Chicago Sun-Times

Hard-hitting Benedictine gains at-large bid to D-III regionals

Thu, 16 May 2013 02:25:12 -0500

In a 32-10 regular season, Benedictine tied a school record for victories and won No. 900 for 41st-year coach John Ostrowski. What the Eagles couldn’t do was nail down an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. Concordia Chicago won the Northern Athletics Conference tournament to take that honor. But Benedictine was one of 14 schools selected for an at-large berth for the tournament, which started with double-elimination regionals Wednesday at eight sites. The Eagles opened Wednesday afternoon in Whitewater, Wis., with a 6-5 10-inning loss to Wisconsin-Stevens Point. “It’s very exciting,” Ostrowski said. “That’s the goal for any …

Notre Dame’s Jake Golic transfers to Cincinnati

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:50:00 -0500

Former Notre Dame tight end Jake Golic announced on Twitter that he is transferring to Cincinnati. “Can’t thank the ND family enough for all the love and support over the last 4 years at ND. You have made it a pleasure to be Irish!” Golic wrote on Twitter. “With that being said, I am incredibly excited about the opportunity of attending the University of Cincinnati and being a #bearcat!” Golic, whose father Mike also played for the Irish, appeared in five games for Notre Dame and did not have a catch. Jake Golic graduated from Notre Dame and will be …

Four-star offensive lineman from Tennessee commits to Notre Dame

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:10:27 -0500

Another offensive lineman has made an oral commitment to Notre Dame for the Class of 2014. Alex Bars, from Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tenn., tweeted Friday that he would be attending Notre Dame. “I have officially committed to The University of Notre Dame! #playlikeachampiontoday,” Bars tweeted. Bars is the fourth offensive lineman for Notre Dame’s Class of 2014. The 6-6, 290-pound Bars is a four-star recruit, according to Rivals.com. He is ranked No. 6 at his position (offensive tackle) and No. 55 overall, according to Rivals.com. His father, Joe, played linebacker at Notre Dame. Bars is the 10th member …

DePaul President: Partnership with City key to arena deal

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:22:01 -0500

DePaul’s financial commitment to the new multi-purpose arena at McCormick Place will be half the cost of construction, or an estimated $70 million. That cost will rise if construction costs escalate.

Two players kicked off Illinois football team

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:58:19 -0500

Illinois wide receiver Darius Millines and defensive end Darrius Caldwell have been dismissed from the Illinois football team by coach Tim Beckman for undisclosed violations of team rules, a team spokesman said Thursday. Millines, from Boynton Beach, Fla., was second in receiving yardage last fall. Millines, who would have been a senior, had been suspended indefinitely in March. Caldwell, from Atlanta, played in all 12 games last season as a redshirt freshman. He had been expected to compete for a starting job as a hybrid defensive end/linebacker, but missed spring practice due to academic problems. Caldwell’s departure leaves Houston Bates …

Emanuel to announce $300 million DePaul stadium plan for McCormick Place

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:11:54 -0500

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is expected to announce this week plans for a $300 million 12,000-seat arena for DePaul University at McCormick Place — a proposal that will call for millions in taxpayer dollars, sources tell the Chicago Sun-Times. The mayor will also announce plans to build two mega hotels on McPier property in the hopes of aggressively growing convention and meeting business in Chicago.

Manti Te’o among four Chargers draft picks to sign

Thu, 09 May 2013 23:53:04 -0500

SAN DIEGO — Manti Te’o is one of four draft picks who’ve signed contracts with the San Diego Chargers. Te’o, the linebacker from Notre Dame, was picked by the Chargers in the second round. Also signing four-year deals Thursday were third-round pick Keenan Allen, a wide receiver from California; sixth-rounder Tourek Williams, an outside linebacker from Florida International; and quarterback Brad Sorensen, a seventh-rounder from Southern Utah. First-round pick D.J. Fluker, a tackle from Alabama, and fifth-rounder Steve Williams, a cornerback from Cal, remain unsigned. A rookie minicamp runs Friday through Sunday. …

