Rolling Meadows makes it downstate — again
Two months ago, Rolling Meadows girls basketball experienced the chance to play for an Illinois state championship when they took second place in Class 4A.
Last Thursday, the Mustangs had another experience they won't forget.
They traveled to the state capitol building in Springfield and were recognized during the senate session, receiving a history lesson at the same time.
“It was an was incredible experience for the players and coaches,” said Mustangs coach Ryan Kirkorsky.
Tom Glasgow, an Arlington Heights Village Board Trustee and father of Meadows all-state guard Alexis Glasgow, gave the team a tour of the Capitol building and set up meetings with local state senator Matt Murphy and state representative David Harris.
The Mustangs had an opportunity to take pictures on the senate floor and by chance got to see Governor Pat Quinn.
“It was fun,” said Kirkorsky, who returns all five starters from this year's team. “All the kids were recognized by standing when their name was called and they received certificates.”
Sports Notes trivia
The above-mentioned Ryan Kirkorsky was the Mid-Suburban East girls basketball coach of the year for winning the division last year.
Name a coach from District 214 who won MSL varsity divisional titles in both boys basketball and football.
Bonus Trivia
Like Ryan Kirkorsky, who is the only other person to serve as the head girls basketball coach at different Mid-Suburban League schools?
Wright commits
Buffalo Grove senior A.J. Wright will play football at Augustana.
The 5-foot-11, 250-pound Wright was a two-year letter winner for coach Mike DiMatteo's Bison. He played on the offensive and defensive lines.
Wright was also a three-year letter winner and an all-Mid-Suburban League shot putter for coach Kyle Pichik in track and field.
Softball
Maryville sophomore Alex Flasch (St. Viator) hit her first 2 college home runs against William Jewell and Rockhurst.
In 23 games played, she has 14 singles, 3 doubles, and 2 home runs with 11 RBI and 5 sacrifice bunts. Flasch has played every conference game at third base where she has seen a surprising amount of action with 76 putouts and assists so far.
She made the dean's list last semester.
Women's golf
Former Hersey golfer Jessica Lang, who also played at the University of Upper Iowa, recently accepted full membership into the PGA with her completion of the Professional Golf Management Program.
Lang is currently employed as the Asst. Golf Operations Manager @ Chevy Chase Country Club in Wheeling.
Lots of stability
Avoiding turnovers is a major goal of every basketball coach.
One of the reasons Buffalo Grove achieved a lot of success during Ryan O'Connor's 13-year run in charge of the boys program was a lack of turnover among his staff.
O'Connor announced that he was stepping down from the post last week.
Pete Duffer and Dave Sczepanski had been with O'Connor during his entire tenure.
With Keith Peterson there for nine years and T.J. Brooks for eight, the total number of seasons together for the entire staff totaled an impressive 56.
Patrick Kivland Invite
The first Patrick Kivland Gymnastic Invite will be held on Wednesday at Prospect High School at 6:30 p.m.
Competing in the meet are Hersey, Rolling Meadows, Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove and the Knights.
Kivland dedicated his career to the sport of gymnastics.
Kivland had been at Prospect as a student, physical education teacher and coach.
He was the dean of Mid-Suburban League boys gymnastics coaches when he left the post in 2010 after 36 seasons. He was also a boys and girls diving coach and girls golf coach at Prospect.
He retired from the physical education department in 2004. His boys gymnastics teams were MSL champs in 2004 and '05. Kivland is a former gymnast at Prospect, where he placed second in the all-around at the 1965 state meet. He also set numerous records when he was a gymnast at Indiana University.
Prospect athletic director Tom Martindale said alumni and friends of Kivland are invited to stop by for meet.
Golf outing
The George Verber Charity Golf Outing will be held Monday at White Deer Run Golf Club in Vernon Hills to celebrate the life of the longtime area coach and to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Verber, who died from leukemia on Jan. 22, was the assistant to Maine South coach Quitman Sullins when the Hawks won the 1979 Class AA state title.
Verber went on to become the head coach at Maine West for three seasons and led the Warriors to a conference championship in the 1981-82 season.
A longtime Arlington Heights resident, Verber also served as a head basketball coach at Maine South and coached baseball for many years.
The golf outing will be a shotgun start at 9 a.m. with a four-person scramble. Cost is $125 and includes range balls, on-course beverages, barbecue lunch and various prizes. Or you can pay $25 for lunch only.
Those interested are asked to RSVP by May 10.
For information contact Brad Verber at (773) 814-4242.
Women's basketball
Wheeling seniors Brie Majkowski and Jessi Zuba, who were members of the Wildcats Cinderella girls basketball team that advanced to the Elite Eight two years ago, will continue their basketball careers in college.
Majkowski, who scored a career-high 22 points in a game this season for coach Julissa Hernandez' Wildcats, will play at Lake Forest while Zuba has made a commitment to Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington.
Former Wildcats standout guard Nikki Preston also played at Illinois Wesleyan.
Women's softball
Valdosta State freshman pitcher Hanna Lythberg (Prospect) posted complete-game wins over Union and West Florida to improve her record to 8-3.
Lythberg has 65 strikeouts and 20 walks and sports one of the top ERA in the conference at 1.86 in 71 innings.
Valdosta State, the defending Division II national softball champions, are 26-8.
Women's golf
DePauw junior Abby Dickey (St. Viator) finished fifth with a score of 157 at the Washington University Invitational at the Gateway National Golf Links.
Dickey has the third best average for the Tigers this season with an 81.88.
Trivia answer
Rich Roberts guided the Buffalo Grove boys basketball team to a Mid-Suburban North championship in 1985 and later won three MSL divisional titles as the school's head football coach. Roberts was the defensive coordinator for BG's football state championship team in 1986.
Bonus answer
Current Hoffman Estates girls basketball coach Mike Nocella also directed the Prospect girls basketball program for 11 seasons (1996 to 2007), winning the Mid-Suburban East title twice, three regional crowns and a combined six tourney championships at the Lyons and McHenry tourneys.
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