Paulson's baseball career off to a winning start with Royals

In the summer of 2009, Eric Paulson started at third base for the Palatine Blue Jays American Legion team that won the state championship.

Six years later, he was working for a baseball organization that won a world championship.

Paulson served as an intern in the media relations department this summer for the Kansas City Royals, who defeated the New York Mets last week in the World Series.

Paulson, who also played for coach Chris Piggott's baseball team at Fremd, received a scholarship at Bradley University. He graduated last December.

This spring, Paulson spent his time working for his dad, during spring training in Arizona.

His father Scott works for Wilson Sporting Goods and signs the Major League Baseball players to endorse the company's A2000 gloves.

Eric helped his father work with the players and give them their custom-made gloves. While in Surprise, Ariz., Eric received an interview with the Kansas City Royals for an internship in their media relations department.

A week later he received the job and was told to report to Kansas City.

While players, executives, coaches and scouts sometimes wait a lifetime and never get this opportunity, Paulson was fortunate enough to have his team and organization win it all in his first year.

Not bad for a local product whose dream was to work for a major-league team.

Men's basketball

Lake Forest College freshman Danny Sotos (Conant) had an impressive start to his college career, logging a double-double against University of Illinois Chicago at the UIC Pavillion.

In 30 minutes of action, the two-time Daily Herald all-area selection and 6-5 guard/forward led the Forresters with 10 rebounds and also scored 10 points to share team-scoring honors in a 73-60 loss to the Flames.

Caringella on ABC

Former Wheeling softball pitcher Angela Caringella is the coordinator for Programs and Student Development at Moraine Valley Community College at Palos Heights.

She recently found herself on the Health and Fitness segment of the local ABC-TV news.

Caringella was serving as a spokeswoman for the school's third annual Homecoming 5K run/walk on Oct 13. The race helps fund scholarships for students at the college.

Angela tied the school record in 2003 for most runs in a game (5) against Woodlands Academy.

Also in that group with 5 runs is former Wildcats first baseman Beth Anderson, who is now Wheeling's Athletics Assistant. Anderson also coached softball at Wheeling and was succeeded by Angela's father Mike Caringella in 2010.

Women's volleyball

Carthage senior middle blocker Bria Hailey (Schaumburg) has been named to the 2015 Academic All-District™ women's volleyball team for District Six.

Hailey is double majoring in Studio Art and Graphic Design and holds a 3.97 GPA. She has been named to the dean's list every semester while at Carthage.

In addition to holding an outstanding academic record and playing on the women's volleyball team, Hailey works in Carthage's Office of Institutional Advancement as a graphic design intern.

Hailey served for 15 points with a career-high 8 aces and put down 5 kills as the No. 13 Lady Reds swept Elmhurst College in three sets to earn the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin tournament championship.

Hailey was an all-tourney selection for the Lady Reds, who earned the CCIW's automatic bid into the 2015 NCAA Division III championships which starts on Friday.

• Lakeland junior setter Taylor Levitt (Conant) was named honorable mention on the Northern Athletics Collegiate all-conference team.

Levitt was named to the honorable mention team for the second straight year. She is second in the conference in total assists (943) and assists per set (8.50) and also ranked fourth on the Lakeland team in digs (262) and sixth in blocks (25).

The Muskies finished 17-15 this season and placed fourth in the NACC with an 8-3 conference record. Lakeland's season ended with a loss to Edgewood College in the NACC tourney semifinals on Thursday, snapping an eight-match winning streak that was the team's longest in seven years.

Women's soccer

• Dominican University senior Kelli Iovino (Prospect) has been named to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District Team.

The award recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.

As a first-team selection for District 7, Iovino moves on to the national ballot for CoSIDA Academic All-America. Voting began last week.

A psychology major, Iovino has maintained a 3.84 cumulative grade-point average through her first six semesters at Dominican University, landing on the dean's list four semesters and the honor's list two semesters while earning her third letter with the Dominican University women's soccer team in 2015.

Iovino becomes the first CoSIDA Academic All-District selection in Dominican University women's soccer program history.

• Lewis senior forward Maggie Moran (Rolling Meadows) was named to the 2015 All-Great Lakes Valley Conference first team. Moran recorded 6 goals and 7 assists while helping the Flyers to their third conference tournament berth in four seasons.

"I am really happy for Maggie to be recognized by the other coaches in the GLVC as a First Team All-GLVC selection," said Lewis coach Chris Koenig on the school's website. "Maggie has worked extremely hard to become the player she is today. For her to be picked as one of the top three forwards in the entire conference is a huge honor and speaks to the season and career she had."

This is the third All-GLVC honor in Moran's career. She was a third-team honoree as a sophomore and second team selection last season. Moran is the first All-GLVC First Team selection for Lewis since 1997.

Lewis finished the 2015 campaign 10-7-2 (8-5-2 GLVC).

• Northern Illinois sophomore Lauren Gierman (Hersey) became the first Northern Illinois University women's soccer player since 2010 to be named First Team All-Mid-American Conference.

Gierman was selected as one of the MAC'S top four midfielders this season by the league's coaches after scoring 6 goals and 3 assists to lead the Huskies with 15 points, which was the most by a NIU player in a season since 2006.

Despite playing in a defensive midfield role at times, the sophomore factored in on nine of NIU's 20 goals this year and became the seventh Huskie ever - and the first since Mo Smunt in 2010 - to be selected First Team All-MAC in women's soccer. At one point, Gierman was the MAC'S leading scorer in conference games after she found the net in four consecutive games from Oct. 2 to Oct. 11.

That streak gave her 6 goals through NIU's first six MAC games.

Her two 50-yard free kick goals against Toledo lifted the Huskies to a 2-0 victory in the MAC opener. She also contributed 3 assists on set pieces this season with two coming in the season finale against Western Michigan.

Please submit Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com.