Spychala Named to COD All-Tournament Team

Kelly Spychala (middle) was named to the COD All-Tournament team. (Jim Cummins)

PALATINE, Ill. – After finishing the College of DuPage 18^th Annual Classic with a 3-1 record, the Harper College volleyball team had one player, libero Kelly Spychala (Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove), selected to the All-Tournament Team.

In the four matches, Spychala played in all 13 sets and had led the team with 65 digs. The Hawks defeated College of Lake County, St. Louis – Florissant Valley Community College and Highland Community College before losing to No. 1 Madison College.

"Clearly Kelly has stepped up from part-time libero and DS last year to full-time libero this year," said Harper head coach Bob Vilsoet. "She has done an outstanding job in the back row both on defense, and she's been very instrumental in our improved service receiving. This is a well-deserved honor for her, especially in that these types of recognition usually go to the flashy hard-hitting hitters."

Hawks Top Junior College, Sixth Overall at Aurora

The Hawks placed sixth overall out of 15 schools. (Jim Cummins)

Results

AURORA, Ill. – The Harper College men's cross country team opened up its season by placing first of the junior college teams at the Aurora University Spartan Classic on Friday. Overall, the Hawks placed sixth out of 15 teams.

Freshmen Juan Barajas (/Schaumburg) and Zach Stella (/Palatine) led the charge for the Hawks in their college debuts. Barajas ran an excellent race and placed 29^th with a time of 26:45 in the 8K race while Stella placed 37^thwith a time of 26:56. 

Sophomore Nick Modlin (Wheeling, Ill./Wheeling) was Harper's third runner to cross the finish line, completing the race in 54^th place in 27:36. Sophomore Jhoan Lino (León, Guanajuato/Streamwood)placed 63^rd in 27:54, and freshman Sebastian Ramirez (/Palatine) rounded out the top five by placing 76^th in 28:23.

The Hawks, who are currently ranked second in the most recent NJCAA Div. III poll, scored 191 points to finish ahead of seventh place Illinois Wesleyan (209 points). The University of Chicago placed five runners, including individual champion Dan Povitsky (25:03) in the top six to win the meet with 18 points.

The North Central varsity team claimed second place with 41 points, and the North Central freshman team took third place with 81 points. The host team took fourth place with 122 points, followed by Wheaton College in fifth place with 145 points.

Up next, the Hawks will race at the Illinois Intercollegiate at Olivet Nazarene University on Friday at 4:15 PM.

Four Hawks Compete at Aurora

Marisa Andreuccetti (bib 146) was the Hawks' top finisher. (Jim Cummins)

Results

AURORA, Ill. – The Harper College women's cross country team had four runners compete in the Aurora University Spartan Classic on Friday.

Harper's Marisa Andreuccetti (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Conant) was the team's top finisher, placing 79^th in the 6K race with a time of 26:57. Cindia Salgado (/Wheeling) finished in 137^th place with a time of 34:05, while teammate Gabby Beaupre (/Elk Grove) finished  138^th with a time of 34:11. Gabrielle Brosnan (Mount Prospect/Christian Liberty) placed 151^st with a time of 41:24 for the Hawks.

The University of Chicago had six of the top seven runners to win the team title with 17 points. The hosts placed second with 45 points, and Wheaton College completed the top three with 122 points.

Up next, the Hawks will race at the Illinois Intercollegiate at Olivet Nazarene University on Friday at 4:15 PM.

Hawks Finish 2-2 at RCTC Invitational

The team made its traditional stop at the Mississippi River.

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 | Box Score 4

ROCHESTER, Minn. – The Harper College volleyball team finished with a 2-2 record against stiff competition at the Rochester Community and Technical College Volleyball Invitational over the weekend. The invitational was held at this year's host of the NJCAA DIII Volleyball National Championship.

In Friday's first matchup against Minnesota-State Fergus Falls, the Hawks (8-8) pulled out a thrilling five-set victory (25-14, 25-19, 21-25, 21-25, 15-13) that took a total team effort. Veronica Dabrowski (Mount Prospect, Ill./Rolling Meadows) recorded a double-double with 14 kills and 22 digs while adding three service aces and four big blocks. Madison Rodriguez (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) and Alyse Kolner (Crystal Lake, Ill./Marion Central)each had 10 kills in the victory.

