Illinois Juniors Volleyball Club Update

TThe Illinois Juniors Volleyball Club sent three teams to the USA Volleyball Junior Olympic National Tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Illinois Juniors 15 Black and 16 Black teams competed June 26-29, 2002 at the Southtowne Expo Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the 17 Black team competed June 30-July 3, 2002 in Salt Lake.

The 15 Black team finished 19th in the country, finishing with 5 wins and 6 losses in
the tournament. The team consists of Mallory Clements from Mt. Pulaski, Meggie Haughey, Karlyn Jones, Breanna Leisner, Kylie Musselman and Sarah Trimpe from Normal Community High School, Ashley Petrinec from Bloomington High School, Amanda French from Holy Trinity and Sara Larsen from Bloomington Junior High and is coached by Nikki Gallier, varsity coach of Normal West High School, and Megan Stephenson, former ISU player.

The 16 Black team and 17 Black team each took 5th place among 64 teams. The 16s had 7 wins and 3 losses, including a heartbreaking 15-13 third game loss to Coast (California) in the Gold Quarter Final match. From the 16s, Bethany Dulle of Mt. Pulaski was named to the All-American team.

The 16 Black players include Susie Bull from Prairie Central, Michelle Donnelly, Megan
Naborowski and Sarah Swanlund from Central Catholic, Bethany Dulle and Mary Olson from Mt. Pulaski, Lauren Lackovich and Rachel Severson from U-High, Cassie Gurnsey from Springfield Southeast, and Monica Renfrow from Normal West High School, and the coaches are Larry Perez, who is assisted by Amber Severson.

The 17 Black team was also 7-3 and lost to Tulsa (Oklahoma) in the Gold Quarter Final match. Tulsa went on to win the tournament. From the 17s, Jessica Poorbaugh of Dee-Mack and Stephanie Roof of Normal Community were named All-Americans.

Illinois Juniors 17 Black is made up of Jaclyn Fike, Central Catholic, Jamie Jones, Flanagan, Kristen Goebel, Olympia, Jessica Poorbaugh, Dee-Mack, Stephanie Roof and Megan Trimpe, Normal Community, Erin Schmidt, Mt. Pulaski, and Aly Zavitz, Normal West and is coached by Phil Nickel.


Young Wheeler Wins Match Play Championship

By Ryan Trudo

There have always been a few young players that qualify for the championship flight of the Bloomington-Normal match play golf tournament. Lately, the young players have been populating the final flight at a very rapid pace. This year’s match play tournament was certainly a continuation of that theme and one of the youngsters took home the trophy.

Josh Wheeler, a 21-year-old Southern Illinois University golfer, took down Jack Frisch 5-and-4 in the 36 hole final round at Ironwood Golf Course on Sunday. The intriguing match-up was definitely a tale of different histories in the Bloomington-Normal golf tournaments. The 36-year-old Frisch was playing in his third match play finals (1986, 1988), while this was just the first year Wheeler has even entered the tournament.

Neither player had an easy road to the finals. Frisch battled some of the veterans of the match play tournament and was able to not only beat them, but exorcise some demons in the process. Frisch took down a pair of four-time champions in Tom Kerfoot and Brad Barker, each of whom defeated him in his previous two finals appearances.

Wheeler, a University High product, beat former teammate Jordan Carpenter on the way to the finals. His next challenge was the greatest one, two-time defending champion Elston Mitchell. The pumped up Wheeler prevailed, then defeated Ironwood pro Martin Grupp in the semifinals to set up the final match with Frisch.

The excitement and freshness of Wheeler’s appearance left him with less nervousness than disappointment over the early morning Sunday tee time that will destroy any ideas he had of sleeping in. The grueling 36-hole final went back and forth for the first round, leaving both players at the lunch break right where they began...even.

Ironically, the elder Frisch chose to walk all 36 holes with a caddy, while Wheeler elected to drive a cart. Frisch began to show some wear in the middle of his second long walk around Ironwood.

While Wheeler successfully continued with his strategy of par golf, Frisch began to play a little erratically. A few bogeys here and there was all it took for Wheeler to seize control of the match and take a four hole lead which he never relinquished.

Wheeler continues the trend of good young golfers not only competing at the highest level in town, but winning. His former high school teammate Carpenter, was a big catalyst to the new trend by becoming the youngest player to ever win a Bloomington-Normal medal play championship at the age of 17.

