College Achievers: An auspicious start for the Badgers’ Boltz
Last Tuesday, Wisconsin soccer forward Dean Boltz (Fremd High School) earned his second straight Big Ten Conference freshman of the week award.
Helping the Badgers move to No. 10 from No. 22 in Division I, Boltz scored 3 goals with 2 assists in wins over the University of Illinois-Chicago and Marquette.
In the 2-1 win over Marquette on Sept. 2, the 6-foot-2 Boltz evened the score in the 72nd minute, then scored the game-winner in the 86th minute.
On Aug. 29, the Big Ten gave Boltz honors as both freshman and offensive player of the week. Through games of Sept. 5, he led all Division I players with 7 goals and 17 points.
On Top Drawer Soccer’s first National Team of the Week, Boltz’s 7 goals already are the most by Wisconsin freshman for an entire season since 2005.
Southern Illinois University senior setter Anna Jaworski (Naperville North) entered the volleyball season sixth in program history in assists, with 3,148. She also had played in all of Southern Illinois’ 94 games since she arrived in Carbondale.
Jaworski added to both categories during a 3-0 start from Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at the Betty Austin Tournament at Alabama A&M in Huntsville.
Leading the Salukis with 63 assists and 7 service aces, the 5-foot-8 setter was named to the all-tournament team.
Making his first start for College of DuPage football on Aug. 22 in Glen Ellyn, quarterback Justin Bland (Glenbard North) paced a 48-13 win over Ellsworth.
The 5-foot-11, 210-pound redshirt freshman completed 15 of 19 passes for 423 yards and 4 touchdowns. Bland threw touchdown passes of 33, 69, 75 and 29 yards.
He followed that by going 15 of 19 for 253 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 49-12 Chaparrals win over Hocking on Aug. 31.
For that game, freshman punter Aaron Rice (Neuqua Valley) earned NJCAA special teams player of the week, booming one 55 yards and placing 2 inside Hocking’s 20-yard line.
In fewer than three quarters of play in Northern Illinois University’s football opener, quarterback Ethan Hampton (Aurora Christian) compiled historic numbers.
The junior became the Mid-American Conference’s first offensive player of the week following the Huskies’ 54-15 win over Western Illinois on Aug. 31.
Making his fifth start and first since 2022, Hampton completed 18 of 20 passes for 328 yards and 5 touchdowns at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb.
His 310.3 passing efficiency rating broke NIU’s program record of 261.3 set in 1963 by College Football Hall of Fame inductee George Bork.
The 6-foot-3, 216-pound Hampton completed touchdown passes of 23, 11, 11, 43 and 60 yards, all to different receivers. His first touchdown pass went to sophomore Dane Pardridge (Marmion).
Hampton’s 5 touchdowns were the most by a Huskie since Chandler Hamish threw for 6 against Toledo in 2011.
Hampton and NIU returned Sept. 7 with a 16-14 upset win at No. 5 Notre Dame, the Huskies’ first win over a ranked nonconference opponent since 2003. Hampton completed 10 of 19 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown, and ran for 21 yards.