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Scaccia surging for Bradley golf team

Bradley sophomore and former Prospect standout golfer Ally Scaccia picked up some momentum heading into the Missouri Valley Conference tournament which began Sunday and concludes today.

In her previous two events, Scaccia posted top-five finishes.

She tied for second when Bradley finished third in the final team standings at the Indiana State Spring Invitational.

Scaccia was the top performer in the final round, carding a second-round 75 as she tied Indiana State's Amanda Smith for second at 149 at the par-72 Country Club of Terre Haute.

After tying for fifth the week before at the Bradley Invitational, Scaccia finished 1 shot behind individual medalist Marissa Uradomo of Indiana State, who finished at 148 after a final round 76.

Not bad for a girl who first picked up a club as a freshman in Prospect coach Jim Hamann's program.

"We are all so proud of Ally," Hamann said. "She is having an excellent freshman year both competitively and academically."

Hamann calls Scaccia's career "extraordinary."

"The fun part is that she is only in the beginning chapters of her story," he said. "The sky is the limit for Ally because her work ethic, determination and love for the game is hard to beat."

Scaccia played on the Knights' 2011 and 2013 Class AA state championship teams as a sophomore and senior.

"I am just so happy that she is being well-taken care of at Bradley where she is having a blast," Hamann added. "Going from picking up a club for the first time as a freshman to being ranked in the top ten in the MVC as a freshman in college is something to be very proud of."

Scaccia is playing in the MVC tourney with former Knights Allison Walsh (Bradley) and Kiley Walsh (Illinois State).

Girls soccer

Brittany Reinhart (Schaumburg), Kennedy Irmen (Schaumburg) and Sidney O'Keeffe (Conant) recently participated in an NCAA Division III Student-Athlete celebratory signing.

The signing was initiated by their club, SAA Sports Club United, where all three have played together for the last four years.

They have all signed their letters of intent for Elmhurst College where they will continue soccer careers.

Women's track

Illinois Wesleyan junior Angela Herrmann (Schaumburg) was named a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin outdoor track and field athlete of the week.

Herrmann set personal bests in both the 100-meter run and the 200-meter run at the Benedictine Eagle Invitational. She finished third in the 100 with a time of 12.05, which ranks fifth nationally.

Herrmann then finished sixth in the 200 with a time of 25.11, which is ranked 10th nationally. Both times currently lead the CCIW.

Men's tennis

Augustana freshman Eric Pohl (Fremd) joined Samuel Totten to pick up the Vikings' lone victory (9-8) win over Grinnell.

Catch of the week

Hoffman Estates graduate Josh Jyawook, a sophomore outfielder for the Evansville baseball team, recently made a leaping over-the-fence catch in a game against Indiana University that went viral around the sports world.

It landed in the No. 1 on SportsCenter's top plays on ESPN and can be seen on YouTube. The Aces held on for a 2-1 victory against the Hoosiers in 14 innings.

Jyawook has the second-highest batting average (.323) for the Purple Aces (20-16) and leads the team with 12 doubles.

Baseball

Millikin's Erik Schurtz (Rolling Meadows) had a RBI single in a 7-6 win over Illinois Wesleyan.

• Bradley freshman Jordan Fedro (Prospect) owns a 2-1 record for the Braves (24-10) with a 2.31 ERA.

• Bradley junior Paul Solka (Maine West) is batting .300 for the Braves and is tied for the team lead with 9 doubles.

• Lewis freshman Ethan Bloom (Hoffman Estates) had a RBI in the Flyers' 4-run first inning of a 4-0 victory over Southern Indiana. Junior teammate Kurt Becker (Palatine) also reached on an error in the inning which allowed a run to cross the plate.

Softball

North Central junior outfielder Andrea Starr was named a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin softball player of the week.

Starr went 3-0 with 2 saves, a 0.57 ERA and 20 strikeouts in five appearances for the Cardinals.

She pitched all seven innings with 4 strikeouts in a 4-0 shutout of Elmhurst and seven innings with 6 strikeouts in a 3-0 win against Chicago.

Starr also struck out eight batters in a 16-0 win against Beloit. She picked up saves in Game 2 against both Elmhurst and Chicago.

• Wisconsin-Oshkosh sophomore Sara Brunlieb (Rolling Meadows) posted two victories against Wisconsin-RiverFalls, tossing 11⅔ innings allowing one earned run. She then closed out the weekend with a 5-4 victory over Wisconsin-Stout, bringing her season record to 15-3.

Brunlieb has thrown 110.1 innings this season with 28 69 strikeouts and 28 walks. She owns a 2.28 ERA overall and 1.71 in the conference.

Men's track

North Central senior Travis Morrison (Schaumburg High School) is ranked fifth in the nation in the 10,000-meter run among all Division III institutions.

He recorded a time of 30:10.62 in the event at the Wheaton College Invitational on April 4.

The team is ranked fourth in Division III according to the latest United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll.

• North Central freshman Adam Poklop (Palatine) placed second in the high jump at the Chicagoland Outdoor Championships with a height of six feet seven inches.

• Augustana freshman Evan Murphy (Buffalo Grove) went 44-9½ to finish third in the triple jump at the Meet of Champions at the Paul V. Olsen Track. Augustana claimed five events and easily outdistanced second-place Wisconsin-Stevens Point for the team title. In the 10,000-meter, Augustana junior Ethan Koch (Prospect) took third (31:32.16). Augustana freshman Josh Yamamoto (Fremd) took fourth (:55.54) in the 400 hurdles.

Women's volleyball

University of New Hampshire volleyball coach Jill Hirschinger officially announced her 2015 signing class last week.

Among the five student-athletes who will join the five-time America East champions this fall is Hersey's Gabri Olhava, a 6-foot-1 middle blocker who was the Daily Herald Cook County all-area honorary captain. Olhava recorded 228 kills and 115 blocks this past fall for coach Nancy Lill's Huskies.

Men's lacrosse

Augustana junior Jonathan Bryk (Fremd) leads the Vikings in ground balls with 34.

Women's track

Agustana senior Becca Sund (Palatine) was part of the 4x800 relay team that took second (9:45.50) at the 11-team Augustana Invitational at Paul V. Olsen Track. She was also sixth (4:49.45) in the 1500 as the Vikings took fourth place in the invite.

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

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