The battle of the ages that is developing was never more obvious than in a first round match of this years match play tournament. That’s when the 50-year-old former champion Barker took on 14-year-old Seth Doran. Barker easily prevailed in the unusual match-up, but the fact that it even occurred may have been a brief peek into the future.


All the “Usual Suspects” in Championship Flight of
B-N Match Play Tournament

By Ryan Trudo

It has been a while since Ironwood Golf Course has hosted a city tournament. Many people expected some surprising results from the qualifying round due to the wide open layout of the course. However, most of the championship flight consists of very familiar names that are no strangers to top flight competition.

The father and son duo of Elston and Todd Mitchell are going to be the most formidable of the bunch. Todd Mitchell fired a 67 to best the field in the qualifying round and head up the lower bracket. The elder Mitchell, two-time defending champion, was given an exemption from qualifying and will be at the top of the upper bracket. Not too many people will be surprised if the championship match stays in the Mitchell family.

The competition is sure to be fierce over the next many days. Some of the other “usual suspects” expected to make a run include Rick Percy, Mike Henry, Tom Kearfoot, Brad Barker and Jordan Carpenter. Barker has already advanced to the second round after an interesting opening round match on Sunday. The four-time champion Barker was matched up with 14 year old Seth Doran, who shot a 76 in qualifying to sneak into the final group. Barker knocked the youngster off 8 and 7. Carpenter, a University of Illinois recruit, is one of several young players in the championship flight from University High. Other former Pioneers include Todd Mitchell, Pat Milligan, and Dustin Wickenhauser. Another possible candidate for the crown is former Redbird pitcher Dan Freed. He will be one of many long hitters taking advantage of Ironwood’s immature tree lines and relatively easy plays out of the rough.

There are sure to be many intriguing match-ups in the days to follow. Young versus old, father versus son, friend versus friend...all examples of what makes the match play format so interesting. The Bloomington-Normal summer golf tournaments will also feature a two-man best position format, as well as a medal play tournament later in the summer. For now though, all focus will be on attempting to remove Elston Mitchell from his match play throne.

Arnold, NCHS Finish with Silver

Pitcher Ali Arnold and her Ironmen teammates ran out of gas about one lap too early last Saturday evening. After a thrilling 14-inning 1-0 win earlier in the day in the semifinals, NCHS broke down late in the Class AA state championship game against Lincoln-Way East. The Ironmen committed four errors and gave up two late inning runs to lose their slim 3-2 advantage. Lincoln-Way East went on to a 4-3 victory and stripped Normal Community of their state title. The loss ended the spectacular high school career of Arnold, who finished with a four year combined record of 71-13.


Pioneers Blazing New Trail on the Soccer Field

By Ryan Trudo

University High’s Lady Pioneers soccer team went the distance this season. Even though they lost in the state championship game, the barriers they broke en route will serve themselves and other downstate Illinois soccer teams well in the future.

Head coach Bodo Fritzen has built a formidable program at U-High over the past five years. However, surviving the rigorous rounds of the post season tournament and making it all the way to state has always eluded Fritzen and the Pioneers. Until now that is...this season Fritzen took his squad to the Class A soccer tournament in Naperville for the first time in school history. U-High was the only team in the tournament that is located south of Interstate 80.

The underdog Pioneers began their battle against the Chicago suburbs with a hard fought win over New Lenox Providence. On Saturday, University High cruised to another upset win over Geneva to place them in the coveted championship match the same evening. Unfortunately, the exhausted Lady Pioneers came out flat and dug themselves a deep hole in the first half. U-High was unable to find their way out of the hole and fell victim to perennial powerhouse St. Viator 5-1.

The championship game loss was certainly a bittersweet one for the 22-3-1 Pioneers. However, U-High’s run to the final game sent a message to themselves and the rest of the state that downstate schools do have the ability to compete with Chicagoland. In the case of Fritzen’s Pioneers, their ability to compete has just scratched the surface.

U-High’s talented squad included just two senior starters and was peppered with a wealth of freshman and sophomores. Seniors Abbey Graves and Megan Tischhauser are the only losses the Pioneers will suffer due to graduation.

