VOTE: New Lenox's 2011-12 Athlete of the Year

I took readers' nominations for 2011-12's best local athlete, and now it's up to your vote.

The nominations are in, and it's up to your vote now to name the 2011-12 New Lenox Patch athlete of the year. With three high schools and fantastic youth sports in New Lenox, there's no shortage of athletic talent here. After a week of nominations, we got seven names for you to consider. Read below for a short description of the athletes, with words provided by the people who nominated them, and then vote in the poll. Want to state your case to other readers? Then talk up your favorite in the comments. Voting ends at 5 p.m. Friday, June 29. Here's the nominations received from parents, coaches and others in the community, and their words as to why these students should be considered the local Athlete of the Year. Morgan was a Junior this …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

UPDATE: L-W North's McFarland Gets the Biggest Roar from the Crowd

Lincoln-Way North volleyball standout Ryan McFarland outpolled 11 others in Patch's weeklly MVP balloting. He is now eligible for March Patch Athlete of the Month recognition.

Your Patch is a place to celebrate local high school athletes. Show your support for these prep sports MVPs—each of whom is Athlete of the Week in his or her local Patch—by cheering them on in the comments thread, sharing your own photos with the Patch community and voting in the poll. Do you think we're missing someone? Tell us in the comments and share his or her photo to the gallery above. (It's easy. Just click the Upload Photos and Videos link — learn more here.) Read more about this week's MVPs in the photo gallery, and show your support for them by: There is one more way for you to become a more interactive fan: Sign up to become a Patch sports blogger. (Learn more about blogging on Patch here).

•  10 Comments
• Photos (14)

Girls Basketball: L-W Central Snared in Joliet West's Trap

Joliet West 45, Lincoln-Way Central 25: Khadija Cooley scored 15 points and the Tigers used a half-court trapping defense to take away the Knights' high-low passing game in Thursday's Southwest Suburban Blue girls basketball matchup.

The Skinny: Joliet West sprang a trap on Lincoln-Way Central in a 45-25 girls basketball victory on Thursday night in New Lenox—a half-court  trap. West forced nine  first-half turnovers and scored 16 transition points en route to building a 26-10 lead. When Central did get back on defense, West’s Khadija Cooley used dribble-penetration to break down the Knights’ defense. She scored eight of her game-high 15 points in the third quarter. Patch’s MVP: Khadija Cooley, 5-4, senior guard, Joliet West. Cooley made 7-of-12 shots and scored a game-high 15 points. She used dribble-penetration to break down Central’s defense. When she didn’t score herself, she created opportunities for her teammates. Key Moments: Joliet West used an 8-1 run to end …

• Videos (1)

Vote: New Lenox Athlete of the Year

We took readers' nominations for 2011's best local athlete, and now it's up to your vote.

The nominations are in, and it's up to your vote now to name the 2011 New Lenox Patch athlete of the year. With three high schools and fantastic youth sports in New Lenox, there's no shortage of athletic talent here. After a week of nominations, we got seven names for you to consider. Read below for a short description of the athletes, with words provided by the people who nominated them, and then vote in the poll. Want to state your case to other readers? Then talk up your favorite in the comments. Voting ends at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12. Kylie Bennett, softball, Lincoln-Way Central: Bennett raked in the honors this year, making All-Conference, All-Area and All-State teams, as well being named Central's MVP. She hit 11 Homeruns and had a .…

•  5 Comments
• Photos (1)

Girls Basketball: Providence D Stifles LWC

Providence Catholic 53, Lincoln-Way Central 32. Celtics Alex Shermulis and Cassidy Glenn outscored the Knights in a great defensive performance.

The Skinny: Lincoln-Way Central looked sharp early, up 19-16 in the second quarter against Providence Catholic. But junior Alex Shermulis tied it with a 3-pointer and the Celtics wouldn't trail again, winning 53-32. They switched to a zone defense late in the first half and smothered the Knights to force a lot of turnovers and fast break scores. Patch’s MVP: Senior Cassidy Glenn went on a tear in the second half with her quick hands on defense leading to nine third-quarter points (15 for the game). She packed the stat sheet and in one sequence got a steal, went coast-to-coast for the score, then forced another steal and got the pass for another bucket Key Stats: On an unofficial count, the Knights had at least 10 turnovers. Central shot …

• Photos (2)

Local Sports Notebook

Former Providence Standout Budz Breaks into NCAA Record Book

Dominican slugger connects for a couple slams and drives in a dozen runs--all in Game 1 of a doubleheader.