Libero Kelly Spychala (Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove) showed her quickness, totaling a team-high 28 digs in the match. Valerie Bazemore (Houston, Tex./Keller) directed the offense with 30 assists, while Katherine Milla(Honduras/CEAD Christian School) had 10 assists and seven digs in her first match of the year. Rebekah Hischke (Algonquin, Ill./Dundee Crown) recorded three services aces while tallying 13 digs.

"We are figuring things out," said Harper head coach Bob Vilsoet. "We are getting closer to where we need to be to win all our games. I truly like our progress as a team so far."

Harper could not carry over the momentum into Friday night's matchup with NJCAA Div. II Bismarck State College, falling in straight sets (18-25, 16-25, 17-25). Hischke was 15-for-16 hitting with a team-high seven kills in the match. Spychala led the Hawks with 14 digs, while Kolner had seven assists to pace the team.

"Fergus Falls had a very strong middle hitter, and Bismarck State is a very strong D2 team that should be ranked," Vilsoet said.

The Hawks rebounded from the defeat with a four-set victory over Minnesota West Community and Technical College on Saturday morning (23-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-16). Five Hawks totaled at least seven kills, led by Rodriguez's nine. Hischke and Lindsey Murphy (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Crystal Lake South) both had their serves working, going a combined 31-for-31 with five aces. Alex Messner (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Fremd) led the Hawks' defense with 15 digs, and Murphy guided the offense with 20 assists.

In the final match of the weekend, Harper fought hard but fell to No. 4 Rochester Community and Technical College (20-25, 25-18, 17-25, 14-25), who also defeated No. 1 Madison College the day before in five sets.

Alex Messner (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Fremd) led the Hawks' attack with nine kills. Murphy totaled four service aces and 15 assists, while Kelly Spychala (Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove) led the defense with 30 digs.

"Hopefully, we improve our inconsistencies, and get a chance to win our region later on," Vilsoet said. "When we play well, we play very well. Perhaps we will get a chance to ride to Rochester again, this time in a bigger bus to play for a chance at a national championship."

The Hawks return to their home court Thursday for a N4C matchup with College of DuPage. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 PM.

Hawks Edged 3-2 by WolfPack

The Hawks fell 3-2 at Madison Friday night. (Jim Cummins)

Box Score

MADISON, Wis. – The Harper College men's soccer team dropped their fourth straight game, losing 3-2 to Madison College Friday night in Madison.

The Hawks (0-4, 0-3 N4C) got on the board early for the second straight game as forward Kevin Engebretsen(Elk Grove Village, Ill./Conant) found the back of the net in the 10^th minute for his first goal of the year, beating Madison goalkeeper Juan Martinez-Perez to give Harper an early 1-0 advantage.

The lead was short-lived, however, as the WolfPack's Parvis Samadzada found Dan Paeschke, who beat goalkeeper Sean Cox (Schaumburg, Ill./Conant) to nod the score at 1-1 in the 12^th minute. The WolfPack struck again 27 seconds later to take a 2-1 lead, as Paeschke scored again on a feed from Elliot Pieper.

The Hawks put pressure on the home team throughout the game, tallying 10 shots on goal to Madison's seven. The WolfPack padded their lead in the 69^th minute with an unassisted goal from Marcos Meneses.

Harper answered back in the 73^rd minute when Ryan Murphy (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg) scored his third goal of the season on a pass from Starsky Correa (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) to cut the Madison lead in half to 3-2. The Hawks were unable to put another ball in the net in the closing minutes.

The Hawks return to their home field Wednesday to take on N4C opponent Milwaukee Area Technical College beginning at 4:00 PM.

Harper Men's Cross Country Vying for Three-Peat in 2013

PALATINE, Ill. – When you hear the phrase "three-peat" in the Chicagoland area, the first thing that usually comes to mind is Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls teams that won three straight NBA championships in the '90s on two separate occasions. Fifteen years later, the Harper College men's cross country team begins its quest for a third consecutive NJCAA Div. III national championship.

Head coach Jim Macnider's squad returns five runners from last year's championship team and brings in a strong group of freshman runners.