The most obvious justification for the premature optimism is the eminent return of All-American Ashlee Pistorius. The sophomore forward notched an astounding 58 goals in just 17 games this season (Pistorius played in fewer games due to Olympic Development team commitments). In the state tournament, her reputation proceeded her. Pistorius was constantly marked by two players was clearly the focus of the opponents defense. Remarkably, she was still able to score six goals in three games against the toughest defenses in the state. Her supporting cast for next season will include high scoring junior forward Erin Ruddy, who tallied 21 goals and 11 assists this season. Sophomore forward Jamie Blass contributed six goals to the Pioneer efforts this season.

Defensively, the youthful Pioneers started all underclassmen with the exception of Graves. The returning starters for next season will include current freshman sweeper Ericka Rohren, Kelley Knapp, Natalie Davis, and goal keeper Jessica Brown. Amazingly, sophomore Kaetlin Merriman will be the veteran anchor for the Pioneer defense in the future.

With the return of Pistorius and almost the entire supporting cast of this years runner-up team, Bodo Fritzen is definitely looking forward to next season. The Pioneers may end up being the latest proof that girls soccer does exist south of Joliet.

NCHS Softball Team on Verge of Defending Title

The Ironmen softball team (31-2-1) plays Mount Zion (31-4) Monday evening in Urbana for the right to advance to the state tournament in Peoria next weekend. University of Iowa recruit Ali Arnold (22-1) will take the mound for Normal Community against worthy advisory Erin McDonald from Mount Zion. The winner will advance to a 5:30 pm quarterfinals game Friday night at Peoria’s EastSide Center.


Purple Raiders “Streak” to Sectional Tennis Title

By Ryan Trudo

The Bloomington High School boy’s tennis team just won the Bloomington sectional tennis tournament. Sure the Purple Raiders were expected to win, they usually do. The reason this is significant is because BHS actually does not usually win the sectional...they always do. Last Saturday’s dominating performance marked the 27th consecutive sectional title for Bloomington High School. They have not lost a single time since before I was even born.

The tennis tradition at BHS is rich indeed. Not many things change on the hard courts at the corner of Locust and Towanda. Sure, the names change every year, they have to. However, the results always seem to be the same. Bloomington-Normal’s Godfather of tennis, Barry Nixon, is no longer the coach at Bloomington, but the tradition is in good hands with current coach Ed Rozboril.

The individuals that advanced to the state tournament in Arlington Heights next weekend include Bloomington’s two best players, Tim Link and Oscar Beich. Link and Beich battled for the singles championship last Saturday and the senior Link downed the sophomore Beich in a thrilling three set match. The Purple Raider’s number two doubles team of Eric Dawson and Mark Lienhart also advanced to the state tournament.

The streak of 27 sectional championships is still a little hard to grasp. Consistency like that is very rare to find in high school athletics. To put it in perspective, the last time BHS failed to win the sectional title they were playing with wood rackets.

NCHS Softball Ready to Defend Title

The Ironmen will begin their defense of the state championship this week at the Pekin Regional. Normal Community (27-2-1) just won the Big 12 Conference last Saturday, thanks mainly to yet another perfect game from star pitcher Ali Arnold. Arnold has been spectacular all season allowing just one earned run while striking out an amazing 254 batters. The Ironmen also rely on Arnold offensively, who consistently helps her own cause with a .366 batting average and 20 RBI’s. Catcher Katie Bradley leads NCHS with a .378 average and 21 RBI’s.

Normal Community will play the winner of Monday’s Normal West and Pekin game. Last year, NCHS defeated Normal West in the regional 1-0 in a 20-inning marathon. This season, Normal West is responsible for one of NCHS’s two losses. If Normal West beats Pekin, the best softball game in the state next Saturday will pit the Ironmen against the Wildcats in Pekin.


Bloomington-Normal Turning into Golfer’s Paradise

By Ryan Trudo

As the temperature begins to rise in the twin cities, the number of available tee-times at the many local golf courses begins to dramatically decrease. Winter turns to spring and an average work day turns into an impromptu vacation day if it’s golfing weather in Bloomington-Normal. To be clear, golfing weather around here constitutes a temperature above 40 degrees, only occasional showers, and winds of less than 30 mph.

Over the past two decades the twin cities have embraced the sport of golf and in turn, top notch golf courses have sprung up on practically every edge of town. Bloomington-Normal is now home to nine golf courses (six public, three private), which equals over 50,000 yards of serenity, frustration, and joy. I have had the pleasure of playing all of these courses at one time or another and feel very fortunate to have so many beautiful and challenging courses to choose from.

