Evergreen Park's Garcia Will Play Football at Illinois Wesleyan

Evergreen Park senior Niko Garcia has accepted a scholarship to play football at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Ill.

While staying relatively close to home was a consideration, Garcia said the most important factor in his decision was obtaining a good education.

“Illinois Wesleyan is one of the best educational institutions in D-3 (NCAA Division III),” he said. ”My main concern was education. That was the most important.”

The Illinois Wesleyan Titans compete in the College Conference of Illinois Wisconsin (CCIW), which includes Chicago-based programs such as Wheaton College, North Park University, North Central College and Elmhurst College. That will make it easier for Garcia’s family and friends to come watch him play.

When Garcia was first considering Illinois Wesleyan, he didn’t think he would be able to afford the school. For the 2011-2012 year, tuition is $36,392, according to the school’s website.

“I thought there was no way I could go because of how much it would cost,” Garcia said.

The scholarship eases that burden.

Garcia, who played free safety for Evergreen Park, said he will start out as a cornerback but eventually might switch to safety at Illinois Wesleyan. He said he will also return kicks and punts.

He was also considering Carthage College (Wisconsin), Concordia (Chicago) and Upper Iowa University.

Hunter Leads Mustangs Track and Field Team

Evergreen Park’s Amber Hunter has been on a tear. On April 29, Hunter won both the shot put and the discus events at the Chicago Christian Co-ed Invitational. In the shot put, she outdistanced the second-place finisher by three feet with a throw of 33 feet, 2 inches. Her discuss throw was 91 feet, 4 inches.

Hunter continued her stellar performance on Thursday as the Evergreen Park girls track and field team edged Reavis by two points to place sixth at the South Suburban Conference meet at Eisenhower. Hunter placed second in the shot put (32 feet, 8 inches) and in the discus throw (101 feet).

The Mustangs also got solid contributions from Charlotte Murphy, who finished fifth in the 3200-meter run (13:18) and sixth in the 1600-meter run (6:20). Jolyne Piet finished fourth in the 100-meter hurdles (18.2 seconds) and Diamond Williams placed fifth in the 200-meter dash (28.0 seconds).

Monica Falconer led the Mustangs in the high jump (4 feet, 6 inches) with a fourth-place finish, and Dominique Williams placed fifth in the discus (81 feet, 10 inches).

Brother Rice Shocks Providence

Brother Rice’s baseball team pulled off a stunner Wednesday, defeating 12-11 at. The Crusaders scored twice in the bottom of the seventh for the victory, including a bases-loaded walk for the game-winning run. Here’s the story from Pat Disabato of the SouthtownStar.

McAuley, Rogers Bounce Back

Mother McAuley ace Ashley Rogers rebounded from her loss last Saturday against Oak Forest to pick up the win over Marist on Tuesday. The Mighty Macs won 5-1 behind a five-hitter from Rogers. Here’s the story from the SouthtownStar.

Mustangs Soccer Gallery

In case you missed it, in action.