Pawlak producing for high-flying Illinois State football

Offensive linemen who consistently play their position well can often go unnoticed.

So it's always nice to see them recognized for awards.

Lakes graduate Dan Pawlak was recently nominated for a player of the week award in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

He is the starting left offensive tackle for Illinois State, which is currently leading the MVFC and is ranked second in the country for FCS.

The 6-foot-5, 280-pound junior and the rest of the Redbird offensive line put the team on its back as the Redbirds scored 18 unanswered points in the second half to defeat No. 21 Indiana State 27-24.

Most of that success was due to a strong running attack by the Redbirds, and Pawlak's performance stood out from the rest.

Pawlak, a native of Lindenhurst who also played basketball at Lakes, graded out at 96 percent, was credited with 6 knockdowns and did not allow a sack on the day as the Redbirds improved to 7-1 and 5-0 in MVFC play.

Illinois State amassed 269 yards rushing, led by Marshaun Coprich's 165-yard effort, and all three of the team's touchdowns came on the ground. Quarterback Tre Roberson scored twice on runs, the second of which was a 5-yard keeper to put the Redbirds up for good with under three minutes to play. Coprich scored the other touchdown on a 44-yard dash late in the third quarter that started the Redbird comeback.

Women'volleyball

Carthage senior setter Karen Chin (Mundelein) had 28 assists as the No.13 Lady Reds swept Elmhurst College in three sets to earn the the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin tournament championship on the campus of Millikin University.

Chin, an all-tourney selection, was named MVP of the tournament.

The Lady Reds earned the CCIW's automatic bid into the 2015 NCAA Division III championships, which start on Friday.

• Rhode Island junior middle blocker Layne Self (Lake Zurich) was named the school's Female 'Athlete of the Week'

She recorded 10 blocks in a 1-1 week for the Rams while blocking nine attempts in a win over second-place Saint Louis and had a solo block against first-place Dayton.

Self added 19 kills (1.90 per set) and posted a .385 attack percentage (19 kill, 4 errors, 39 attempts) and averaged 2.45 points per set.

She currently ranks seventh all-time at Rhode Island with 356 career blocks and is second in the Atlantic-10 with a .364 hitting percentage. She is ninth in blocks with 1.00 per set.

Women's tennis

Three former area athletes who played on Augustana's College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin championship team have been named to the all-conference team.

The Vikings placed juniors Lauren Goggin (Buffalo Grove) and Dana Goggin (Buffalo Grove) on the first team with senior Aileen MacDonald (Mundelein) earning second team recognition.

In addition, MacDonald was named CCIW Championship MVP.

Dana Goggin won the No. 2 singles title for the second straight year. She also teamed with MacDonald to win the championship at first doubles. Through the fall portion of the season, she sports a 14-2 singles record and a 19-2 mark in doubles.

With a season and a half to play, she's 12th in career singles wins at Augustana with 58 against just 19 losses - a winning percentage of .753 which is sixth in school history. Her career doubles record stands at 63-24, tying her for 10th-most wins, while her winning percentage of .724 ranks seventh.

Lauren Goggin finished second in the conference at first singles and second doubles. She'll head into the spring season with 13-5 and 14-2 records, respectively.

She has career marks of 57-25 (.695) in singles and 60-24 (.714) in doubles. She ranks in a tie for 14th in school history in singles wins and in a tie for 15th for doubles wins. Her winning percentages rank 16th and tied for ninth all-time, respectively.

CCIW championships at fourth singles and first doubles earned MacDonald tournament MVP honors. The senior is 11-2 this season in singles and 17-2 in doubles. Heading into her final half-season, she's compiled career records of 57-27 (. 679) in singles and 69-28 (. 711) in doubles. Her win totals rank in a tie for 14th and sixth all-time at Augustana, respectively, while her winning percentages are 17th and 11th.

Warren/Lakes feeder

Warren and Lakes high schools will be hosting a wrestling feeder program this winter. There will be no tryouts, and participation is open to all athletes from the age of 4-14. There will be practices available three days a week at Warren and Lakes. For more information, please visit www.LakeCountyWrestling.com or call Curt Onstad at (847) 975-9184. Registration is now open and practice begins this week. It's never too late to join. All are welcome.

• Please submit Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com.