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A salute to the autumn college achievers

Let's salute some DuPage County high school graduates excelling in college sports this fall...

Trinity Christian senior forward Jessica Bianchi (York) capped a remarkable collegiate soccer career with 2 goals and a penalty kick in the Trolls' National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division I Championship victory over Oklahoma Wesleyan. Named Tournament, Region and NCCAA player of the year, and the repeat Chicago Collegiate Athletic Conference player of the year, Bianchi earned a third straight first-team NCCAA All-America award. Among National Association of Interscholastic Athletics (NAIA) players Bianchi ranked third in points with 82, fourth in goals with 36 and 10th in game-winning goals with 7. On Nov. 25 Bianchi won the 2018 Game Plan 4LIFE Character Award for NCCAA Division I women's soccer.

Indiana University senior defender Andrew Gutman (Hinsdale Central) is among three finalists for the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy, which honors the top men's player in the nation. Chosen Big Ten Defender of the Year unanimously, and first-team all-Big Ten a second straight year, Gutman led the Hoosiers with 11 goals, 31 points and 7 game-winning goals. A United Soccer Coaches first team Division I All-American who was second team as a junior, Gutman also led a defense whose 15 shutouts tied for the lead nationally and was fourth in goals-against average. Gutman led 20-3-1 Indiana to its most wins since 1999 and its NCAA-best 20th appearance in the College Cup, where the Hoosiers lost 2-0 in the semifinals to national champion Maryland. Gutman is Indiana's second straight Hermann Trophy finalist following 2017 runner-up Grant Lillard (Hinsdale Central), now with the Chicago Fire. The winner will be announced Jan. 4.

Taylor University freshman Erin Teevans (Wheaton Academy) earned all-Crossroads League honors in women's soccer. The forward-midfielder led the Trojans with 12 goals, including 2 game-winners. On Aug. 25 she scored 3 goals with an assist in a 5-0 win over Cincinnati Christian, the 200th win for Taylor's women's program.

Loyola midfielder Abby Swanson (Downers Grove North) was the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in women's soccer. A second-team all-MVC pick, Swanson started in all 15 of her appearances with 4 goals and an assist for the conference champs.

Four DuPage County graduates were first-team picks in College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin women's soccer. Augustana junior defender Anna Fank (Wheaton Warrenville South) was also an all-region pick who helped hold foes to 13 goals in 19 games while scoring 3 herself. Carthage junior midfielder Jacey Kent (Lake Park) led a much-improved defense, and the Reds scored 8 goals within a minute of her corner kicks. Millikin junior forward Lucy Koger (Naperville North) led the Big Blue with 7 goals and 2 assists. North Central College junior forward Lexi Dimovski (Downers Grove South) scored 9 goals and recorded 21 points, each in the Cardinals' top nine for a season.

Darcy Cunningham attended St. Charles East, but the Washington University senior midfielder is a West Chicago resident. She's a repeat first-team pick on both the United Soccer Coaches Division III All-America and its Scholar All-America teams. Carrying a 3.46 grade-point average in business marketing, Cunningham scored 7 goals with 7 assists to help the 21-1 Bears set a program wins record, outscore foes 62-6 and reach the Division III semifinals. Her 24 assists rank sixth in school history.

North Central College won its 19th Division III men's cross country championship on Nov. 17 in Winnecone, Wisconsin. With it 53-year Cardinals coach Al Carius earned his 12th Division III men's coach of the year honor in the past 25 years. North Central's Dhruvil Patel out of Niles North won the individual title while senior Chris Buechner (Glenbard West) placed eighth. Fellow senior Nolan McKenna (Wheaton Warrenville South) placed 68th and finished fourth in the CCIW meet - where Wheaton College sophomore Jonah Jones (Wheaton Academy) took 10th.

