Area Roundup: Mike McKinney wins UMP Stock Car national title
From Submitted Reports October 17, 2012 7:20PM
Updated: November 19, 2012 3:12PM
Plainfield South graduate and Joliet Junior College student Mike McKinney is a national champion.
McKinney, 19, won the UMP Stock Car national championship in the season that concluded recently. In his third season behind the wheel of the family-owned McKinney Motorsports Chevrolet, he recorded 18 victories, 30 top-fives and 35 top-10 finishes.
“It was a total family effort,” McKinney said, crediting his parents, Dave and Lyn. “My father is our only mechanic and crew member and also built the winning car in our garage in Plainfield.”
The road to the championship was not always smooth as McKinney was involved in two major accidents that required extensive repairs to the car. The latter of the two last month at Kankakee Speedway sent his car flipping five times down the front stretch at more than 85 mph.
McKinney walked away without a scratch and after nearly a total rebuild of the car in only two weeks, he returned to victory lane at Fairbury Speedway. His future includes stepping up to the Open Wheel Modified Division for 2013.
Football
St. Francis’ Oscar cited: University of St. Francis senior cornerback Charlmers Oscar was named the Mid-States Football Association Midwest Division Defensive Player of the Week following his two-takeaway performance in the Saints’ 48-17 win Saturday over Trinity International.
Oscar had an interception on each of Trinity International’s first two possessions of the second half. The two picks led to 11 St. Francis points as the Saints turned a 17-14 halftime deficit into a 25-17 lead.
Bolton commits: Former Joliet Catholic defensive tackle/linebacker Austin Bolton has committed to the University of Mary, a four-year liberal arts college in Bismarck, N.D., where he will continue his football career. Bolton graduated from Joliet Catholic in 2011.
Volleyball
St. Francis’ Robbins honored: St. Francis senior outside hitter Jazzmyne Robbins earned Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week honors.
Robbins averaged 4.95 kills per set and registered a .390 attack percentage in a perfect 6-0 week for the Saints, which included a four-set upset of NAIA No. 21-ranked Cornerstone at USF’s Big Guns Classic.
Basketball
Lewis Fan Fest: The Lewis Athletic Department will kick off the 2012-13 basketball season at 9 p.m. Thursday with the Flyer Fan Fest at Neil Carey Arena, featuring both men’s coach Scott Trost’s and women’s coach Lisa Carlsen’s squads. The event will feature dunk and three-point contests involving both teams. The Lewis cheerleading team and Flyerettes will perform.
There will be opportunities for student interaction as the winner of a 24-person knockout contest will take home a gift card.The grand prize will go to a student who can drain a shot from halfcourt. He or she will get the book fee paid for the spring semester.
