College Report: Larkin grad Britney Whitehead shines for EIU
By Dan Chamness For Sun-Times Media June 11, 2012 4:50PM
Britney Whitehead won the steeplechase for the Eastern Illinois women's track team at the Ohio Valley Conference meet. The Larkin graduate also took fourth in the 1,500-meter run and fifth in the 5,000. | Submitted photo
Updated: July 13, 2012 6:00AM
Britney Whitehead, a Larkin graduate, helped make it a clean sweep both personally and as a team.
Eastern Illinois won the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field championships to go along with its indoor title and cross country team title. It was the first time in OVC history that a single team won all three championships.
Whitehead scored points in three different events, including her nearly 11-second win in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Whitehead finished the race in 10 minutes, 54.92 seconds. The second-place finisher, fellow Eastern Illinois runner Olivia Klaus, finished in 11:05.77.
After her steeplechase victory, Whitehead returned the next day to score points in two additional events. She finished fourth in the 1,500-meter run (4:34.19) and fifth in the 5,000-meter run (18:27.20).
Eastern Illinois scored 179.50 points. Southeast Missouri State University took second with 170 points.
“I scored the most individual points for my team and was able to be a part of all three championships,” said Whitehead. “I knew that I would be running the 1,500-meter run and the steeplechase, but when it became obvious that we needed to score points in other events to beat (Southeast Missouri), I was entered in the 5,000-meter as well. The two days completely drained me, but I’m excited about doing what I did in the 5,000-meter run. I knew it was one of the keys to our team winning.”
• Michael Sainz (Larkin) was 44th in the Missouri Valley Conference championship meet, which was held at the Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchison, Kan.
Sainz finished with a 241-stroke count over 54 holes. He shot a low round of 74 in the opening round. As a team, Evansville took sixth with a 906. Wichita State won the conference title by carding an 877.
• Bradley’s Greg Partyka (Bartlett) and Austin Jarvis (Burlington Central) each had hits in Bradley’s three-game series with Creighton.
In the series finale, which was won by Creighton 4-2, Partyka was 1-for-3 with a walk. Jarvis was 1-for-4 and drove home one of the Bradley runs. In the lone Bradley win, a 3-1 victory, Jarvis was 1-for-3 and scored one run. In the 7-4 loss to Creighton, Partyka was 1-for-3 with a walk and a double, his 11th of the season.
• Illinois State swept Southern Illinois in a three-game series. Illinois State senior Kenny Long (Dundee-Crown) earned saves in two of the contests.
In the 5-3 win over the Salukis, Long worked 2 1/3 innings, allowing one hit. He fanned two and walked one. It was his ninth save of the year. In his eighth save of the year, Long worked one inning in a 3-2 triumph. He allowed one earned run on one hit.
• The Illinois Wesleyan baseball team advanced all the way to the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin tournament championship game, but was topped by the North Park University Vikings 8-4. Zach Scott (St. Charles East) was 2-for-4 in the championship contest, while Johnathan Erickson (St. Charles East) was 1-for-4 with a double.
John Munyon (St. Charles North) and Nick Hahn (Burlington Central), both IWU players, took the mound for the Titans in the tournament. Munyon earned his first win of the year as he was the pitcher of record in IWU’s 4-1 win over Elmhurst College. He worked 4 1/3 innings, allowing three hits. He fanned two batters.
• Elmhurst College’s Zach Hofer (Jacobs) had hits in all three of the EC contests in the CCIW Tournament.
Elmhurst College lost to Illinois Wesleyan twice. The two losses, the first a 9-5 defeat, sandwiched a 7-6 win over the Augustana College Vikings. In the three games, Hofer was 3-for-9. He walked four times and doubled once. He drove home one, scored once and stole one base.
• Heartland Community College’s Andre Sopena (Huntley) was 2-for-4 with a double and a triple as HCC dumped Parkland Community College 7-5. Sopena drove home one and crossed the plate once.
He also had a multiple-hit performance in the other HCC win over Parkland. The freshman infielder was 2-for-3 in the 4-3 Hawk win.
• Western Illinois split its four-game series with Indiana University/Purdue University-Fort Wayne. Western Illinois senior Matt Igara (Jacobs) reached base in each of the four games. He had his best performance in a 4-1 win, going 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. He was 1-for-4 with a double in the 10-0 IPFW win. He walked three times in the series finale, an 8-5 win by IPFW.
