Mason Schwalbach, a Marian Central Catholic graduate and McHenry resident, is picking up where he left off a year ago. And then some. The McHenry County College sophomore, who hit .408 a year ago as he earned National Junior College Athletic Association Division II All-American status, is hitting .480 through 16 games this season. The […]
Just call Woodstock North graduate Haley Halsall a Missouri Valley Conference All-Conference performer. The Indiana State University swimmer in her freshman season with the team earned the distinction after placing in the top 16 in not one, not two, but three events. The Sycamore freestyler was also a member of a relay that finished in […]
Isabelle Halsall, a Woodstock North graduate, helped the St. Norbert College Lady Green Knights end Carthage College’s streak of victories in the Wisconsin Private School Championships. The Redmen, who had won the women’s team title each year since 2009, lost the 2023 battle by 18 points in the final weekend of January. St. Norbert scored […]
Luke Silva, a Marian Central Catholic graduate and Aurora University wrestler, did not have a peer. Not at Millikin University and not at 174 pounds. The Spartan grappler won the title at the Millikin University Open. He posted four victories to win the 174-pound title. Three of those victories were by pinfall, and one was […]
Reagan Kelly, a Woodstock resident and Marian Central Catholic graduate, has something to build on when Butler University resumes its indoor track season on Jan. 6. At the DePaul University-hosted Blue Demon Holiday Invite, the former Hurricane sprinter finished fourth in both the 300-meter dash and the 400-meter dash. The outing was held at the […]
Ryan Jones, a Marian Central Catholic graduate and Marengo native, is extremely happy. He could be even happier after next year’s cross-country season. The University of Illinois-Springfield runner, who is listed as a junior on the roster, helped the Prairie Fire take sixth in the recent NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships. He was […]
Not all of the men’s swimming teams in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin were competing, but Woodstock North graduate Nick Phillips, an Augustana College junior swimmer, likes the opening of the season. He, and the rest of the Augustana Viking men’s swimming team, battled three other CCIW teams at the Illinois Wesleyan University […]
Ryan Jones, a Marian Central Catholic High School grad and the rest of the University of Illinois-Springfield cross-country team, started the year with a perfect score at the Prairie Star Invitational. Jones, who was the caboose on that perfect score, finishing as the fifth runner overall and the UIS fifth runner, hence the perfect team […]
Multi-sport athletes in high school, especially at a small high school, are common. In college, it is extremely rare, except with something like track and cross-country, where the activity only changes slightly, but the terrain changes greatly. Soccer and track would be a strange combo, but not for Marian Central Catholic graduate Eve Meintz, a […]
If the St. Norbert College softball team voted for a Most Improved Honor in 2021, Woodstock graduate Abby Primus should be a shoo-in. In 2019, she was hitting .221. Two years later, after enduring the cancellation of the 2020 season due to COVID, Primus returned to hit .443. That is an improvement of 221 points. […]
Larry Lough is editor of The Independent and reports local news.
Janet Dovidio has been a freelance correspondent for The Independent for eight years.
Susan W. Murray wrote for The Independent, covering various beats, from 2005 to 2008.
Tricia Carzoli is a freelance writer and photographer that on community news.
