Colleges: Waubonsie’s Williford shines for Roosevelt
BY DANIEL L. CHAMNESS For Sun-Times Media March 9, 2013 4:58PM
Becky Williford, Roosevelt University
Updated: April 11, 2013 6:24AM
Roosevelt University’s women’s basketball team won the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season title.
Then the Lakers won the CCAC Tournament title to earn the automatic bid to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division II Nationals.
“It feels great to be headed to nationals,” said Roosevelt freshman Becky Williford, a Waubonsie Valley graduate, who scored in double figures in the title game.
“This team is something special. I could not believe when they told me I was going to be a starter on this team. It was a pretty big moment in my life. I was just hoping to make a contribution. I did not know it would be to this extent.”
Roosevelt won its three games in the CCAC Tournament, winning two games by five points each and one game by two points. In the championship game, Roosevelt downed Cardinal Stritch University 69-64.
Williford, a 5-3 guard, scored 17 points, hitting 7-of-8 from the field and 1-of-2 from the free throw line. She was 2-of-2 from beyond the three-point line. Williford also had three rebounds and three assists.
It was Williford’s best performance of the tournament.
Fellow Roosevelt player Erica Jordan (Waubonsie Valley) also played extensively during the year and during the tournament. Jordan had her best game in the semifinal, scoring three points and pulling down four rebounds in her minutes of play.
Roosevelt will enter the national tournament with a 27-6 mark.
Dave Sobolewski (Benet), point guard for Northwestern scored 13 points against Ohio State, a Top 25 team. The sophomore hit 5-of-13 from the field, which included a 3-of-8 performance from beyond the arc. He also had four rebounds and two assists in Northwestern’s 63-53 loss to the Buckeyes. In a 74-43 loss to Purdue, the Wildcats guard had four points, two rebounds and two assists. As of March 6, Northwestern is 13-16 overall and 4-12 in the Big 10 Conference.
Sophomore Leigh Nebendahl (Neuqua Valley) has compiled a .346 batting average through nine games for the Toledo softball team (3-6). The nine-game starter has nine hits, including five doubles, in 26 trips to the plate, along with four RBI, three runs scored and one stolen base. She has a slugging percentage of .538 and an on-base percentage of .393. In the field, she sports a .980 fielding percentage.
Jelani Johnson (Waubonsie Valley) was in double figures twice last week, as Bellarmine’s basketball team split a pair of games. In the 67-62 loss to Kentucky Wesleyan, Johnson was perfect from the field (4-of-4, 2-of-2 three-pointers) to finish with 10 points, seven rebounds and two assists. He had 10 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals in Bellarmine’s 80-66 triumph over McKendree. Bellarmine is 20-6 overall, 12-6 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Eastern Illinois senior Joe Ciliak (Naperville Central) competed in seven events at the Summit League swimming championships, held at Oakland University. Ciliak had his best finish in the 100-yard breaststroke (57.46 seconds). He was also sixth in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:06.35) and 10th in the 50-yard freestyle (:21.41). He also was a member of the 200-yard medley relay (second, 1:32.23), the 200-yard freestyle relay (second, 1:23.53), the 400-yard freestyle relay (third, 3:06.14) and the 800-yard freestyle relay (fourth, 6:53.50). Eastern Illinois took fourth with 453 points. Oakland University won the team title with 1,038 points.
Cornell College’s Peter Catchings (Neuqua Valley) scored seven points in Cornell’s 95-76 loss to Beloit College. Catchings came off the bench and played 26 minutes. Cornell is 8-15 overall, 7-11 in the Midwest Conference.
Ally Seplak (Waubonsie Valley), a senior, has played in six games and started five for Eastern Illinois softball, which stands at 4-4. Seplak has two hits in nine trips to the plate for a .222 batting average. She has walked four times and scored one run.
Mariano Long (Naperville North) has played in seven games and made one start for the Air Force Academy baseball team (4-7). Long has one hit in three at bats. The freshman outfielder has two runs scored, one RBI and one walk.
Megan Doody (Neuqua Valley) scored three points as St. Norbert College lost a 66-48 decision to Monmouth College in the Midwest Conference Tournament. Doody, who started and played 24 minutes, also had five assists and two rebounds. St. Norbert finished 15-9 overall, 12-6 in the Midwest Conference.
Millikin’s Bria Williams (Neuqua Valley) scored four points as her team bowed to North Central 78-65 in their final game of the year. Williams started and played 23 minutes. Millikin lost their final three games of the year and finished with an 8-16 overall record. They were 3-11 in the CCIW.
Roy McElroy (Waubonsie Valley) scored two points as William Woods University lost a 70-68 decision to Williams Baptist College in the American Midwest Conference quarterfinals. McElroy also had five rebounds. He started and played 29 minutes. William Woods is 13-17 overall and finished 9-7 in the AMC.