Once the Missouri Valley Conference men's cross country freshman of the year and Illinois State's 2017-18 men's cross country MVP, senior Kyle Mattes (York) became the first male Redbird to qualify for consecutive NCAA Division I Championships. His 52nd-place finish on Nov. 17 was the best ever for ISU, and his 10-kilometer time of 30 minutes, 10.30 seconds set the program record. Mattes is the fourth Redbirds runner with four straight all-Missouri Valley Conference finishes.

A preview of good things to come, at the CCIW women's cross country meet at St. James Farm in Wheaton, Millikin freshman Victoria Mineo (Naperville Central) ran the fourth-best 6-kilometer time in program history at 22:58.8.

In Iowa at the NAIA Championships, Taylor University senior Mae Elizabeth Gimre (West Chicago) helped the Trojans finish third with the program's fastest overall time, Taylor's best finish in school history after placing fifth in 2017. Gimre helped Taylor go unbeaten in the regular season and record five of its best six team times in history, and the three fastest.

Always like these: Illinois Wesleyan senior and team captain Jackie Dziewior (Glenbard North) was voted the "hardest worker" on the Titans women's cross country team. She also earned that award as a sophomore. Augustana junior Jill Humecke (Wheaton North) earned most-improved honors on her squad.

At the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Central Regional in Michigan in September, Augustana junior Zeana Badawi (Hinsdale Central) became the 28th woman in Vikings history to reach 100 victories combining singles and doubles. At No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles Badawi went undefeated in the CCIW during the regular season then helped Augie win its third CCIW title in four seasons with a doubles victory. She tied for the team lead in singles at 15-3.

At the USA Winter Nationals swim meet Nov. 28-Dec. 1 in Greensboro, North Carolina, Michigan State junior Scott Piper (Naperville Central) took fourth place in the 200 individual medley with a school-record time of 2:03.69, which qualified him for the 2020 Olympic Trials. Piper also won the C Finals of the 400 IM with a lifetime best, and added another personal best in the 200 butterfly.

In a dual meet with Eastern Illinois on Oct. 13, Lewis University sophomore Stephanie Palczynski (Wheaton Warrenville South) won the 100-yard backstroke, swam on two winning relays and won the 200-yard backstroke in 2:05.82 to set a Lewis Pool record and earn Great Lakes Valley Conference female swimmer of the week.

At a home double-dual on Oct. 26 in Bloomington, Illinois State senior Molly Hill (Willowbrook) swam on a Redbirds 200-yard medley that set a pool record. Later, sophomore Alyssa Reinholz (Downers Grove South) helped set another pool record in the 200 freestyle relay.

Arizona senior swimmer Matt Salerno (Metea Valley) on Dec. 5 earned the Pac-12 Leadership Award. Carrying a 3.80 GPA in veterinary science with a minor in biochemistry, the Wildcats' team captain is an honorable mention All-America, a 2016 Olympic time trial qualifier in the 100 breaststroke and a College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America Scholar All-America. Currently president of Arizona's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and a member of the Pac-12 Student Athlete Leadership Team, last season Salerno was the male recipient of the conference's Community Service Award for volunteering the most hours.

Senior outside hitter Katie Vondra (Downers Grove South) helped the 26-9 Aurora University's women's volleyball team to Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference regular-season and tournament championships, a regional title and the program's (and the NACC's) first NCAA Division III Tournament victory. Voted NACC Player of the Year for the second straight time and a three-time first-team selection, Vondra finished 12th nationally in attacks and eighth nationally in kills with 481. Finishing in the Division III quarterfinals, Vondra's overall 1,393 kills are the Spartans program record.

Carroll College senior middle blocker Karley Wolf (Lake Park) and Wheaton College senior defensive specialist Jess Bosse (Wheaton Academy) earned CCIW first-team honors in women's volleyball. Wolf tallied 177 kills and 66 blocks while Bosse recorded 579 digs, best in the league.

Next week: Football.

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

Follow Dave on Twitter @doberhelman1

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