DiNella earns women’s college hockey All-American honors.
By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
The Willwobrook Athletic Booster Club presented its award winners and scholarship recipients for the 2016-2017 school year.
Casey King was named the outstanding male athlete, while Valentina Poggi was named the outstanding female athlete.
Grace Chantos was named the Helen Carpenter most valuable female athlete, while Jon Kelso was named the John A. Fischer most valuable male athlete.
Athletic Booster Club scholarships were awarded to King, Chantos, Kyla Denwood, Grace Guthrie, Dominic Ranieri and Luke Halloran.
Lauren M. Kiefer memorial scholarships were awarded to Zachary Walenga, King, Julia Holden, Mike Dembowski and Makena Walsh.
Susan Jurkonis scholarships were awarded to Lucas Olson, Chantos, Poggi and Calvin Linnig.
John Hamann scholarships were awarded to Margaret Karcz and King.
Villa Park Warriors youth football and cheer scholarships were awarded to Walenga, MJ Ranieri, King, Amanda Thomas, Katelyn Schultz, Jessica Taylor (Taylor Family Scholarship recipient) and Paulina Kapica.
DiNella earns All-American honors
Willowbrook graduate Amanda DiNella (Class of 2015) was named a 2016-2017 Women’s CCM Hockey Division III All-American west first-team recipient by the American Hockey Coaches Association.
DiNella plays for the Gustavus Adolphus College women’s hockey team. She is the 15th player, fifth sophomore and first goalie in the school’s history to earn the honor.
DiNella, who also earned all-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors, led the MIAC in save percentage at .947, goals-against average (0.92), winning percentage (.813) and most shutouts with eight.
DiNella helped Gustavus finish third in NCAA Division III this past season.
In 22 games (19 starts), DiNella went 14-4-2 with a 1.16 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage to go with the previously mentioned eight shutouts.
Schmidt at Northern Illinois
Former Willowbrook softball standout Sam Schmidt completed her sophomore season for the Northern Illinois University softball team.
Schmidt played in 48 games (43 starts) and had 24 hits and 19 runs scored. Of those 24 hits, four were doubles and four were home runs. She finished the year with 19 RBI and walked 10 times. Schmidt also was a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen-base attempts and had a .939 fielding percentage in 180 total chances.
Northern Illinois finished the year 33-21 overall and went 15-6 in conference play.
Schmidt was a three-time all-conference player at Willowbrook who earned all-state honors her senior year after setting school single-season records for batting average (.583), RBI (51) and home runs (16).
Pizur at North Park
Former Willowbrook baseball star Matt Pizur is a pitcher on the North Park University baseball team.
Pizur pitched in 12 games this spring and started 10 contests. He went 2-2 in 68 2/3 innings of work. Pizur struck out 56 batters and walked only 21.
Pizur struck out eight batters in a game against Carthage College and fanned seven in contests against Wisconsin Lutheran, Wheaton College and Carroll University.
