Lincoln-Way West Students Sign Athletic Letters of Intent

Two Warrior women sign for softball and another for volleyball.

Three student athletes from Lincoln-Way West High School signed National Letters of Intent on Nov. 15, agreeing to attend a variety of colleges and universities. Kaci Krumreich will be attending St. Ambrose University, Davenport, IA for softball. She will major in nursing. Sam Magruder will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha, Wis. for softball. Magruder will major in physical therapy. Softball coach for the two student athletes is Heather Novak. In addition, Sarah Wegrzyn will attend Mercyhurst University in Erie, Penn. for volleyball. Rory Harrison is the volleyball coach at LWW. “We are excited to be here to recognize three outstanding student-athletes who are making the commitment to continue their education …

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Gimme 5: L-W West's Johnson’s Ready for Senior Volleyball Season

Lincoln-Way West’s Rachel Johnson has been on the court since day one for the Warriors.

The history of the Lincoln-Way West girls volleyball team only goes back a few years. In fact, just three years as the Warriors are heading into their third varsity season this fall. Senior Rachel Johnson has been around from the very beginning. She had four blocks and nine digs in the school’s first varsity match, helped the team to a 23-7 record a season ago and is now back as a leader in her final campaign. At 5-11 with plenty of varsity experience, Johnson is expected to be a force to be reckoned with for the Warriors. The 2010 National Honor Society inductee traveled to St. Augustine, Fla., and visited Flagler College for a volleyball camp this summer. It was a great highlight during a busy summer for Johnson. Now, she’s hoping for a …

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Local Sports Notebook

Lincoln-Way West Poms to Host Dance Clinic

Kids can learn dance skills and put them on display at Community Night. Registration is Aug. 16.

The Lincoln-Way West Poms will host a dance clinic on Tuesday, Aug. 16 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for students in kindergarten through 8th grade. Dance clinic participants will perform with the varsity and sophomore poms at Community Night on Aug. 19 at 7 p.m. at Lincoln-Way West. Kindergarten through 5th grade participants will learn skills and a routine, and will play games. Participants in 5th through 8th grades will learn the skills necessary to try out for a school team and will learn a routine. The $30 fee includes a West Poms T-shirt, a snack and the dance clinic. Participants should wear comfortable clothing and gym shoes. For the performance, girls will wear their new T-shirt and black shorts or pants, depending on the weather. Please …

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Local Sports Notebook

New Lenox Rebels 9-Under Baseball Rallies for Homewood Invitational Championship

A young New Lenox baseball all-star team trailed by four runs in the final inning of the title game but rallied to pull out a dramatic victory.

It was the best youth baseball game New Lenox coach Bob Ward had ever seen. It was late and his team was on the wrong end of a 5-1 decision vs. Ridge Beverly in the championship game of the Homewood Invitational Tournament. “Being down four runs going into their last at bats, the only 12 people in the park that still knew they were going to win were those 12 kids in our dugout,” Ward said. “It was all them. I have coached quite a few teams in the past five years, but I have never seen a team start as bad as they were and grow not only into great ballplayers but great teammates with character and pride for each other.” The Rebels responded with five runs to win 6-5. The contributions came from up and down the roster, which included Sarah …

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Gimme 5: Sports Keep New Lenox Park Coordinator Braglia Hopping

New Lenox Park District athletic coordinator Jason Braglia is heavily involved with sports programs throughout the summer.

Jason Braglia was working for the New Lenox Park District when he was still in high school. Now, many years later, he’s still working for the New Lenox Park District and helping offer a diverse array of programs for the community. Braglia began working for the park district in 1999. He graduated from Lincoln-Way Central in 2003. As someone who loves playing volleyball and recently started playing softball, Braglia’s job appears to be the perfect fit for an individual who not only makes sure he has a good time playing sports, but also offers programming for the greater community, too.

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Championship Team: L-W East Sports Boosters Carry the Load

The Lincoln-Way East sports boosters have supported, promoted and encouraged athletics programs for nearly 25 years thanks to the tireless efforts of its members.

Orville Redenbacher would be very proud. It was during a break in a freshman girls volleyball game. Dave Brost was jonesing for popcorn. He wasn't the athletic director at Lincoln-Way East back then; he was a parent cheering on his oldest daughter. "I went to the hallway to get a bag of popcorn and there were no concessions," Brost said. "I figured, 'What the heck is this?' So, I found this guy, Tom Lewis (former Lincoln-Way athletic director), and he said there was no concession stand. "I asked about boosters, and he said they hadn't had (a boosters organization) in five or six years. I said, 'That's not right.' He asked me if I was interested. I told him I was. My daughter was a freshman, and I was going to live the next four years there…

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Local Sports Notebook

MAC's Packed With Providence Alums

Former Celtics reunite on the ball diamond in Ohio.

The Mid-American Conference baseball tournament was held on May 21-24 and four Providence alums were on hand to participate in the action, including Northern Illinois University’s Tom Barry (2008) and Western Michigan University senior Grant Simotes (2006) and juniors Brian Stroud (2007) and Casey Webber (2008). Eastern Michigan won the championship, beating Kent State 12-4 on May 24. Western Michigan and Northern Illinois didn’t go head-to-head during the action in Chillicothe, Ohio. The MAC will welcome a couple more Providence graduates next season as Joe Houlihan and Matt Trowbridge, two keys players on this season’s Celtic team, have committed to play at Central Michigan University. The Lincoln-Way Central girls soccer team's …

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Local Sports Notebook

Baseball: L-W Central's Bieterman Reaches a Milestone

Knights' baseball coach records his 200th victory.

Lincoln-Way Central baseball coach Sean Bieterman won his 200th career game as a head coach with a 2-0 victory on the road against Homewood-Flossmoor on May 19. “To get to this number of wins is a result of coaching really good kids for a long time and having good assistant coaches,” he said. The Knights finished 25-10 last season. They won a conference title and a regional championship in his first season at the helm. He compiled a 161-74 record while previously coaching at Driscoll. The team finished this spring at 14-15-1. “Sean’s track record speaks for itself. He built a highly successful program at Driscoll Catholic High School before coming to Central. In his first year at Central, he led our program to the best season in school …

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Local Sports Notebook

Lone Senior: Alex Carr Drives Lincoln-Way West

Carr is a versatile player who is enjoying a breakthrough season. Next, she plans to head attend Maryville University in St. Louis.

For the first time in school history, the Lincoln-Way softball team is finally old enough to have seniors. Make that a senior, as Alex Carr is the lone senior playing for the Warriors this spring, but she’s packed a wallop all on her own, leading the team in hitting at .473, as well as in several other team categories, including RBIs, total bases, hits and doubles. “She’s always been a good player, but this year she’s had a breakthrough season,” Lincoln-Way West coach Heather Novak said. “And she’s played multiple positions for us. She’s caught, moved to third base and then shortstop and thrived.” Carr, who has committed to Maryville University in St. Louis, where she’ll continue to play softball and major in physical therapy, also has …

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Gimme 5: Providence's Schramm Quick to Learn New Trade

Senior setter Karl Schramm thought he might get cut from the freshman team four years ago. Now, he's one of the leaders for the Celtics' boys volleyball team.

Senior Karl Schramm is one of the leaders of the Providence boys volleyball team. He's developed in a short time, officially having taken up the sport during his freshman year. Sure, he played around a bit on the court prior to his first days at Providence, but he's still just in his fourth year of playing competitive boys volleyball. The Celtics are enjoying a strong season, boasting a 14-7 record with four regular season matches and a tournament remaining before the post-season begins.

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