NT_041119

42 | April 11, 2019 | The Northbrook tower Sports
northbrooktower.com
Northbrook native Donlon
named UMKC head coach
Staff Report
A Northbrook native
is getting another shot to
lead a college basketball
program.
Billy Donlon was
named the head coach of
the University of Missouri-Kansas
City men’s
basketball program. The
school made it official
Wednesday after the University
Board of Curators
met.
Donlon’s second
chance comes after he
led the Wright State program
from 2010 to 2016,
where he earned a 109-94
overall record and 53-49
in the Horizon League.
He has since served as an
assistant coach with the
University of Michigan
before joining Glenbrook
North alumnus Chris Collins
and former Spartans
boys basketball coach Jeff
James at Northwestern
University for the past
two seasons.
Despite the departure
The University of Missouri-Kansas City athletics
department announced the hiring of Billy Donlon as
its men’s basketball head coach. Photo courtesy UMKC
athletics department
from the area, Donlon’s
excited for the challange
of a new area.
“The thing that excites
me about UMKC is that
Kansas City has some of
the best high school basketball
in the state of Missouri,”
Donlan says in a
press release. “And it’s
in the center of one of the
best junior college regions
in the country. We have to
do a great job of recruiting
locally, recruiting
those kids, getting them to
stay and get a great education
at UMKC and play
in front of their families.
The campus is beautiful,
we offer a great location
in this city — now we just
have to prove to the recruits
that we can win and
develop them to be the
best students, players and
people that they can be.”
Northbrook resident earns top state honor
Submitted content
Northbrook Junior High sixth-grade student Vivienne
Larsen competes at the United States Association of
Gymnastics (USAG) Junior Olympic category meet in
DeKalb. Photo submitted
Northbrook Junior
High sixth-grade student
Vivienne Larsen is officially
the top scoring
gymnast in the state of
Illinois for Level 8 in the
United States Association
of Gymnastics (USAG)
Junior Olympic category.
She finished first in the
state with a 38.650 allaround
scored at the meet
held from Friday, March
29, to Sunday, March 31,
in DeKalb.
Last year Larsen took
down the number one
score in the region for her
age group in Level 7.
In addition to ranking
No. 1 in the state, she has
also been awarded “best
attitude” two years in a
row by her teammates and
coaches at Legacy Elite
Gymnastics, an award
that her family is so very
proud of.
Larsen trains 25 hours
a week at an Elite gym
in the Chicagoland area
called Legacy Elite, who is
currently the No. 1 scoring
team in the United States
in Level 10 and have several
gymnasts competing
in World Championships.
The coaches are a family
legacy of great gymnasts.
Jiani Wu is a five-time
World Champion medalist
and Yeujiu Li, is a renowned
men’s gymnast
and was inducted in the
international gymnastics
hall of fame in 2014. Their
daughter, Anna Li, also a
coach and part owner of
the gym, is a World Champion
elite gymnast scoring
several perfect 10’s for
UCLA, and was an alternate
on the U.S. Women’s
team in the London 2012
Summer Olympics.
This Week In ...
SPARTANS Varsity
Athletics
BASEBALL
■April ■ 11 - hosts Niles
North, 4:45 p.m.
■April ■ 15 - at New Trier,
4:45 p.m.
■April ■ 16 - hosts Deerfield,
4:45 p.m.
■April ■ 18 - at Deerfield,
4:45 p.m.
SOFTBALL
■April ■ 13 - at Niles West,
10:30 a.m.
■April ■ 16 - hosts Maine
East, 4:45 p.m.
■April ■ 17 - hosts Resurrection,
4:30 p.m.
■April ■ 18 - at Highland
Park, 4:45 p.m.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
■April ■ 12 - at Maine
West, 6 p.m.
■April ■ 17 - at Vernon
Hills, 6 p.m.
■April ■ 18 - at Smack Attack
Invite, 5 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
■April ■ 12 - hosts Mundelein,
7 p.m.
■April ■ 16 - hosts Highland
Park, 6 p.m.
■April ■ 18 - at Maine
East, 7 p.m.
BOYS WATER POLO
■April ■ 12 - hosts GBN
Invite, 5 p.m.
■April ■ 13 - hosts GBN
Invite, 9 a.m.
■April ■ 16 - at Maine
South, 6 p.m.
■April ■ 18 - hosts Niles
West, 6 p.m.
GIRLS WATER POLO
■April ■ 16 - hosts Maine
South, 6 p.m.
■April ■ 18 - hosts Niles
West, 5 p.m.
BOYS GYMNASTICS
■April ■ 13 - at Donaldson
Invite, 4 p.m.
■April ■ 16 - hosts Maine
East, 6 p.m.
■April ■ 18 - at Niles North
Invite, 6 p.m.
GIRLS BADMINTON
■April ■ 11 - at Niles
North, 4:30 p.m.
■April ■ 13 - at Wheeling
Invite, 8 a.m.
■April ■ 15 - at Conant,
4:30 p.m.
■April ■ 16 - at Maine
West, 4:30 p.m.
■April ■ 18 - hosts Glenbrook
South, 4:30 p.m.
BOYS LACROSSE
■April ■ 12 - at Lake Forest,
6:30 p.m.
■April ■ 13 - at York, noon
■April ■ 17 - at Evanston,
7 p.m.
GIRLS LACROSSE
■April ■ 13 - hosts Barrington,
3 p.m.
■April ■ 16 - at New Trier,
6 p.m.
■April ■ 17 - hosts Fenwick,
7 p.m.
BOYS TRACK AND FIELD
■April ■ 13 - at Bartlett
Invite, 9 a.m.
■April ■ 18 - at Lake Zurich
Invite, 5 p.m.
GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD
■April ■ 18 - at Titan
Invite, 4:30 p.m.
BOYS TENNIS
■April ■ 13 - at Harlem
Invite, 9 a.m.
■April ■ 15 - hosts Warren,
4:30 p.m.
■April ■ 16 - hosts New
Trirt, 4:30 p.m.
■April ■ 18 - hosts Deerfield,
4:30 p.m.