Bears to honor Neuqua flag-football team today

Neuqua Valley students won this year's Chicago Bears flag football championship.

Twelve juniors and one senior took the title during the first weekend of November at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, capping a 9-0 intramural league season.

The team continued its undefeated ways with playoff wins over Waubonsie Valley, Joliet Catholic and Addison Trail high schools to advance to the final four in Lake Forest.

In the semifinals there, they defeated a St. Patrick team 30-24 to earn a title berth against Mt. Carmel. They captured the championship with a dominating 20-14 win to finish 14-0.

Neuqua became the first team to win the championship three times in the 15-year history of the tournament. The team will be honored with a trophy presentation at halftime of today's Bears game at Soldier Field.

The team members were Conner Dart, Ryan O'Keefe, Jack Shunk, Kevin Hodgman, Kevin Epp, Dan Lausas, Nick Pettit, Ed Samaan, Sam Johnson, Austin Gore, AJ Quebbeman, Matt Allen and Mark Gaido. They were coached by Danny Kolzow.

Albion College punched its ticket to the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championships by edging Kalamazoo College in a shootout to win the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament championship.

The result will officially go down in the record book as a scoreless tie, but Albion claimed the trophy with a 5-4 score in the shootout.

Steph Beattie, the daughter of Hugh and Vicki Beattie of Naperville, and a graduate of Benet Academy, has played in the defense in all 19 matches for the Britons.

It is the second MIAA Tournament title for the Britons, who will be making their fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament under Coach Lisa Roschek.

Marisa Mele, of Neuqua Valley and Elmhurst College, finished the Chicago Marathon 936th overall -- the 83rd female though. There were more than 40,000 runners, and her time of 3 hours, 3 minutes surpassed many of them.