These local products have earned their spring break
Ah yes, spring break. First, let's see what some local graduates did over the winter in their college pursuits ...
Much has been written about Wisconsin senior and Benet graduate Frank Kaminsky as he enters the Division I men's basketball Final Four. Let's pile on: first-team All-America by The Associated Press, National Association of Basketball Coaches, United States Basketball Writers Association and Sporting News; Big Ten Conference Player of the Year; Wooden Award finalist and Wooden Award All-America; Naismith Award finalist; Senior CLASS Award finalist for men's basketball. "Frank the Tank" is Wisconsin's first consensus All-American in 70 years and the second Badger to compile 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocked shots.
Lee Skinner (Glenbard East), a senior forward at Wofford, repeated as a second-team all-district selection by the NABC. The Southern Conference Tournament's most outstanding player averaged 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists to help the Terriers to a 28-7 record, their most wins ever.
Will Sullivan (York) ended his four-year basketball career at Miami (Ohio) tied for the program's record in games played, 124. The senior guard, who played in every game all four years and started 84, led this year's squad in minutes, rebounds, free throw percentage, 3s and 3-point percentage and was second in assists and scoring.
Elmhurst College senior forward Fiona McMahon (St. Francis) captured a third-team All-America honor by D3hoops.com. College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin player of the year and D3hoops first-team all-Region, McMahon led the Bluejays with 18.6 points a game, 8.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks, scoring a career-high 37 points in Elmhurst's regular-season finale. She finished seventh in program scoring, fourth in rebounding, third in blocked shots and games played and second in field goal percentage.
Carthage College junior forward Alexis Hahn (Lake Park) joined Elmhurst's McMahon on the D3hoops All-Region squad, as a third-team selection. A CCIW first-team pick, Hahn finished among the top four in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots.
A senior guard and co-captain for Division III national runner-up Augustana, Danielus Jurgutis (Downers Grove South) played in a program-tying 32 basketball games. He finished among Augie's top-50 players in all-time points, 3-pointers, 3-point percentage, free throws, free-throw percentage and assists.
North Central sophomore forward Jamie Cuny (Naperville Central) earned Basketball Writers Association national player of the week honors in December after recording a double-double and then a triple-double, the Cardinals' first in history. Her 10 blocks in a 101-97 win at Carroll set North Central's record.
Junior defensive specialist Geena Mancuso (Waubonsie Valley) didn't lead Millikin's women's volleyball team in digs - that was freshman Christina Capuani (Addison Trail). Yet Mancuso played in all 40 matches and in 148 of 150 sets and earned the Big Blue Heart and Soul Award.
Minnesota freshman winger Cara Piazza (Downers South) played all 41 games for Minnesota's women's hockey team, which won its sixth Division I national title. Piazza scored 11 goals with 6 assists for 17 points and also blocked 20 shots, 2 of them in a 4-1 win over Harvard to win the title.
A Hobey Baker Award nominee as best men's college hockey player, Notre Dame senior defenseman Robbie Russo (Westmont, though he matriculated in Michigan playing with a U.S. national team) earned first-team all-Hockey East selection. As of March 19 Russo led all defensemen with 15 goals and ranked second nationally with 41 points. The country's only blue-liner to score a hat trick, Russo was plus-13 while placing fifth in Hockey East in assists, tied for sixth in points.
One area player remains in hockey's Division I Frozen Four - Nebraska-Omaha sophomore defenseman Ian Brady, out of Lombard. Playing in 37 games for the 20-12-6 Mavericks, Brady has 5 goals and 21 points, 44 blocked shots and is a plus-2 for Omaha, which plays Providence in its semifinal April 9 in Boston.
At the NCAA Division I men's indoor track and field championships, Michigan State sophomore Tim Ehrhardt (Lake Park) earned first-team All-America honors with his seventh-place finish in heptathlon. Runner-up in the Big Ten heptathlon, Ehrhardt took first in Big Ten pole vault. Former Lake Park teammate and Rice sophomore Scott Filip finished 10th in Division I heptathlon. Earlier, Filip set a Rice and Conference USA heptathlon record with 5,785 points.
Nebraska junior Jake Bender (Neuqua Valley) earned his second All-America honor when at the Division I indoor nationals he led off the Huskers' second-place 1,600-meter relay, which set a school record at 3 minutes, 4.83 seconds. Bender was part of a 2014 outdoor All-America relay as well. Bender placed sixth in the 400 at the Big Ten indoor meet.
