Knights honor four-year, three-sport athletes.
By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
A trio of IC Catholic Prep wrestlers recently competed in the freestyle and Greco-Roman state and national competitions.
Joey Bianchini, who won a Class A 113-pound state title last year for the Knights, qualified for both Greco-Roman and freestyle nationals for Team Illinois. Bianchini took second in the state in Champaign in Greco-Roman in May. He also took third in the state in freestyle, but was elevated to the national team when the second-place individual was unable to compete in Fargo.
At nationals, Bianchini went 2-2 in the freestyle competition and 1-2 in Greco-Roman action. He competed in the Juniors division in both disciplines.
He wrestled at 126 pounds for freestyle and 132 for Greco-Roman.
“Joey made it to the round of 32 in both styles, which is great,” said IC Catholic Prep coach Kevin Sliva.
Bianchini also was asked to participate in the junior Greco-Roman duals team competition in Oklahoma for Team Illinois.
Team Illinois ended up winning the Greco-Roman duals.
Bianchini went 4-1 in the event.
“He wrestled against Team Minnesota in the championship and won his match,” said Sliva.
IC Catholic Prep had two other wrestlers compete in the freestyle state meet in May.
David Vargas wrestled at heavyweight in the Cadet division and took third place, missing making the Team Illinois Fargo roster by one slot.
Victor Vargas, his brother, went 3-2 at 220 pounds in the Juniors division.
All three wrestlers are part of the Izzy Style club in the off-season.
Sliva was thrilled to see three IC Catholic Prep wrestlers compete at the state and national levels.
“We keep having a little more each year,” Sliva said.
Iron Knight Awards
During its graduation awards dinner for the Class of 2017, IC Catholic Prep honored a host of individuals who played three sports for four years at the school.
That group this year included Charles Hipskind, Elizabeth Maloney, Trey Morris, Tess Reardon, Matt Sutton and Robert Vitek.
IC Catholic Prep football to host fantasy football event
The IC Catholic Prep football program will host a fantasy football training camp with Matt Bowen on Saturday, Aug. 19 from 7-10 p.m., at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Elmhurst.
The event will be led by ESPN analyst and former football player Bowen, who is an assistant coach on the IC Catholic Prep football staff. IC Catholic Prep is the defending Class 3A state champion.
Bowen will help attendees prepare for the 2017 fantasy drafts with detailed player breakdowns, rankings and projections. Along with a unique insider’s look at NFL playbooks and schemes, Bowen will answer questions and provide feedback to help build a championship fantasy football season, the school said.
Tickets are $100 per person and includes a buffet-style dinner and an open bar.
There also will be two raffle drawings at the event. One raffle winner will receive a custom IC Catholic Prep bags set and a second winner will receive a YETI Tundra 75 cooler. Winners must be present to win. The fantasy football training camp is perfect for football enthusiasts and is a great opportunity for friends to catch up while supporting an outstanding cause, IC Catholic Prep stated.
Proceeds from the event go toward the funding of IC Catholic Prep football and other IC Catholic Prep athletic programs.
For questions about the event, contact Marya Gibbons at [email protected]. To purchase tickets, visit www.iccatholicprep.org/athletics/athletic-events.
