North Cental College's football team has won 19 games and at least a share of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin title the past two seasons.

Despite tying for the league title with Illinois Wesleyan last season, an overtime loss to IWU kept North Central out of the NCAA Division III playoffs.

For Johnsburg grad Kyle Fiedorowicz, a senior tight end for the Cardinals, being left out of the NCAA field is not something he wants to repeat.

"It was a little disappointing," Fiedorowicz said. "We think we're just as good as any team in D-III."

The Cardinals hope to prove that this season with Fiedorowicz among six returning all-conference players. 

North Central is ranked in the top 16 in four preseason polls and was chosen earlier this month to win at least a share of its fifth consecutive CCIW title by the league's coaches, garnering six of the eight first-place votes. The Cardinals open the season Sept. 4 at Cornell College in Iowa.

The 6-foot-7 Fiedorowicz was a big part of the offense last season, catching six touchdowns as the Cardinals rolled up a school-record 490 points.

"We're a really good passing offense, and that just opens up the running game," Fiedorowicz said. 

Getting back to the playoffs is a major goal for the Cardinals, but the team does not want to stop there.

"We want to win a national championship," Fiedorowicz said.

To do that, Fiedorowicz expects an even bigger role in the offense.

"Maybe 10 touchdowns," said Fiedorowicz, who was named a second-team All-American by the Lindy's preseason magazine. That'd be a touchdown a game. That would be good."

D-III soccer rankings: Rock Island's Augustana College is ranked ninth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's D-III women's preseason poll.

Augustana, which posted a school-record 20 wins last season, is the highest-ranked team from the CCIW.

Jacobs grad April Kathe, a sophomore back, is one of 20 returning letterwinners for the Vikings, who went 7-0 in conference last season.

Illinois Wesleyan is ranked 24th in the preseason poll of the nation's coaches.

IWU's roster includes standout junior midfielder Lauren Knaack, a McHenry West grad. Knaack is a two-time All-CCIW player who was named last season to the NSCAA All-Central Region third team. Jacobs grad Kelsey Quitschau is a freshman midfielder for the Titans.

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.

Being at the top of the NCAA Division III football polls is nothing new to Wisconsin-Whitewater.

For the most part, though, the Warhawks are too busy to notice.

"We don't really pay attention to it," said senior defensive end Jon Baldwin, a Richmond-Burton grad. "We just take things one step at a time."

The next step for the Warhawks this fall is defending their D-III national title, the second in the past three years.

Whitewater has played in five straight Stagg Bowl games, the D-III championship contest, and all have been against fellow powerhouse Mount Union of Ohio. Whitewater is No. 1 this month in The Sporting News and D3Football.com preseason polls.

In his first three seasons, during which he's compiled 8.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss, Baldwin has helped the Warhawks to a 42-3 record.

"It's a great experience to get to play as many games as we do," he said.

Last fall, Whitewater's defense allowed 10.4 points a game, yielded six rushing touchdowns in 15 games and collected 33 sacks.

"Those numbers are right about where we want to be," Baldwin said. "We want to stop the run first and make teams (one-dimensional)."

The Warhawks' defensive success has led to Baldwin being named to the InsideWisconsinSports.com All-Division III Defensive Team, which includes the top defenders from Wisconsin schools.

Baldwin will play a key role in helping the Warhawks ease the loss of fellow defensive end Anthony White, who piled up 24.5 sacks and 37 tackles for loss in the past four seasons.

"It's not really all on me," said Baldwin, whose team opens the season at home Sept. 4 against Adrian (Mich.) College. "It's on our whole D-line. It's up to all of us."

Baldwin's approach to doing his part is simple.

"I'm trying to get better at everything," he said. "I want to do my job better so that I allow other guys to do their jobs even better."

Hope at No. 4: Michigan's Hope College is in the top four of the American Volleyball Coaches Association's preseason poll, the same place where it ended last season.

Thanks to the play of Richmond-Burton grad Jacie Fiedler, Hope made the D-III Final Four last season and posted a school-record 34-4 campaign.

This fall, Hope was chosen No. 4 in the preseason poll. Fiedler, a senior outside hitter, earned honorable mention All-American honors last season and was the most outstanding player in the NCAA regional tournament. She ranked 16th nationally with a .370 hitting percentage while being named to the All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association first team.

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.

Playing football in Florence, Ala., in December is exactly what Andrew Lorman expected from his college football career.

NCAA Division II football coaches have the same expectations this season of Lorman and his Grand Valley State University teammates.

Grand Valley, which lost, 30-23, to Northwest Missouri in last season's national title game in Alabama, was voted No. 2 on Tuesday by the American Football Coaches Association behind Northwest.

"The reason I came to Grand Valley was to play in that game," said Lorman, a Cary-Grove graduate. "It didn't turn out like we wanted. But it gave us a lot of momentum coming into this year."

Lorman, a junior, played tight end out of necessity last season to fill in for an injured teammate. He started 13 games for the Lakers (13-2), catching 22 passes, including three for touchdowns.

This summer, Lorman worked out in preparation for his new role, as the team's starting H-back.

"I expect to catch a lot more balls," Lorman said. "We had workouts Monday through Friday this summer (on campus in Allendale, Mich.). I worked a lot on catching the ball. I worked on running routes and getting myself open. I feel really comfortable. I have all my assignments down pretty good."

In Grand Valley's high-powered attack, which averaged nearly 36 points a game last season, the H-back is normally flexed out as an additional wide receiver. The tight end, by contrast, is primarily a blocking position in the offense.

Along with a change of positions, Lorman will adjust this season to having a new quarterback and a new coach.

Standout quarterback Brad Iciek, who threw for 3,200 yards and 35 touchdowns last season, is now a graduate assistant coach. 

