw of 19.43 meters on Jan. 31.

'Blood-borne Cancer Day'

It will be a special day when the Fremd and Palatine softball teams meet next Monday at Fremd.

The teams will wear orange 'Blood-borne Cancer Day' T-shirts in honor of Fremd assistant coach TJ Valacak's battle with Leukemia.

A mix of lime green will be splashed in for the annual battle against Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Shirts will also be sold at the game for $10 each with proceeds going to blood-borne cancer research.

Last year, almost $3,000 was raised at the Fremd-Palatine softball game and the entire Mid-Suburban League softball community raised $5,500.

Softball

• First, Charleston Southern's Mandi Matsumoto (Fremd) was named to the All-Freshman Team in the Big South Conference.

This past week, the Bucaneers leadoff batter was named the all-tournament team of Big South Softball Championship.

Matusmoto helped the Crusaders become the first No. 7 seed to win the Big South as they defeated No. 1 Coastal Carolina 3-1 to earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA championships.

Charleston Southern (27-31-1) is now 2-1 all-time in Big South Championship games and won its first championship since the inaugural tournament in 1988. The Buccaneers never trailed throughout the championship, defeating No. 2 Longwood twice and the top-seeded Chanticleers (41-15).

• Winona State sophomore Hanna Lythberg (Prospect) helped her team go 46-7 and secure the No. 1 seed in the NCAA D-II Central Region tournament.

Lythberg is currently fifth in the Northern Sun conference with a 2.20 ERA and third in wins (22-3).

She defeated Augustana of South Dakota, 3-1, with 8 strikeouts to win the Northern Sun Conference tournament and guarantee Winona State an automatic bid into the D-II tournament.

Lythberg was also selected to the Northern Sun Conference's all-conference first team and received the league's 'Newcomer of the Year' award.

As a freshman, Lythberg played at Valdosta State University in Georgia (16-6, conference best 1.94 ERA) where she helped her team to a World Series berth and then decided to transfer to Winona State.

• North Central junior first baseman Kiersten Tinkoff (Barrington) was named to the second team of the CCIW all-conference team.

• Philadelphia University utility player Renee Kakareka (Schaumburg) was named to the All-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference second team.

Kakareka has served as a pitcher, right fielder, and designated player for the Rams during the 2014 season.

As a hitter, she is ninth in the CACC in hitting with a team-leading .391 batting average and has driven in 16 runs. In the pitching circle, Karakera is 3-1 with a 3.75 earned run average and 30 strikeouts in 37.1 innings of work.

Philadelphia finished the regular season 25-14, 15-11 in the CACC.

• Wisconsin-Whitewater junior third baseman Jo Jablonski (Palatine) was named first team all-conference in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

She has been in the starting lineup every game this season for the Warhawks, who have advanced to the NCAA Division III Super Regional hosted by Illinois Wesleyan this Friday and Saturday.

Jablonski, named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Player of the Week earlier this season, is hitting .383 with 6 homers and 26 RBI.

She has drawn 11 walks and sacrifice bunted nine times, both second most on the team this season. Her .619 slugging percentage is tenth best in the WIAC this season. Jablonski was named First Team CoSIDA Academic All-District earlier this season.

• University of Chicago sophomore Devan Parkison (Elk Grove) batted .287 with 17 runs and teammate Maggie O'Hara (Barrington) hit .308 with 19 runs as the Maroons (25-10) reached the Division II postseason for the eighth time and second in three years.

Women's track

Illinois Wesleyan sophomore Angela Herrmann (Conant) took third place (49:54) in the 4x100, a personal best third place (12:31) in the 100-meter dash, first place (25:32) in the 200 dash and first place (3:52) in the 4x400 really at the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin track and field championships at North Central College.

Herrmann was elected the team captain by her peers for next year's team and she is on the dean's list.

• Augustana's Becca Sund (Palatine) finished fourth in the metric mile at the CCIW meet.

• Wisconsin-La Crosse's Rebecca Zych (Rolling Meadows) placed third (18:21.12) in the 5,000-meter run at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships at the Oshkosh Sports Complex.

• North Central senior Nora Ferguson (Schaumburg) placed first in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:17.07 at CCIW Outdoor Championship on the Jay and Dot Buikema Track.

Ferguson also placed second in the 800, third in the mile and seventh in the 5,000 at the CCIW Indoor Championships. She competed at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships in the mile where she placed 16th, and earned Academic All-CCIW for the winter season.

Men's track

Missouri redshirt freshman Tim Johnson (Palatine)won the 3000 meter steeplechase at the Tom Bott's Invitational on his home track.

Johnson easily bested his previous best time by recording a mark of 9:19.5.

The result sealed his qualification for this week's Southeastern Conference outdoor track and field conference championships in Lexington, Kent.

Johnson is the third best freshman steeplechaser going into the final on Saturday and ranks 15th overall in the conference.

At Palatine, Johnson was the third man on the Pirates' 2011 state championship boys cross country team.

• Please email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com.

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