"On paper, we are much better than we were the past two years," Macnider said. "We definitely have more depth, way better than last year. These guys are working hard."

Sophomores Nick Modlin (Wheeling, Ill./Wheeling) and Jhoan Lino (León, Guanajuato/Streamwood) boast experience from last year's nationals, where Modlin placed 19^th and Lino placed 27^th. Modlin had a stellar spring 2013 track and field season as well, placing fourth in both the 5000m and 10,000m at nationals. Lino placed fourth in the 1500m at nationals and was a member of the 3200m relay team that won a national title.

"They both have improved a ton coming into this year, and they are good in the classroom, too," Macnider said.

Other returners include Vince Greco (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Elk Grove), who placed 40^th at last year's national meet, Livan Turamusima and Daniel Lim (Schaumburg, Ill./Streamwood).

The freshman group features two runners from Palatine High School in Zach Stella (/Palatine) and Sebastian Ramirez (/Palatine). Stella was a top-7 runner from the MSL champion Pirates and was a member of their all-state 3200m relay team.  Other freshman who will contribute include Juan Barajas (/Schaumburg), Jordy Arriga, Andrew Guibord (/Prairie Ridge), Nick Kellerhals (/Hersey), John Majerus (/Elk Grove) and Connor Williams (/Wauconda).

Lino likes what he sees from the new runners and described them as a great group of guys who are talented and hard-working.

Harper's first meet, the Elmhurst College Invitational, was wiped out due to severe thunderstorms. The Hawks now open their season in Aurora at the Aurora Invite on Friday.

The Hawks will also participate in the Illinois Intercollegiate at Olivet Nazarene, the College of DuPage Invite, Benedictine Invite and Bradley Classic, all in preparation for the Region IV Championship and NJCAA Championship. Many of these meets will feature strong competition from four-year schools.

"We want to do our best in these meets leading up to nationals and make as many PRs as possible," Modlin said.

This year's Region IV Championship will be held in Joliet on Nov. 2. The NJCAA Championship will be hosted by Holyoke Community College in Northfield, Massachusetts on Nov. 9.

Hawks Ready to Run in 2013

PALATINE, Ill. – In the past few years, it has been a struggle for the Harper women's cross country team to field a full lineup of runners. In 2013, the Hawks boast five runners who are ready to compete and contribute to the team total.

Gabby Beaupre (/Elk Grove) returns for her second season with the Hawks. Beaupre placed 73^rd at last year's national meet and will bring leadership to the team.

"Gabby's a hard worker, has improved a ton, has a great attitude, and she'll be a great leader this year," said head coach Jim Macnider.

Beaupre wanted to compete for the track and field team this past spring but was unable to due to a stress fracture in her tibia.

The rest of the Harper squad features four track and field athletes in Marisa Andreuccetti (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Conant), Stephanie Chaires (/Christian Liberty), Gabrielle Brosnan (Mount Prospect/Christian Liberty) and Cindia Salgado (/Wheeling).

Andreuccetti, who played soccer for the Hawks in 2012, was a member of the 4x800m relay team that took home a national title. Chaires, who also played a year of soccer for Harper, was a member of the championship 4x800m relay team with Andreuccetti and also took fifth in the 1500m.

Brosnan battled injuries in the spring but ran the 400m and 4x100m relay. Salgado was a middle distance runner for the Hawks before her season was cut short due to injury.

"We have a lot of different talents coming together who have been training hard since the track season," Beaupre said.

In Harper's first meet, the Elmhurst College Invitational, Andreuccetti was the lone Harper runner and placed 70^th out of 158 runners. The Hawks' next meet is in Aurora at the Aurora Invite on Friday.

The Hawks will also participate in the Illinois Intercollegiate at Olivet Nazarene, the College of DuPage Invite, Benedictine Invite and Bradley Classic, all in preparation for the Region IV Championship and NJCAA Championship. Many of these meets will feature strong competition from four-year schools.

Macnider believes if his team stays healthy, the goal is to get to nationals and perform well.

This year's Region IV Championship will be held in Joliet on Nov. 2. The NJCAA Championship will be hosted by Holyoke Community College in Northfield, Massachusetts on Nov. 9.