GA_071119

glencoeanchor.com sports
the glencoe anchor | July 11, 2019 | 29
Regina names Mancuso athletic director
Michael Wojtychiw
Sports Editor
Brian Mancuso has
been an athletic director
for over a decade. Born
and raised in Terre Haute,
Ind., he spent nearly eight
years as the athletic director
and over four years
as the assistant athletic
director at Terre Haute
South Vigo High School
before spending the last
two months as the interim
assistant athletic director
at Lake Forest High
School.
Now he’ll be taking his
talents to Wilmette after
being named Regina Dominican’s
new athletic director.
Mancuso replaces
Tom Marcum, who had
been at the helm for three
years and now moves over
to Lisle High School to be
that school’s athletic director.
“I’ve been an athletic
director and always have
had a love of sport,” he
said. “I wanted to continue
what I was doing
and I’ve obviously been
attracted to the area, it’s
a great area, lots of great
people. Very friendly. So,
I think I love those things
and the more I learn about
the routine and the community,
the more I’m impressed
and I think it’s a
great fit.
“People I talked to up
here and friends from the
area all said really good
things about Regina.”
Mancuso’s old school
is pretty much the opposite
of Regina — a co-ed
school of over 1,800 students,
compared to Regina’s
girls-only, 544-student
population — but he
doesn’t feel it will be that
much of a change or difference.
“I think all schools
have their unique cultures
and their challenges,”
he said. “I think one of
the things that’s attractive
about Regina is the
fact you can meet and
understand the kids, and
see more kids, you know
and see kind of how they
progress. In a school of
1,800, it’s a little bit harder
to develop relationships
with kids.”
At Regina, Mancuso
will look to build on the
things Marcum laid the
foundation on.
This past year, the
school improved some of
its athletic facilities, including
playing the first
softball, soccer and lacrosse
games on school
grounds. Previously, the
Panthers had used fields at
Techny Towers in Northbrook
as their home fields
during the spring.
“It’s a win-win,” Mancuso
said, “First of all,
for our student athletes,
the fact that they do,
they play at home in
front of their town, their
community, their fans. I
think it’s going to benefit
for them.
“Also, since they’re at
home they’re not traveling
and I know our student
athletes have a lot of
other interests, and this
will allow them to focus
more time on their clubs
and their studies, maybe
some things outside of
sports. I’m really excited
for the opportunity to continue
to host.”
Mancuso moved to the
area after getting engaged
and to be closer to his fiance,
who lives in Highland
Park. He mentioned
that the area is one of the
things that enticed him
to leave the state he had
grown up in.
Mancuso admits that although
moving from one
state’s athletic association
to another might be
tricky, sports are sports.
Some of the main differences
are that some sports
sanctioned by the IHSA
aren’t sanctioned as official
sports in Indiana and
that some sports’ seasons
are different in the two
states.
However, he’s developed
a vision, one that he
feels will help the Panthers
continue to have
success.
“I think number one, I
think we need to increase
our website and social
media presence and get
our name out, and then
to continue to help in the
area, and provide safe
and quality opportunities
for girls to play sports,”
he said. “I think both of
those things ... I think we
need to continue to teach
schools in the classroom
and then outside the classroom,
which will allow
our population to go on
and go to a collegiate atmosphere
and be students,
and be leaders; basically
allow them an opportunity
to grow.”
The Mancuso Regina
era gets underway Aug.
22 when the tennis team
faces off with Maine West
and golf team takes on
Evanston.
softball
From Page 30
a new position at Mother
Truckers games: thirdbase
coach.
“It’s awesome, I love
Miss Mac,” Hielscher.
“She’s like such a second
mother to me in a way.
I’ve just known her from
being a student, and then
from working at New Trier,
and coaching at New
Trier.
“So having her back
and now we harass her as
much as she used to harass
us. No running in softball.
We make her run over and
coach us at third base. It’s
been a riot.”
It’s been special for Mc-
Namara as well.
“I have to admit I’m
very blessed,” she said.
“Everybody takes care of
me.
“I tell them ‘people
don’t like us already because
we’re so good. So
don’t get up there and take
a walk. Hit it!
“It’s neat to see all of
them still playing together,
but they are so skilled.
To watch them play all of
their positions, really they
do well. They really do
well.”
McNamara’s statement
about the team being really
good is true. While
nobody could truly remember
the exact number
of titles the team has
won in the past 10 years,
some believed the team
has won the title eight or
nine times, with the only
loss in the title game they
could remember was being
five years ago when
the Mother Truckers fell
to Girls Night Out.
The Mother Truckers
finished the regular season
11-0 and scored no
fewer than 11 runs in each
of their six wins. Thanks
to their perfect regular
season record, they earned
the top overall seed in the
league’s playoffs, which
started July 9. That game,
unfortunately was after
this paper’s deadline.
However, if the Mother
Truckers win on July 9,
they would play for the
league title at 7 p.m. on
July 16 at Field #2 of the
Skokie Playfields.
Win or lose though, it’s
all about the game and
spending time together.
“(Playing with) Some
of the women that were
a little older than us, that
we’ve heard about as softball
players but didn’t get
the chance to play with at
New Trier has been fun,”
Hielscher said. “Every
year, I mean, we’re still
hitting home runs, and
making double plays, and
competing so it’s great.
It feels like ... You feel
young again.”
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