There was a lot of joy at the start of the kids' 50-yard dash at the Liberty Run. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Area Sports Roundup: Orland Park’s Krysta Stanko wins Liberty Run
By Jeff Vorva
Staff Writer
Out-of-state runners have been doing well recently in the men’s division of the Orland Park Veterans Liberty Run.
In 2021, Minnesota Resident Owen Ford was a close second in the running of that race.
This year, another out-of-state athlete did one better.
Brett Hulliberger, of Waukesha, Wisconsin, won the 2-mile race at Centennial Park in 10:50.8 seconds.
Hulliberger has some Illinois connections, as he is on the cross country and track teams at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais. He was on his way from Wisconsin to a family vacation in Michigan when he stopped to see his girlfriend in Orland Park and signed up for the race.
“I just wanted to have fun,” he said. “It’s a cool event.”
The woman’s champ was Orland Park resident and Andrew student Krysta Stanko, who placed eighth overall with a time of 13:02.7.
Her father, Dave, ran cross country while he was a student at Oak Lawn High School and placed 18th in the state in 1986.
There were 160 runners who finished the race and several that walked on a one-mile course. There was a 50-yard kids dash.
Brett Hulliberger of Wisconsin won the Veterans Liberty Run, held in Orland Park’s Centennial Park on July 1. Photo by Jeff Vorva
A list of the age group medalists in the Liberty Run:
Male 9-under: Connor Gregorson, Colin Young and Dylan Ahmer.
Female 9-younger: Taylor Bogdan, Elena Wilkins and Addison Bogdan.
Male 10-14: Dylan Straka, Colin Stack and Pounds Rylan.
Female 10-14: Samantha Barry, Kaylee Woods and Katie Ahmer.
Male 15-19: Saulo Mateo Ramiro, Peter Mulligan and Brayden Block.
Female 15-19: Krysta Stanko, Daniela Iraci and Charlotte Gallian.
Male 20-24: Brett Hulliberger, Patrick Gannon and Andrew Szmanski.
Female 20-24: Julia Dalmann and Stephanie Gaspardo.
Male 25-29: Tyler Guzinski and Zack Lundquist.
Female 25-29: Elyse Janosz, Michaela Trail and Cassandra Noonan.
Male 30-34: Trevor Noonan.
Female 30-34: Michelle Lally, Sarah Janosz, Stephanie Nolan.
Male 35-39: Colin Nolan, Scott Gerretse, Nick Gregorson.
Female 35-39: Kaitlyn Yoder and Katie Smith.
Runners (left to right) Andrew Heilman, Gavin Hanley and Colin Stack get ready for the Liberty Run. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Male 40-44: Dariusz Lisowski, Nicholas Janet and Jakob Luckhard.
Female 40-44: Courtney Luckhard, Mary Beth Casarez and Erica Bogdan.
Male 45-49: Michael Young, Benedyct Szymanski and Michael Turk.
Female 45-49: Bridget Young, Bridget Quinn and Elizabeth Aguinaga.
Male 50-54: Krzysztof Wasik, Sean McNamee and David Bruce.
Female 50-54: Paula Gaspardo, Erika Garcia and Sonya Levoy.
Male 55-59: Patrick O’Connell, Richard Rugett and Jim Downey.
Female 55-59: Vilma Elizondo.
Male 60-64: Doran Phillips and John Janosz.
Female 60-64: Laura Mniszewski-Krull, Kathy Jurcenko and Susan Janosz.
Male 65-69: Richard Schopper.
Female 65-69: Beverlee Dallmann.
Male 70-older: Alan White, Geoffrey Tryon and John Jurcenko.
Female 70-older: Paula Scheiwe, Kathy Kleczkowski and Judy Hetzel.
Orland Park’s Krysta Stanko (right) won the women’s division of the Liberty Run. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Heading to junior Olympics
The new Illinois Lightning Track team is already in a position to make some national noise.
Two athletes from the Palos Heights-based club qualified two athletes to the AAU Junior Olympics, which will be held July 30-Aug. 6 at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Richards’ Julia Niemeyer and Shepard’s Kyla Motley qualified at a recent qualifier in the heptathlon with Niemeyer scoring 3,520 points and Motley 3,291.
Rose ready for PDP League
Brother Rice catcher Zion Rose, who just completed his junior season helping the Crusaders to a third-place finish in the state in Class 4A, is one of 100 players invited to the Major League Baseball Prospect Development Pipeline League which wrapped up Wednesday in Cary, North Carolina.
Rose will also compete in the MLB-USA Baseball High School All-American Game at Dodger Stadium during All-Star Week.
