Briefs: Thorne named CCIW football coach of year

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Updated: December 17, 2011 8:31AM

NCC’s Thorne named CCIW Football Coach of Year

The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin has selected North Central College head coach John Thorne as the CCIW’s Bob Reade Football Coach of the Year. The CCIW released the award along with its annual All-Conference selections on Tuesday.

Thorne, in his 10th season as the Cardinals’ head coach, was voted the conference’s top coach for the third time in four seasons after leading North Central to a second straight outright CCIW Championship.

With a record of 87-23 in his tenure at North Central, Thorne is the Cardinals’ all-time leader in wins and winning percentage (.791).

17 Cardinals named to All-CCIW football team

The head coaches of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin have selected 17 North Central College players to the 2011 All-CCIW Football Teams. The CCIW announced its annual selections on Tuesday.

The 17 overall selections and 11 first team picks both represent the highest totals for North Central in one season.

North Central senior defensive tackle Peter Bulandr (Stevenson) was named the CCIW’s Don Larson Defensive Player of the Year. Wheaton College quarterback Garrett Meador was selected as the conference’s Art Keller Offensive Player of the Year.

Bulandr, the fourth North Central player to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors, leads the Cardinals and ranks second in the conference in quarterback sacks (6.0).

Other Cardinals on the All-CCIW first team are defensive linemen Valente Garza (senior, Wheaton North) and Willie Hayes (senior, Lemont), linebacker Scott Skuteris (senior, York), defensive backs Shane Dierking (sophomore, Wheaton Warrenville South), Josh McLeod (senior, Lisle) and Josh Mitchell (junior, Bloomington), running back Nick Kukuc (junior, Naperville Central), tight end Kyle Fiedorowicz (senior, Johnsburg), and offensive linemen Nick Capristo (senior, Waubonsie Valley) and Jace Werkheiser (sophomore, Freeport).

The Cardinals also had six players voted to the All-CCIW second team: defensive back Stewart Charles (senior, Batavia), linebacker Joey Michals (junior, Providence Catholic), running back Jordan Tassio (junior, Naperville North), tight end Alex Haan (senior, Chicago Christian), offensive lineman Joe Guenther (junior, Joliet Township), and punter Tyler Rasche (junior, Moline).

Carius, Perez earn regional cross country honors

The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association released its regional Coach of the Year award winners on Tuesday with North Central College’s Al Carius earning the Midwest Region honor for the fourth consecutive season.

Also on Tuesday, North Central’s Matt Perez was named the Midwest Region Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year.

Carius helped the top-ranked Cardinals capture their 38th straight College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championship on Oct. 29, attaining a perfect score of 15 before blowing away the field at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional on Saturday at the Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island. The Cardinals tallied 42 points at the regional meet with runner-up Washington University in St. Louis a distant second with 114 points.

Carius has won 13 national titles in cross country during his tenure at North Central along with nine national titles in track and field (six outdoor, three indoor).

Perez claims the honor after winning the individual title at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional on Saturday. The junior traversed the 8,000-meter course in 24 minutes, 41.7 seconds, winning the race by a comfortable 12-second margin.

A 2010 All-American, Perez has recorded top ten finishes in five of the six meets he has run in, including capturing the individual title at the 2011 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championships.

The Cardinals close out the season at noon on Saturday at the NCAA Division III Championships in Winneconne, Wis.

Academy softball players make college picks

Four players from the Bulls/Sox Academy White Sox 18U fastpitch team have signed national letters of intent to continue their softball careers in college.

The four local student-athletes and the college they will attend are:

Mackenzie Buchelt (third base) of Lisle High School with Valparaiso University.

Kendall Duffy (second base) of Benet Academy with Bradley University.

Kelsey Gonzalez (shortstop) of Naperville Central High School with Southern Illinois University.

Kat Widup (outfield) of Neuqua Valley High School with Loyola University.

Haley Krentz named to Academic All-Big 12 team

Naperville North graduate Haley Krentz, a soccer player for the University of Missouri, was recently named to the Academic All-Big 12 team. Krentz earned the honor for a second year.