Former Blue Demon Rod Strickland not coming to DePaul as basketball assistant

Sun, 12 May 2013 23:19:31 -0500

Former DePaul star Rod Strickland has opted to remain on John Calipari’s coaching staff at Kentucky after interviewing for an opening on Blue Demons coach Oliver Purnell’s staff. But Strickland now might be under consideration for a position on Memphis coach Josh Pastner’s staff, according to reports. Strickland, 46, was at Memphis with Calipari as director of basketball operations when the Tigers reached the national championship game in 2008 before losing to Kansas. He moved with Calipari to Kentucky the next season and serves as his special assistant. The Wildcats won the national championship in 2012 but failed to reach …

Notre Dame to play Iowa in Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Wed, 08 May 2013 14:20:01 -0500

The Notre Dame men’s basketball team will make a rare road trip to Iowa on Dec. 3 as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. It’s the first meeting between the teams since 1990 and the first time the Irish will visit Iowa since 1950. The time and network for the game will be announced at a later date. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 8-5. “We’re thrilled to be part of this year’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge in a first season as a member of the ACC,” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said in a statement. “This is a great non-conference …

Small colleges: Concordia Chicago baseball looking to add tournament title

Wed, 08 May 2013 21:53:33 -0500

Goal No. 1 is in hand for Concordia Chicago’s baseball team, the regular-season champion in the Northern Athletics Conference. Now it’s on to the postseason. “It’s a big deal,” said Adam Smith, coach at the River Forest school. “The conference tournament gets the automatic berth [to the NCAA Division III regionals], but winning the regular season is just as important. You want to win that, get the conference championship, get the banner — that’s a pretty cool thing for our guys. That’s our first goal every year.” The Cougars (32-5, 18-4), ranked 19th in Division III by the American Baseball …

New Notre Dame Stadium could lead to 4,000 additional seats, other amenities

Thu, 02 May 2013 19:58:26 -0500

Changes could be on the way for Notre Dame Stadium. University officials announced a feasibility study to explore using the stadium’s location as a “hub” for a student center, media center, classroom and conference center. Premium seating could also be in the works. Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said the model developed a little more than 4,000 additional seats. “The benefits to the football program will be that we’ll get an opportunity to address a number of things and we think it will make the stadium even more compelling, hopefully put it in a position to generate additional revenue …

NCAA hoops semifinals move to TBS in 2014

Thu, 09 May 2013 00:19:06 -0500

The Final Four’s first two games are moving to cable next year. The national semifinals will air on TBS in 2014 and 2015, with the title game remaining on CBS, the companies said Tuesday.

Penn State child sex-abuse case urged to go forward by grand jury judge

Tue, 07 May 2013 10:50:00 -0500

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The supervising judge for the grand jury that investigated how former Penn State administrators handled the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal said in a new court filing that the criminal case against them needs to move forward. Judge Barry Feudale made the comment in an order released Tuesday in the case against Graham Spanier, Gary Schultz and Tim Curley. “Continued delay of this case is not in the interest of justice as to (the) defendants and the alleged victims,” Feudale wrote. The order granted a defense request to release motions by Curley and Schultz — that were …

Lineman Quenton Nelson commits to Notre Dame

Thu, 02 May 2013 12:46:00 -0500

Notre Dame added another four-star player to its 2014 recruiting class Wednesday. Quenton Nelson, a 6-foot-5, 282-pound offensive lineman from Red Bank, N.J., orally committed to the program.

SMALL COLLEGES: North Central’s Johnny Crain has big run at Drake Relays

Thu, 02 May 2013 02:27:58 -0500

With athletes from high school, all college levels, and invitational events for elite competitors beyond college levels, the Drake Relays have a unique place in track and field. For North Central College, the event long has had a cherished spot on the schedule. “We have a great history at Drake Relays,” said coach Frank Gramarosso, noting the NCAA Division III Cardinals have competed in the event since 1974, including every year since 1983. “It’s a lot of fun. In the College Division, you compete against Division II and NAIA, and then the events that are University and College, those are …

Manti Te’o selected by San Diego Chargers in second round

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:18:00 -0500

Manti Te’o is off the board. And off to Southern California. After falling to Day 2 of the NFL draft, Te’o, Notre Dame’s oft-scrutinized middle linebacker, was selected by the San Diego Chargers with the 38th overall selection on Friday. The Chargers traded up to grab the pick from the Arizona Cardinals. The big buzz on Thursday was that the Bears were very keen on Te’o and could take him with the No. 20 pick. But general manager Phil Emery and Co. passed on him and other defensive players, taking Oregon guard Kyle Long. ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. …