Local News
Stagg’s Laila Barakat and McAuley’s Bella Finnegan hit 1K career points; Richards’ Kortz gets 300th win
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Look what Laila Barakat started. The Stagg senior basketball star hit a milestone when she scored her 1,000th career point against Richards on Jan. 8. That was the first of three notable career accomplishments achieved the following week. It was followed by Mother McAuley senior Bella Finnegan scoring…
Cruz booted from SD 229 school board in Oak Lawn
Spread the loveBy Dermot Connolly There is a vacancy on the Oak Lawn Community High School District 229 School Board, after members voted 6-1 last week to remove Robert Cruz for allegedly violating his oath of office, school board policy and state statutes. Cruz, a property developer, was elected to the District 229 board in…
Tax exemptions will be automatic, Kaegi says
Spread the loveFrom staff reports In response to the ongoing pandemic, the Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s office will continue the automatic renewal of the Senior Freeze, Veterans with Disabilities and Persons with Disabilities Exemptions. The Homeowner and Senior Exemptions will continue to auto-renew every year. If a homeowner received any of these five exemptions…
Marist wrestlers take Illini Classic crown; Shepard’s Damari Reed stays unbeaten
Spread the loveBy Steve Millar Correspondent When Peter Marinopoulos was a freshman, he served as the Marist wrestling team’s manager when the RedHawks would travel to tournaments. Two years later, he is finishing tournaments on top of the podium. Marinopolous, ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 3A at 195 pounds by the Illinois…
Warrant issued for suspected shooter in Worth double homicide
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong Worth police have an arrest warrant for a man suspected as the shooter in a double homicide January 10 at the Crossing Bar and Grill in Worth. Worth police are working with numerous law enforcement agencies to seek the man, who was not identified. Police said the suspect is not…
Oak Lawn officials rip governor, legislators over crime
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Two Oak Lawn officials are calling for Gov. J.B. Pritzker and local legislators to re-evaluate a police reform law that they say has resulted in a rise in crime. Trustee Alex Olejniczak (2nd) served as mayor pro-tem during the Oak Lawn Village Board meeting Tuesday night in place of Mayor Terry Vorderer,…
Troop 1441 Scout earns Eagle rank
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A journey that began years ago for Adrian Ayala recently culminated in Boy Scouting’s highest honor. Ayala, a member of Boy Scout Troop 1441 (sponsored by the St. Mary Star of the Sea Holy Name Society) was honored at an Eagle ceremony at Duggan Hall on Jan. 13. The Eagle rank…
Hog Wild to open Monday in Oak Lawn
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Dining choices will get a boost in Oak Lawn with the arrival of Hog Wild. The restaurant is scheduled to open Monday, January 17, at 4040 W. 111th St. That’s a week later than originally scheduled. “We are very fortunate here in Oak Lawn to have attracted Hog Wild,” Oak…
Home security cameras could be big help to Orland cops
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Residents of Orland Park could have a hand in solving crime in the village. The board of trustees unanimously approved to move forward with a voluntary security camera registration program at its Jan. 4 meeting. It’s expected to start on Feb. 1. This program gives citizens and businesses a chance…
Ailing eagle on the mend
Spread the loveSeveral blocks northwest of Garfield Ridge—just west of 47th and Harlem–motorists late last month noticed an eagle flying low and acting erratically. The Villa Park-based Chicago Bird Collision Monitors was contacted, and its volunteers found and captured the majestic bird. It was transported to a facility owned and operated by Glen Ellyn-based Willowbrook…
Neighbors
After 9 months, state data begins to detail new pretrial detention system
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com Nine months after cash bail ended in Illinois, the state is taking its first steps in publishing the data that crafters of the bail reform law saw as essential to judging its effectiveness. The data shows that judges in the 75 counties served by the Illinois Supreme Court’s…
ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS: Pritzker keeps economic development at forefront in exclusive interview
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com With fiscal year 2025 slated to begin Monday, Gov. JB Pritzker continues to tout available state tax incentives and promote Illinois as a site for business development. On the season finale of “Illinois Lawmakers” this week, Pritzker pointed to a pair of developments in East Alton and Normal…
Pritzker calls SCOTUS emergency abortion ruling ‘small respite’ as state protections await his signature
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Abortion remains legal as an emergency medical procedure in Idaho, for now, after a Thursday U.S. Supreme Court ruling, while a bill that would cement those protections in Illinois law awaits Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature. The 6-3 decision saw the three liberal justices concur with the order. Three…
‘We don’t really know what we’re voting on,’ top Dem says of Pritzker’s prison plan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com LINCOLN – On the eve of a scheduled vote to advise Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on plans to close and rebuild a pair of dilapidated state prisons, hundreds filed into a junior high school gymnasium Thursday evening clad in matching green T-shirts. Printed on the shirts was a…
SCOTUS ruling could upend federal corruption cases for Madigan, allies
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday narrowed the scope of a federal bribery law prosecutors have relied on in their cases against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and several of his allies convicted of bribing him. A jury last spring found those allies – former lobbyists and…
Quantum technology companies set for big tax incentives under new law
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday gave final approval to a plan to bolster the state’s tech industry, including an incentives package – backed by $500 million in the state budget – aimed at making Illinois the nation’s leader in quantum computing. The package also expands tax…
Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it?
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com In the final hours of their spring legislative session, Illinois lawmakers approved a tax credit of up to about $300 for families with young children. The credit is available to Illinoisans with children under age 12 who qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. Although…
Illinois’ ban on ‘bump stocks’ remains in place despite U.S. Supreme Court decision
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – An Illinois law banning the sale and use of “bump stocks” and other devices that increase the firing power of semiautomatic weapons remains in place, at least for now, despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision Friday striking down a federal ban on such items. “Illinois law…
Another Choate Mental Health Center employee indicted for abuse of resident
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com Another caregiver at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna is facing charges for abusing a patient. A grand jury indicted Joseph A. Clark, 24, of Grand Chain, on a felony charge of aggravated battery and a misdemeanor charge of battery. Clark pinned a Choate resident to…
State highway shootings decline as critics sue over ‘dragnet surveillance’
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois State Police say an automated license plate reader program has helped the agency identify witnesses or suspects in 82 percent of highway shooting cases this year, including all eight that resulted in a death. But as the state looks to further expand its network of more than…
