Filian family adds a St. Bonaventure recruit

Kacie Filian didn't have to go far to find role models for her sports career.

Her father Willie played college soccer at Northern Illinois and is Kacie's head coach for soccer the sport at Palatine.

Kacie's older sister Amanda is playing soccer at Miami of Ohio.

Her twin brother Kevin has committed to play soccer at Loras College.

"I've been surrounded by role models who have shown me what it takes to be successful at the next level," Kacie said. "I knew how challenging the recruitment process was as well as balancing academics with athletics in college, but with the help of my parents and club soccer coaches I was able to find the perfect fit."

That 'perfect fit' was St. Bonaventure's women's program, where she has signed a letter of intent to play for sixth-year coach Steve Bdarski's program.

"What attracted me to play at St. Bonaventure was a combination of both the amazing coaching staff that made me feel like I was right at home as soon as I stepped on campus, as well as the great academic opportunities," said Kacie, who plans to major in health science with hopes of going into the medical field one day.

On the soccer field, Filian has scored 17 goals with 13 assists in her two-year varsity career for her father's squad. The two-time all-area selection was the Pirates' most dominant player last spring. "Her ability to win tackles and nearly every aerial challenge allowed us as a team to keep opponents in their own end for long stretches," Willie Filian said following Kacie's junior season.

Kacie, also a point guard who has also helped lead the Pirates girls basketball team to the Mid-Suburna West championship, has wanted to play collegiate soccer since she was a young girl.

"Soccer has always been a major part of my life with my dad coaching the varsity boys and girls soccer at Palatine and all of my siblings going through the program," she said.

Kacie has gone from the ball girl on the sidelines to wearing the Palatine jersey on her father's team with her sister Mackenzie as a teammate.

"It's an experience not many people can say they've had," Kacie said. "And one I'm grateful for.

"My father has taught me a lot of valuable life lessons on and off the field, and has been supportive, along with my mom (Lorrie), in all the sports I've played."

Barrington finalists

Barrington hall of fame coaches Jodi Schoeck (girls golf) and Perry Peterson (softball) are finalists for the National High School Athletic Coaches Association's National Coach of the Year honor for their respective sports.

Eight finalists from across the nation will be honored during The National Coach of the Year Awards Banquet, which will take place at the National High School Athletic Coaches Association's national convention at the Ramkota Hotel in Sioux Falls, SD on June 27.

The highlight of the banquet will be the naming of the NHSACA national coach of the year in nineteen recognized sports categories.

Schoeck and Peterson were nominated for this national honor by the IHSA. This selection was based on longevity, service to high school athletics, honors, championship years, and winning percentage.

Women's basketball

Duke redshirt sophomore guard Haley Gorecki (Fremd) became the first Blue devil to hit seven or more treys in back-to-back games with her 14 against Virginia Tech and UNC.

Duke is the only team in the Atlantic Coast Conference to feature three players to have made over 30 treys and be shooting above 40 percent from beyond the arc. Gorecki (44-102, .431) is one of them.

Nationally in three-point field goal percentage, Gorecki ranks 30th and Duke is the only team in the NCAA to feature three players in the top 45 of the rankings.

• Cornell senior Diamond Boyd (Elk Grove) made two fewer field goals than Lawrence's entire team as she led the red Rams (13-5, 9-2) to a 67-43 win inside Alexander Gymnasium.

Boyd tossed in 29 points - three shy of her career high - on 14-of-22 shooting from the floor. The reigning Midwest Conference Player of the Year tallied 18 points after intermission, to 19 for the Vikings.

The Rams won their fifth game in a row and secured their sixth consecutive winning season under coach Brent Brase as Boyd also collected 9 rebounds and 5 steals, also game-highs. She passed Tiffany Cowan (2005-09) for fifth place on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,150 points.

• Alabama junior Deanna Kuzmanic (Wheeling) scored 19 points with 4 rebounds and 7 assists in a 84-64 victory over Texas El Paso. Kuzmanic is just 81 points away from becoming the 28th member of UAB's 1,000-point club.

• Denver freshman Claire Gritt (Hersey) scored 11 points in an 86-65 win over visiting Fort Wayne, 86-65 as the Pioneers improved to 13-11 and 4-5 in the Summit League.

• Providence freshman Kyra Spiwak is averaging 16 minutes a game in her rookie season. She has collected 41 rebounds, 39 points, 10 assists and 7 steals in the Friars' first 25 games.

Men's basketball

Lake Forest junior forward Danny Sotos (Conant) led the Foresters with 9 rebounds in a 71-47 win over visiting Beloit College.

Men's track

North Central's Michael Anderson (Prospect) was part of the Cardinals' distance medley relay team that took first at the UW-Whitewater Squig Converse Invitational. The team finished with a time of 10:12.31 and the converted time of 10:04.11 ranks first in both the CCIW and on the NCAA Division III national list.

• Augustana senior Josh Yamamoto (Fremd) was part of the Vikings' second-place 1600 relay team (3:24.34) at the Olivet Nazarene Invitational. The relay team is ranked second in the nation in Division III.

Augustana senior Evan Murphy (Buffalo Grove) was third in the triple jump (44-8¼).

Men's volleyball

Augustana freshman Matt Schiferl (Wheeling) has a team-best 56 digs for the Vikings who have started their inaugural campaign with a 1-5 record.

Women's swimming

Washington College junior Julia Portmann (Fremd) won three individual events in a 113-92 Centennial Conference dual-meet victory over Dickinson College. It was the Shorewomen's final home meet of the season.

Portman won the 1000 freestyle in 10:51.73, the 200 freestyle in 2:02.73, and the 500 freestyle in 5:19.92.

It was the sixth time in 10 dual meets this season that she has won the maximum-allowed three individual events.

Portmann is the Shorewomen's third-fastest swimmer ever in the 500, 1000, and 1650 freestyles and is a part of the Shorewomen's school-record 400 medley relay and 800 freestyle relay teams.

Women's track

Augustana junior Ashley Talken (Wheeling) finished sixth (10-6) in the vault at Illinois Wesleyan's Keck Invitational whee the Vikings placed third with 71 points.

• Email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com.