My personal favorite course in Bloomington-Normal is the Bloomington Country Club. Having learned the game of golf there as a kid, it wasn’t until some years later that I realized how impossible it was to not take for granted. BCC is cut right out of the middle of Bloomington, yet only a handful of shots can be seen by the bustling streets surrounding this patch of paradise. Bloomington Country Club has been the host of many amateur tournaments throughout the years and is known for the beautiful tree lines and crafty holes. “BCC is a phenomenal place to play. It’s an old fashioned type course with small greens and lots of trees,” said Steve Orrick, back-to-back high school Intercity Tournament champion (1992-1993) and back-to-back MVP of the Lincoln College golf team (1994-1995). Bloomington Country Club will be closing the first week of August this summer in order to convert to bent grass and install a new irrigation system.

Crestwicke Country Club has a great reputation among the local golfing community. Crestwicke is one of the longer courses in town and much like BCC, has a plethora of old trees and challenging holes. The Crestwicke course features very difficult hole layouts and tilting greens, making a low score very challenging without good touch around the hole. “Crestwicke is a really strong test of golf,” said Brandon Fleer, course rater for Golf Digest. “The course will test every facet of your game and every club in the bag.”

The newest course in town is The Den at Fox Creek. This southwest Bloomington course was designed by Arnold Palmer and is considered one of the most difficult courses in Central Illinois. “No. 5 at The Den (par-5 with peninsula green) is the best golf hole in the city, one of the greatest risk/reward holes I’ve ever played,”said Orrick. The trees are still far from developed, so the occasional missed fairway may go unpunished, but the high volume of sand and water demand consistent shots. The one complaint some local golfers have is the extra money it costs to play at The Den at Fox Creek. Fortunately, not all golfers stay away because of the extra cost. “Even though it may seem expensive in relation to the other courses, the quality and challenge of the course is actually a bargain for the price,” said Illinois State graduate Dave Leverton.

The newly designed Illinois State Golf Course reopened late last summer after a nearly two million dollar renovation plan. The reconstruction allowed for a state of the art irrigation system, bent grass fairways, and redesigned hole layouts by Illinois State graduate and PGA Tour veteran D.A. Weibring. The redesign modernized the course and lessened the number of bunkers, creating deeper and more quality sand traps. “The continued maturity and redesign of the Illinois State Golf Course has turned it into one of the premier university courses in the nation,” said John Handy, captain of the 1991 state championship golf team from University High. “The course is getting better with age.”

The course where I choose to do the majority of my hacking around is Ironwood Golf Course in North Normal. I enjoy Ironwood because it’s wide open and a snap hook here or a wicked slice there will not necessarily translate into big numbers. Although Ironwind...excuse me, Ironwood, is notorious for high winds, the opportunity for a good round is always available.

Prairie Vista is a relatively new course in Bloomington-Normal. It was designed by the prominent Roger Packard, who also designed Ironwood. Prairie Vista has a lot of character for a newer course, thanks mainly to a drifting terrain with sloping fairways. The course features plenty of water threats and more than one blind shot into the green. “Prairie Vista is a championship course. It’s long, beautifully manicured, and forces players to hit challenging and demanding shots,” said Orrick, who played in the state finals at Prairie Vista. A solid short game will serve you very well at this course.

Highland Golf Course is an old gem and is considered by many in the older golfing community to be their favorite. Highland features a shorter, but very tight layout. The fairways are average size, but the trees are constantly looming on either side. The course is fully mature and the recent change a couple years ago to bent grass has left Highland in great condition. If you can battle through the tough front nine, the back side will offer plenty of opportunities for lower scores.

Lakeside Country Club is a nine-hole course contained within a one-square block area. Irons will serve you well off almost any tee and some of the greens are extremely difficult and lead to big numbers. Lakeside is considered to be one the toughest courses in Bloomington-Normal for breaking par, due to the total lack of par-5’s and very difficult par-3’s.

The only par-3 course in town is Royal Links Golf Course, which is tucked away on the northeast side. This nine-hole course is great for younger players to learn on and for older players to work on iron play. Adult players will only need a few clubs to get around at Royal Links.

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