Back in 2008, Sara Budz drove in 36 runs for the Providence softball team. That record since has been eclipsed as Hannah Gardner (43) and Chloe Oprzedek (51) surpassed her single-season school mark in 2010. Now at Domininican University, Budz is adding her name to the NCAA record book. On Wednesday, Budz tied a couple NCAAA records. She became only the second player to drive in 12 runs since Tony Basil first sang “Mickey.”  Hunter College’s Giovanna Roberson drove in 12 against Medgar Evers in 1998. Budz also tied the record for grand slams by hammering two in a 20-3 victory over Alverno College. Budz is enjoying video game-like stats so far this spring, hitting .514 with 44 runs, nine homers and 46 RBIs. She blasted 10 home runs during …

• Photos (1)

Athlete of the Week: Bartuch Boots Knights to Victory

Sophomore Katie Bartuch scores the only goal of the week for Lincoln-Way Central in helping the Knights beat Bolingbrook.

There’s no denying that Lincoln-Way Central’s girls soccer defenders played exceptionally well last week. Players such as Jenna Proctor, Alyssa Leggero, Katie Sieloff and Meghan Killinger protected keeper Becca Petrone and put the Knights in a position where a single goal could allow them to win a tight match. On Wednesday, the Knights settled for a draw with Sandburg—the same program that advanced to the Class 3A title game last season. The Eagles had entered the match against Lincoln-Way Central with a 7-0 mark. And on Thursday, the Knights defense came up big, containing Bolingbrook until Rachel Post assisted on Katie Bartuch’s game-winning goal. As good as that defense was, the Lincoln-Way Central wouldn't have had a victory to show …

• Photos (2)

Girls Soccer: L-W Central Finds Scoring Touch Against L-W East

Rachel Post connects for three goals and leads the Knights past the Griffins.

Lincoln-Way East hadn't scored since St. Patrick's Day. Lincoln-Way Central hadn't won since the same holiday when many Americans dressed in green and ate corned beef and cabbage. The Griffins scored, but remained winless on the season, while the host Knights had no trouble in putting the ball in the back of the net in a 5-1 victory on Tuesday night in New Lenox. The victory was Central's first since a 3-2 decision against Marist on March 17. "This was a good one, especially because you can throw the records out and everything when playing a district rival, a sister school," Lincoln-Way Central coach Dan Radz said. "I was really proud of the kids. They really stepped forward and played extremely hard, which was good." "We played two real …

• Photos (1)
• Videos (1)

L-Way Central's Stancato Blazes a New Trail

Senior captain sets school record in 55-meter dash; teammate Kyle Counter runs to PR in mile with time of 4:29.4.

It was quite a day in New Lenox on Tuesday for a couple of track athletes at Lincoln-Way Central. In a non-scored meet against Manteno, Marist and Joliet West, Lincoln-Way Central senior captain John Stancato established a school record in the 55-meter dash. He was clocked in 6.3 seconds to eclipse the previous record of 6.4, which had stood for 10 years. Kyle Counter's effort in the mile was a little overshadowed by Stancato's school-record breaking performance, but Counter set a personal-best in the mile with a 4:29.4. "We're a very young team overall, but we've got some very good seniors we're expecting big things from," Lincoln-Way Central coach Dustin Waddell said. "Junior Brent Swanberg is also someone we expect a lot from. He hopes …

• Photos (1)

Analysis: L-W Central Makes Most of its Matchups with Taller T-Birds

Post's shooting, team's tough defense enable Lincoln-Way Central's girls basketball squad to advance in regional action.

Lincoln-Way Central coach Loren Hess said his players were ready and excited to take on Thornwood in Monday night’s Class 4A regional opener at Providence Catholic, even if the T-Birds had more height and plenty of speed. The Knights may not have had the size to match up with the likes of Thornwood center Dorothy Taylor—who recorded nine points and 14 rebounds even while plagued by early foul trouble—or 6-foot-2 reserve Jessica Warren, who came off the bench to pull down eight boards. But Lincoln-Way Central did have a red-hot shooter in Rachel Post to get the team off to a quick start and a pair of senior players who played taller than their stature down low in Hanna Hanlon and Kim Rietveld. Hanlon and Rietveld may have been giving up a …

• Photos (3)