Soccer: Buffalo Grove's Kowalski makes the Butler connection
Amanda Kowalski needed just one visit to Indianapolis and she was hooked.
"When I got on campus, I was astonished," she said of Butler University. "I never knew such a small school could be so beautiful. I fell in love with the town."
It was the perfect fit for Kowalski, who plans to spend the next four years of her life playing soccer for the Bulldogs.
Coincidentally, two current Mid-Suburban League softball standouts, Christina Candotti of Schaumburg and Alyssa Garcia of Fremd, are also Butler recruits. So is Grace Grzybek, a Fremd senior swimmer.
While area fans watched Kowalski play a key role during BG's MSL East championship basketball season under coach Steve Kolodziej this winter, it will be soccer that consumes all of her time in college.
"When I started playing soccer I knew I loved it right from the start," she said. "At the time, I didn't understand how hard it would be but I knew I wanted to play in college."
But as she got older, the goal became more and more realistic.
"I was that much more motivated to achieve it," said Kowalski, who plays for the Eclipse Select Elite team.
Kowalski was a standout performer and all-area selection as a sophomore.
She played for coach Pat Dudle's Bison who were ranked in the top five in the state in 2014 (22-3-2 record) and won a regional title.
After her sophomore season, she decided to play primarily for the Eclipse Select Elite ECNL team.
She was a part of two ECNL National Championship teams (2013, 2014), winning four ECNL Midwest Conference Championships along the way.
As the only girl with two brothers at home, Kowalski grew up in a competitive atmosphere.
"That's a huge reason I love soccer so much," she said. "I love how aggressive it all is, such as going shoulder to shoulder with another player.
"Or dropping down into a slide tackle, and the frustration we overcome throughout the game, play after play. It keeps you on your toes, and with the snap of a finger, one play could change the game. I love the unpredictability of the game and the aggressive atmosphere."
On the school's website, co-head coach Rob Alman said Kowalski gained great experience by winning a couple of national championships with her club team.
"She is athletic and covers ground well with and without the ball, as well as being a top-class ball striker," he said. "Her range of passing in open play and quality of set piece delivery will be very valuable for us."
Kowalski believes she will feel right at home.
"The layout of the campus as a whole is so cute and it's hard not to love," she said."I love the coaches too. They were so kind to me during phone calls, and on visits as well. They wanted to know me and not just recruit me."
Kowalski appreciated the personal touch.
"It was a quality I loved about the school in general," she said. "The campus is set up so all the buildings are right by each other. And with only 4,200 students, your class sizes are only 28 on average which meant the world to me."
"I knew I would have a closer relationship to all my professors and would know more people on a personal level."
Kowalski says her parents played a major part in her life.
"They've helped me tremendously, getting through the struggles of life and sports and learning to balance it all out," she said. "I'm scared to think where I would be without them. I owe my coaches who have always supported me along the way no matter what."
Her first coach while playing for the Frontier Flyers in recreational soccer leagues was Tim Callahan.
"He was so positive and encouraging bringing me into the soccer world," Kowalski said. "I had so much fun when I started out playing the sport."
Softball
North Central College senior pitcher Andrea Starr (Elk Grove) was the winning pitcher in both games of the Cardinals 1-0 and 10-7 sweep of Elmhurst College.
Starr (7-6) threw 7 innings and allowed 4 hits and no runs in Game 1. She worked 4⅓ innings in Game 2, allowing 1 run on 5 hits. Starr had 5 strikeouts for the twin bill and only two walks.
Cardinals leadoff batter Sam Anderson (Rolling Meadows) and Starr each doubled in Game 1 while Anderson went 2-for-4 in the second game.
Anderson, batting .329, is the second-leading hitter for the Cardinals who are 4-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
Women's golf
Bradley sophomore Ally Scaccia (Prospect) and Illinois State sophomore Kiley Walsh (Prospect) were in a three-way tie for third place after firing 1-over-par 73s in Sunday's first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship.
The tourney is being hosted by Loyola at the par-72 Harborside International Golf Center in Chicago. It consists of three rounds of 18 and concludes Tuesday.
The former Prospect teammates were 2 strokes behind leader, Southern Illinois' Brooke Cusumano, who shot a 1-under 71.
Bradley senior Allison Walsh (Prospect) was tied for 32nd with an 80.
Allison became the 11th player in Bradley history to reach 100 rounds while playing in the Indiana State Spring Invitational a week earlier.
Baseball
Northwestern freshman Mack Rosman (Fremd) came out of the bullpen four times since March 25 to pitch 5⅔ innings.
The right-hander struck out five batters during that stretch and has not allowed a run or a hit.
Rosman earned the first win of his career in an 11-3 win over Nebraska after working the top half of the fifth inning.
Rosman has 19 strikeouts in 17 innings and his opponents' batting average of .241 is the second best of any Wildcats pitcher.
• Northwestern freshman second baseman Willie Bourbon (Stevenson) has been a major source for run production for the Wildcats.
He leads the team with 20 RBI and is batting .333 with runners in scoring position.
He has stepped up in critical situations as well, having tallied 7 of his 20 RBI with two outs.
Bourbon quarterbacked Stevenson to the IHSA Class 8A state football championship in the fall of 2014.
Women's track
Augustana freshman Ashley Talken (Wheeling) took fifth place (9-½) in the pole vault at the Western Illinois University's Lee Calhoun Memorial, helping the Vikings to a fourth-place finish among 11 teams.
Women's tennis
Augustana senior Aileen MacDonald (Mundelein) and juniors Dana Goggin (Buffalo Grove) and Lauren Goggin (Buffalo Grove) have surpassed 100 wins in their careers. They are part of an elite group of 24 who have accomplished the feat at Augustana.
Augustana is currently 21-7 overall and ranked 13th in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association NCAA Division III Central Region ranking
Men's track
Augutana sophomore Josh Yamamoto (Fremd) led off the winning 4X400 relay team (3:16.51) at the 11-team at Western Illinois University's Lee Calhoun Memorial.
The Vikings won the meet with 179 points, well ahead of second-place Lincoln College's 116.
Augustana's Evan Murphy (Buffalo Grove) was second in the triple jump with a leap of 43-8.
Men's lacrosse
Augustana senior Jonathan Bryk (Fremd) scored a late goal in the first half of the Vikings' 20-7 win over Dubuque in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin match.
Men's tennis
Augustana sophomore Eric Pohl (Fremd) teamed up with Samuel Totten to defeat North Central's Victor Krueger and Connor Sass 8-6 at No. 1 singles.
The Vikings (9-9, 2-1) defeated North Central 9-0 in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin dual meet in Rock Island.
Conant sports camp
Conant High School is using the rSchool website for registration of its summer sports camp: https://conanths-ar.rschooltoday.com/
All campers must have a current physical on file with the nurse prior to the first day of camp. Physicals are valid for 13 months. For further information regarding camps visit http://adc.d211.org/books/summerschoolcatalog2016/
Gummerson meet
The Ron Gummerson track meet for all ages will be Thursday, July 21, with registration beginning at 4:30 p.m.
The all-ages clinic, using a starting block is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. with the running and field events beginning at 6 p.m. For more information check out the website: gummersontrack@yahoo.com
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