Michigan State senior Tori Franklin (Downers South) finished 12th in triple jump at the Division I meet. At the Big Ten meet she won triple jump, ran on a second-place 1,600 relay and ran the second leg of the Spartans' winning distance medley relay - with Purdue sophomore Hope Schmelzle (Wheaton Warrenville South) on the third-place squad.
Texas junior Morolake Akinosun (Waubonsie Valley) led off the Longhorns' 1,600-meter relay that placed first at the NCAA indoor in 3:28.48, fifth in Texas women's history. Akinosun also earned second-team All-America in the 60 and 200 dashes. She was just named most outstanding performer at last weekend's Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays.
In the Division III national indoor track championships, a trio of Glenbard East graduates placed top 12 in their events. Jamie Gradishar, a sophomore at Illinois Wesleyan, placed ninth in pole vault. Benedictine senior Billy Sipek took 10th in high jump. Nia Joiner, a Wesleyan senior, finished second in the women's 60-meter dash in 7.60 seconds and 12th in long jump. Branden Miller (Wheaton North), a senior at Carthage, finished 12th in shot put.
Illinois State senior Kelly McShea (St. Francis) won the 3,000-meter run at the Missouri Valley Conference indoor meet. She broke from the pack to win in a personal-best time of 9:34.90, third in school history. McShea placed third in the 5,000 with the Redbirds' seventh best time ever.
Several area athletes joined McShea with MVC indoor all-conference finishes. Wheaton North graduates and Illinois State teammates Paul Steeno and Aidan Askin, a freshman and junior respectively, went eighth and ninth in the mile. Loyola junior Antwon James (Glenbard East) placed third in triple jump while Northern Iowa sophomore Shawn Koch (Lake Park) took seventh in the event. Northern Iowa sophomore Theresa Connelly (Montini) ran on a third-place 1,600 relay. Illinois State freshman Katelyn Hill (Glenbard South) finished fourth in the 200 and as part of the 1,600 relay, and sixth in the 60 hurdles.
Other Lake Park boys beside Koch and Erhardt placed well in their indoor meets. Iowa senior Kevin Spejcher was third in Big Ten high jump. Eastern Illinois freshman Elliot Krause placed sixth in Ohio Valley Conference pole vault. Also at the OVC, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville sophomore Greg Block was second in weight throw, third in shot put - just ahead of Eastern soph Riley Kittridge (Waubonsie Valley).
Millikin freshman Paul Selman (Glenbard West) had a fine day at the CCIW indoor track meet. The sprinter placed second in both the 55- and 200-meter dashes and ran on a third-place 1,600 relay. His respective times in those events ranked fourth, third and tied for first in school history.
Arizona senior Kevin Cordes (Neuqua Valley), a 15-time All-American and the 2015 Pac-12 men's swimming and diving scholar-athlete, won the NCAA Division I men's 100 breast a fourth straight year. He did it in 50.25 seconds, second in history behind his American-record 50.04 at last year's championships. He finished second in the 200 breast.
At the Great Lakes Valley Conference Diving and Swimming Championships, Lewis University senior Cindy Jezuit (Wheaton North) swam on a 200 medley relay that set a school record at 1:46.33.
In CCIW wrestling, Wheaton College won the conference meet for the first time since 1981. Among Thunder wrestlers were junior Mikey Swider (Wheaton North) at 197 pounds and senior Mark Savenok (WW South) at 149 pounds. It was Savenok's third conference championship. He advanced to the Division III quarterfinals and ended his season with a record of 27-9, his career at 113-27.
One we should have included in the fall report: Indiana University soccer player Grant Lillard (Hinsdale Central) was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, second-team all-Big Ten and second-team Midwest Region. The 6-foot-4 center back started all 22 games and pitched in on 7 shutouts. Offensively he tied for second on the squad with 5 goals, 2 of them game-winners.
It's possible at least a couple of the following names will be repeated later. On March 9 in men's volleyball, No. 1 Loyola hosted No. 2 Lewis University. Lewis got the win, 3 games to 1, behind 21 kills and 4 digs from 6-6 senior outside hitter Greg Petty (Downers Grove North), with 6 kills and 5 blocks from sophomore middle blocker Jacob Schmiegelt (Willowbrook) and help from freshman setter Gert Lisha (Naperville North). The Flyers overcame 17 kills and 10 digs from 6-6 Loyola junior outside hitter Thomas Jaeschke (WW South) and 8 kills and 4 blocks from 6-10 freshman middle hitter Jeff Jendryk (St. Francis), who in January had been named Off the Block national freshman of the week. With Loyola entering the match 13-0 and Lewis at 14-1, it was the first battle between the nation's Nos. 1-2 teams in Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association history.
doberhelman@dailyherald.com
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