Nov. 20--Postseason play in football, soccer and cross-country is fully underway in all NCAA and NAIA divisions this weekend, and several Chicago area schools are in the mix.
Some tournament tidbits:
-- Senior Rachel Tejada, the leading goal scorer in Missouri Valley Conference history, leads a school record-breaking Illinois State offense into the second round of the Division I women's soccer tournament Friday against No. 4 seed Pepperdine at UCLA.
The Redbirds rank No. 7 nationally in Division I scoring. Tejada, of Troy, Ill., is the active D-I scoring leader with 74 goals and 190 points.
-- Northwestern, which opens at home Thursday against SIU-Edwardsville, joins five other Big Ten teams in the Division I men's soccer tourney. That matches the conference's most-ever selections (from 2004) but it gets an asterisk because 2014 addition Maryland (regular-season and conference tournament winner) is among the six.
This is the fourth straight NCAA starting appearance for Wildcats' senior goalie Tyler Miller of Woodbury, N.J. He led the Big Ten this season in shutouts, save percentage and goals-against average.
-- It has been a family affair as Wheaton College enters Division III football play Saturday at home against Benedictine after the fifth undefeated and untied regular season (10-0) in school history. (The previous one was in 2003.)
Quarterback Johnny Peltz (Wheaton North) is the son of defensive line coach Jeff Peltz (and three-time Olympic speedskater Nancy Swider-Peltz). Johnny is the nephew of head coach Mike Swider, whose son, linebacker Mikey (Wheaton North), is the team's No. 2 tackler behind CCIW defensive player of the year Adam Dansdill, a junior linebacker from Wheaton-Warrenville South.
-- Benedictine needed to win its final game by 16 or more points to earn the automatic bid from the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. The result: A 16-0 victory over Lakeland, which had been unbeaten in conference play.
-- Sophomore defensive back Jarrett Lecas of Lincoln-Way East, the NACC freshman of the year in 2013, led the conference in interceptions and tied for second in tackles.
-- It is also a family affair for Wheaton's other dog in the postseason fight: men's soccer. The Wildcats host Wartburg in the round of 16 Friday.
The Golz brothers of Oak Park-River Forest have accounted for 24 of Wheaton's 60 goals, with 17 by junior Stephen and seven (plus seven assists) by senior Jordan.
-- The University of Chicago women moved into the third round of Division III soccer by not allowing a shot on goal in their first two games. The 16th-rankled Maroons, host to Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday, have 12 shutouts in 20 games. Freshman Mia Calamari of Barrington has 11 assists to tie the school's single-season record.
-- The Illinois Wesleyan women are in the third round for the first time in their seven D-III tourney appearances. Sophomore Skyler Tomko of Lisle tied the school single-game record with her four goals against Earlham.
-- The Aurora University women, who ousted previously unbeaten Lake Forest last weekend, also are in the round of 16 for the first time. They play Centre in the second match of Saturday's doubleheader at the U of C.
Junior Nicci Bermudes of San Diego is second in Division III with a school single-season record 35 goals. Senior Lisa Bajkowski of Oswego was the conference's defensive player of the year.
-- Troy Kelleher not only will be trying to help North Central win a 16th Division III cross-country title but also covering the Saturday meet in Mason, Ohio for the school's alumni magazine. Kelleher, a junior from Hilliard, Ohio, has freelanced for the Naperville Sun and Aurora Beacon-News.
He was named D-III national cross-country athlete of the week after finishing second in a field of 664 Division II and Division III runners at last month's UW-Oshkosh Invitational.
-- The Saint Xavier football team opens NAIA tournament play at home Saturday afternoon against Campbellsville (Ky.) with its highest national ranking (3). The Cougars were No. 5 when they won the national title in 2011.
After missing the tourney last year for the first time since 2008, Saint Xavier went young, with three sophomores and a freshman on the offensive line, a sophomore (John Rhode of Montini Catholic) at quarterback and a freshman (Mike Ivlow of Joliet Catholic) as the leading rusher. A senior, end Greg Hayward of Oak Lawn, is the defensive leader, ranking third in the NAIA in total sacks.
.png?w=600)