"We still need to get our quarterback situation figured out," Lorman said. "Then, we'll be ready to take off."

Former head coach Chuck Martin left to coach defensive backs at Notre Dame, leaving defensive coordinator Matt Mitchell to take over the job.

Despite the changes, Grand Valley got three of 26 first-place votes in the AFCA poll.

"I'm not surprised," Lorman said of the poll. "We've won year in and year out."

Big Ten's big name: Prairie Ridge grad Hillary Haen earned a spot on the 16-member All-Big Ten Preseason team in volleyball Thursday. 

Haen, a senior setter at Illinois, was one of only two setters chosen for the squad by league coaches. 

While helping Illinois advance to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament last fall, Haen received honorable mention All-America honors. She enters her third season as the Illini's starting setter this fall. Illinois, which finished second last season in the league to three-time defending national champ Penn State, opens its season Aug. 27 when it hosts the State Farm Illini Classic.

In the preseason team poll, coaches chose Penn State to win its eighth straight league title, with the Illini second.

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.

The start of fall football camp at Illinois State this week brought excitement for Jordan Neukirch.

After spending last season as a redshirt, the Huntley graduate knows exactly where he wants to be on Saturdays this fall.

"I definitely want to try and get some playing time," said Neukirch, who was switched to tight end last season and earned ISU's Scout Team Player of the Year honor. 

A running back/linebacker in high school, Neukirch made a quick transition to his new position.

"The coaches were impressed with what I could do with the ball in my hands," Neukirch said. 

As one of the team's top three tight ends, Neukirch likely will see the field along with current starter Casey Cline, a junior who caught 16 passes last season, and senior Brandon Venson, who spent half of last season at wide receiver.

In ISU's offense, Neukirch said the tight end's duties include "a little bit of everything."

"Sometimes, I'm lined up as a fullback," he said. "Sometimes I'm on the line blocking defensive ends. And sometimes, they'll split me out (as a wide receiver). It's all about trying to find mismatches against either bigger, slower linebackers or smaller defensive backs."

Neukirch said his learning curve at tight end was aided by Cline and Venson. 

"They're the leaders of our position group, and they're great guys to learn from," he said. 

He also benefitted during his redshirt year from being on the scout team.

"That was definitely a good learning experience," he said. "I got to practice against the No. 1 and No. 2 defensive ends every day."

Along with catching a few passes this fall for ISU, which went 6-5 last season under first-year coach Brock Spack, Neukirch hopes to work on the punt coverage team.

"When they recruited me, they knew I could tackle people," he said. 

Martini shines in Cape: Prairie Ridge grad Nick Martini, who will be a junior at Kansas State this fall, posted his best week of the summer last week for the Falmouth (Mass.) Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Martini, an outfielder for the Commodores, batted .375 last week with two doubles, a triple and four RBIs.

While leading the team in runs scored (20), stolen bases (10) and walks (24) for the season, Martini is hitting .257 with six doubles and 21 RBIs, which ranks second for the Commodores.

Court helps Cats: Dundee-Crown grad Ryan Court has been one of the top offensive players this summer for the Thunder Bay (Ontario) Border Cats of the Northwoods League, a summer baseball league for top college players.

Court ranks second on the team with a .280 batting average and is the Cats' leaders in runs scored (31) and walks (35). Over the last four games, Court is batting .385 with nine runs scored.

court, who will be a senior at Illinois State this fall, was awarded ISU's Fairchild Endowed Scholarship on July 22. Court has received the scholarship for two years in a row.

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.

As a redshirt freshman goalkeeper last season at Division I South Carolina, Cary-Grove graduate Alex Holland watched plenty of soccer.

In fact, Holland got to watch her women's soccer teammates win the Southeastern Conference and advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.

Though she couldn't get on the field in order to preserve her four seasons of eligiblity, Holland didn't wilt.

"Every training session was definitely a competition,"Holland said. "It was a very positive experience, especially at the goalkeeper position, where there is so much to learn."

While many college athletes are discouraged by redshirting, Holland said the year was critical to her development.

"To have a year to practice and to have four more years of eligibility left, I'd definitely recommend it to anybody," she said.

Holland proved her skills were quite sharp last week when she helped her club team, Eclipse Select of Libertyville, finish second in the U.S. Youth National Soccer Championships in Overland Park, Kan. 

Holland, competing in the final youth tournament of her career, and her Eclipse Select U19 Girls teammates lost, 4-2, in penalty kicks to Lonestar 91 Red of Texas in the national championship match. 

"It was a great event to be a part of," Holland said. "It's the biggest youth soccer tournament you can play in."

Despite the loss, Holland was honored with the Golden Glove Award, which is given to the tournament's top goalkeeper. 

Though she was grateful for the honor, Holland admitted "a national championship would've been better."

Holland, who has been training with her college teammates since returning to campus July 1, said her summer success has shaped her goals for this season.

"There are only two goalies who travel (to road games)," Holland said. "My goal is to be one of those top two. I think it's an attainable goal. If I train hard and play at the top of my game, I think I'll be able to do that."

Sweeney stands out: The Intercollegiate Tennis Association has named Prairie Ridge grad Sam Sweeney of Naperville's North Central College to its D-III All-America team. 

Sweeney, who became the school's first tennis player to make the national tournament when he qualified in the spring as a junior, was the only player from the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin to be chosen for the team.

A total of 54 players were selected, including Sweeney, who advanced to the second round of nationals after winning CCIW singles and doubles titles in the spring.

Millikin honors: Dundee-Crown grad Cory Henry was one of 22 D-III athletes to be chosen this month for the Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

A junior biology major, Henry won two tournaments for the Big Blue last season. The award honors college golfers for their success on the course and in the classroom. 

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.