WB_071119

wilmettebeacon.com SPORTS
the wilmette beacon | July 11, 2019 | 37
Posted to WilmetteBeaconDaily.com 8 days ago
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
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 38
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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