Bluejay Sports Corner — 10/8/24

Photo by Delaney Murphy

Headliner: Football 

What a day to be a Bluejay football fan, as they picked up their first win of the year against a solid North Park Vikings team. The final score of the game was 28-21, Jays!

It was a strong performance all around with Taveon Porter, junior, leading a strong Jays offense on the ground with 79 rushing yards on only 13 attempts!

Elmhurst QB John Odom, junior, had a good day, throwing well for 136 passing yards and two touchdowns. Tight end RJ Anderson, junior, caught a touchdown pass as well as Gabe Holtke, senior.

Defense wins games, and that is what the Jays brought this game. Being led by senior, Talyn West, who had a team-high ten total tackles with an interception, and senior, Mayon Lowery, who had a team-high two sacks.

The Bluejays scored the majority of their points in the third quarter (21) which was enough to hold on to the first Homecoming win since 2016!

Continuing their winning streak, the Jays traveled to Kenosha, WI where they defeated the Carthage College Firebirds 23-17.

Looking forward, the Jays hope to keep this streak alive as they battle against Augustana on Saturday, Oct. 12.

Women’s Volleyball:

The Jays came to play on Homecoming as they swept Knox in sets, 3-0, and took the win. Following the right hand of sophomore Blair Johnson, and junior Gianna Ptaszek, as they both led the team with ten kills.

The team altogether had 15 different players record a kill. The team also had 19 served aces, following the service specialist, junior, Alexis Casey with a total of SIX aces!

The Jays were able to make easy work of Knox College and give the fans one more thing to celebrate on Homecoming!

This weekend the Jays will host the Elmhurst University invitational where they’ll go head to head with Wartburg College and University of Wisconsin – River Falls.

Men’s Soccer:

Men’s Soccer faced a tough Wheaton Thunder team to open conference play and were taken down by a score of 2-0 Thunder.

Although the team did not score, they were able to put up 18 shots, and sophomore goalie, Niyen Ruffin tallied 6 saves on the day.

The Jays look to attack conference play as it starts to get underway. The team’s next game is Wednesday, Oct. 9 as they take on #25-ranked North Park University.

Women’s Soccer:

The Women’s Soccer team also faced the Wheaton Thunder on Homecoming, as they fell to them by a score of 2-0. All the goals scored by the Thunder were in the second half, as the Jays played well on defense. The Jays tallied six shots during the outing, with a strong performance from their defense.

Although the Jays did lose–sophomore Lauren Nevins achieved her second CCIS Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week Honor. Nevins is now top three in goals at nine and top six in points with 19.

The team’s next game is Wednesday, Oct. 9 against North Park.

Women’s Golf 

The Bluejay Golf team finished their 2024 season on a high note this last weekend at the CCIW Conference Championship, bringing home the silver, and making it their second consecutive year to earn second-place honors.

Teeing up at Metamora Golf Club, the Jays finished day one of the championship with a team score of 327. On day two they earned an impressive score of 314. And bringing it home on the last day they finished strong with a score of 323.

Senior Regan Bobich made history once again, finishing in 2nd place with her individual score–the highest anyone on the team has placed at the championships individually since 1998. Bobich was the recipient of the Elite 26 award for her exemplary academic and athletic performance.

But that’s not all, senior Morgan Keller was also awarded at the CCIW Conference this weekend with the RESPECT award. This award recognized Keller’s role in upholding a positive team culture, her continued exceptional character, and her dedication to inclusiveness on the green.

Coach Swab says he is incredibly proud of the players’ “growth, focus, and diligence,” throughout the season.

Women’s Tennis

Bluejay Women’s Tennis gave it their all on Friday, Oct. 4 against the Wheaton Thunder, but lost 0-7.

Cheer them on Wednesday, Oct. 9 as they go head to head with Roosevelt University on the Lester Brune Tennis courts at 4 p.m.

Cross Country

The Bluejay Cross Country men’s and women’s teams traveled to Terre Haute, IN this last weekend to compete in the NCAA Pre-Nationals against 44 other teams from the area.

The men’s team put in a strong effort, ultimately placing 41st. Sophomore Hudson Wills ran an impressive time of 28:59 in the Varsity race.

The women’s team placed 27th, with sophomore Meredith Mournier earning a lifetime personal record of 25:51 in the Open Race.

In two weeks both teams will head to La Crosse, WI for the Drews-Neubauer Invite.